Article by Bronwyn Boyer

The first major music festival born and raised in Muskoka was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival rose like a phoenix from the ashes of an industry forced to a halt. Though still a fledgling, the two-day summer celebration in Gravenhurst is a powerful healing force musicians and music lovers needed. Now in its third year, it’s quickly becoming a highly anticipated phenomenon.

Kevin Goodman, CEO of Front Row Centre Music and Entertainment in Toronto, has long been familiar with the allure of Muskoka, being a cottager in the area since his youth. Since 2007, his agency has specialized in connecting “brands, bands, and fans.” By creating partnerships for programs and promotions built around music and entertainment, they work with “really big bands, and really big brands” ­– from breakfast cereal to automobiles, and everything in between.

“Tall Pines is my COVID baby,” Goodman says. “When the pandemic hit, the music stopped. As an agency that focuses on live events, we were at standstill. In the spring of 2020, it was clear there would be no shows or festivals happening that summer, so we were at a loss.”

All they knew was that something had to fill the void. Goodman noticed a lot of virtual music festivals being televised but he felt they lacked a certain spark.

“They were just a one-way conversation, not very engaging or exciting,” he explains. “That’s when we came up with the idea to create our own for Canada Day called The Canada Day House Party, to bring the nation together under one virtual roof.” 

The Canada Day House Party was a seven-and-a-half hour virtual music festival that featured 17 bands. Audiences could tune in to see performances by Buffy Saint-Marie, Brett Kissel, Sam Roberts Band, William Prince, Rufus Wainwright, and many others.

“We had incredible sponsors like Air Miles and Roots,” Goodman recalls. “After that, we said, okay that was fun but hopefully we never have to do it again. But we were wrong.”

After the success of that event, Goodman and his team were approached by the restaurant and bar coalition, SaveHospitality.ca, to put together a New Year’s Eve event.

“New Year’s Eve is the biggest night for bars and restaurants, so they were really struggling during the lockdowns,” Goodman explains. “So, we created a mini virtual festival called The Big Night In, with the slogan, ‘if you’re staying in, make sure you order out.’”

When the summer of 2021 rolled around, Goodman wanted to do something different for the Canada Day House Party.

“I wanted to have a cottage event in Muskoka because it’s such a classic Canadian thing to do,” he recalls. “So, I called our friends at Roots and pitched the idea to the owner, Michael Budman, who has a beautiful cottage around Algonquin Park.”

As it happened, Budman had just purchased Camp Tamakwa, which is where he and Don Green met as youth and came up with the idea for Roots.

Despite COVID protocols, they got the blessing from the District Health Unit to bring seven bands and Cottage Life TV up to Camp Tamakwa for a three-and half-hour virtual music festival they called Summer House Party.

“Those five days in June 2021 went from a concert to a happening to a healing,” Goodman recalls. “Then more sponsors got on board. The province, the region and the district all loved it. We ended up having just under 50,000 people tune in. So, our little virtual music festival ended up being something really special.” 

The unique experience of Summer House Party demonstrated to Goodman that Muskoka was where it was at for live entertainment in the summer. It also caught the attention of the executive director of Muskoka Tourism at that time, Janet O’Connell, who suggested to Goodman they do a full-on music festival in Muskoka.

“I thought about it for about twenty seconds, which was about two weeks and twenty seconds too short, and then I said, ‘Sure! We’ll do it,’” remembers Goodman. “And six weeks after a beer on the patio of Taboo Resort, Tall Pines was born.”

After Goodman and O’Connell met that August to brainstorm the idea, the new festival seemed to take on a life of its own.

“By the end of September, we already had a name, a logo and a feel of what we wanted to do,” Goodman explains.

The inaugural Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival was held in June 2022 at Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst. Since it was the first major music festival in Ontario to emerge from the cocoon of COVID-19, the media coverage was extensive. CTV News sent up a crew and about six dozen stories flooded the airwaves, internet and print media.

“That first year, we had our friends Big Wreck, K-os, Peaches, Boy Golden, Caveboy, and so many amazing bands up to play,” recalls Goodman. “It was like a reunion, because it was the first time that any of these artists had performed in a long time. It was also the first time they’d seen each other, even their own bands. We took over the wharf field and had 2,500 people that weekend.”

