The charity entertainment group River Street Promotions (RSP) brings world-class Canadian musicians to Moose Jaw for the benefit of youth mental wellness across southern Saskatchewan. Homestand ’22 in Ross Wells ballpark was another big success and an expanded RSP committee is planning its next innovations.
Banjo Bowl
The day began with the livestreaming of this year’s Banjo Bowl rivalry in Ross Wells Ballpark. Winnipeg added another notch to their belt, winning 54-20. The Roughriders were not helped by the long list of violently ill players on their roster that day — an entirely unnecessary handicap against the league’s current best team.
RSP co-founder James Murdock said the organization was happy with the number of ‘Riders fans who showed up — and with the halftime show.
“We were quite pleased with the number of people that came out to watch the game. We didn’t know what to expect, but there are die-hard fans out there, and it was a nice way to ease into the day.
“Another thing that was very meaningful was that the halftime entertainment was the School of Rock band from Regina, and those teens really brought it. There was a good local lad, Ethan Novecosky, who was the drummer, and this was his final year, so that was big.”
During Matt Mays’ set, he brought the School of Rock band back onto the stage to play a Tom Petty song with him and his band — surely a big moment for emerging musicians.
Homestand ’22 concert
“The evening was truly memorable,” Murdock said, “It was such a positive feel throughout the entire night.”
Murdock added that there were a few hundred more people in the park this year, which RSP sees as a sign of growing community awareness of their group and its cause.
Representatives from Prairie South School Division and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division — both beneficiaries of the RSP Youth Mental Wellness Fund — were on stage on one point to explain how the youth of south Sask will be served by the money raised from the concert.
JJ Voss, out of Regina, was the night’s opener. Voss’ powerful voice filled the park, delighting fans including a contingent of family and friends who came from Regina to watch him perform. Voss is a multi-award-winning Saskatchewan country artist.
Next up was Nice Horse, an all-female country band who are making waves with their skill and with the Be Nice Nation lifestyle brand. Nice Horse were part of the first Homestand lineup and were delighted to return to Moose Jaw.
Nice Horse received a historic five nominations at the CCMAs this year. Each member was nominated as an individual musician, as well as a nomination for their music video “High School.”
Nice Horse left immediately after their set to make a live performance at the CCMAs in Calgary, where Brandi Sidoryk won Bass Player of the Year and “High School” clinched its win.
“They are true entertainers,” Murdock said. “Everyone knew their songs, people were singing along word for word, because they’re iconic.”
The evening’s final act was Nova Scotian rocker Matt Mays and his band. As mentioned, they brought the School of Rock band up mid-set to perform with them.
At one point, Mays leapt off the stage to join fans on the ground of the ballpark.
“You could see from the expressions of the people close to the stage, you know, that’s not something that happens every day,” Murdock laughed. “I was in awe of the show they did, that was a true rock show.”
RSP expands committee
After the success of their first show, Murdock said, RSP was approached by members of the community who wanted to help out. That lead to an expansion of the group leading up to Homestand ’22. The announcement of the fundraising total will be either later this month or in October. Stay tuned for more information on the new makeup of RSP.
“We’re just very appreciative of the support we receive from the community and from local businesses. I think people understand the big picture of what we’re trying to accomplish and, you know, at the end of the day, the only people who get paid from this are the artists.
“This is done strictly by volunteers who are donating their time to be part of something good.”
