Sponsored by Schoolhouse Brewery
Fri., Sept. 27, 3:50pm: Festival Tent
Fri., Sept. 27, 10:30pm: Deep Roots Hootenanny, Farmers’ Market
Like Frankenstein’s monster drunk on whiskey sours, The Hypochondriacs resurrect classic country vibes with a strange and modern twist. Weaving together the emotional balladry of country legends like Hank Williams and George Jones with the high-octane stage presence of Memphis rockabilly and undercoated with the saccharine sounds of ’50s doo-wop, it’s a sound that’s at once familiar and refreshing.
Lead singer Josh Bravener has music in his blood, accompanying his father, an Elvis impersonator, out on the road from the tender age of six. Armed with songs about the crushing heartbreak of love and the love/hate relationship with the bottle, Bravener and his brother Aaron started the Hypochondriacs in 2012 and have been relentlessly hitting the stage ever since. Playing hundreds of shows – from intimate acoustic house shows to hitting the stage of the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto – and winning hearts in the process, the now-quintet has solidified itself as a high-energy whirlwind that you just can’t peel your eyes away from.
We suspect that, in addition to being visually mesmerizing, the Deep Root Hootenanny audience won’t be able to sit still either.