At the outset, the mood of the public was mixed. As much as people were ready to celebrate a return to a sense of normalcy and socialize again, many were still apprehensive about being back in a large crowd.

“I think that showed in our ticket sales,” says Goodman. “But what we lacked in quantity we made up for with quality. That first year, the phrase ‘good vibes at Tall Pines’ was coined and it’s been our mantra ever since.”

Goodman says he and his planning team chose the Gravenhurst wharf as the location because they wanted a site that embraced the natural surroundings and elements.

“When we visited the site and saw forest on two sides, a gorgeous Muskoka rock cliff on one side and the lake on the other, it just made sense – it was immediately an integral piece of the festival experience,” explains Goodman. “Also, there aren’t too many music festivals in Ontario where you can park your boat across the road and walk over to the festival. I really dug that.”

This year, Tall Pines will take place at Gull Lake Park due to the construction project underway at the wharf.

“I wasn’t going to take a risk that the wharf site would be inaccessible, so we decided to move the festival this year,” Goodman explains. “Gull Lake Park is a beautiful site, with beach front property. I’m telling people to bring their swimsuits. They’re also upgrading the site and installing a new amphitheatre down by the water, so we’re really excited about that.”

Goodman also made sure the Music on the Barge series, which takes place Sunday evenings at the park, wouldn’t be cancelled due to the festival tear-down on the Sunday.

“Since most of the infrastructure for the festival will be finished by late Thursday afternoon, we decided to move Music on the Barge to Thursday evening,” he explains. “The site will be free then, and I think it’s important to find solutions that embrace the community.”

To that end, a ticket promotion called Muskoka Local was created. “If you have one of nine Muskoka-Parry Sound postal code prefixes, you can purchase tickets half price,” says Goodman. “It’s our way of giving back to the community.”

Another change to this year’s festival is the dates. The first two years were held in June, but this year, it will be in July. Goodman’s reason for this is simple.

“I have a fishing problem,” he shares. “And when I go fishing, I try to go where the fish are. I used that analogy in my decision to move the dates. The population of the region pretty much quadruples in July with seasonal rentals and cottagers. So, I want to go where the fish are, so to speak.”

Despite Goodman’s many years of experience putting on large live music events, it’s still a learning process.

“We learn the hard way what works and what doesn’t,” he explains. “It remains to be seen if we do better with the July dates or how can we include more artists and vendors. We had 14 vendor spots last year and we had over 70 applications. It wasn’t easy figuring out which ones to take on. It’s like a living, breathing, organism where we learn as we go. And we don’t even talk about the weather – we just have to hope that it co-operates.”

It takes almost a year to plan for the festival. “It’s an 11-month process,” says Goodman. “We have amazing partners and collaborators but it’s just a handful people that plan it all. It’s a lot of long hours, and a lot of really hard work. It makes me think of doing really difficult puzzles when I go to the cottage with my family. Putting all the pieces together for a festival makes those puzzles look easy. But it’s definitely my passion. Music is the fuel for my engine, so creating this festival from scratch has been a dream and nightmare at the same time.”

Another important partner is Muskoka Tourism, and Goodman takes their motto, “discover Muskoka” to heart.

“Tall Pines really adheres to the notion of discovery,” he says. “People can come discover Muskoka for the first time and a whole bunch of new bands while they’re at it. I remember when I discovered the Tragically Hip in 1986 at a campus pub, when they were still mostly unheard of. Those memories last forever. Festivals are not only the most economical way to experience live music but they’re also a rite of passage. All my industry colleagues share the dream of discovering the next big act and being the one who gave them their start.”

Speaking of giving new artists their start, Goodman also had the idea to collaborate with 89.1 Max FM in Orillia to choose a local act for the festival. Artists submit their song to the station and then 20 are selected and played on the air. From there, the judges select nine to perform in a three-day Battle of the Bands at Bracebridge Hall, producing a winner each night. The final decision is made among the three finalists.

Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival will take place July 19 - 20 at Gull Lake Park in Gravenhurst. Tickets and all other information can be found at tallpinesfestival.com

Goodman’s message for music and arts lovers is simple – “Come join us for the magic, the music and the memories in Muskoka.”