The Barrie Downtown Countdown happens tonight and despite big names like Fred Penner and The Sam Roberts Band headlining the show, some of the biggest cheers may be for hometown boys Cousin Jack.
Cousin Jack consists of Lucas Millar (27) on lead vocals and guitar, Jake Thompson (27) on drums and vocals and Cameron Stevenson (26) handling bass, vocals and keyboard.
While all three attended high school here in the city, Thompson told BarrieToday they never actually met until later in life.
“All three of us went to high school in Barrie, but never really met until after college,” said Thompson. “Cam and I both went to St. Joan of Arc, but were a year apart and Lucas attended Barrie North Collegiate.
"Barrie was a pretty cool city to grow up in, being so close to Muskoka and so many lakes, but also being a quick drive to Toronto, there was always something to do," he added. "Back in the day, Barrie was known for its outdoor concerts and festivals in Molson Park, so we were very fortunate to be around for some of them, including Warped Tours, Live 8 and Edgefest.
"These were definitely major influential moments for all of us and it has been wild to see Barrie change over the years and kind of grown with us.”
The band knew for almost a month they were going to perform in front of their hometown crowd, but were not allowed to say anything until the official announcement.
Thompson said hearing they were going to be on the same line-up as Sam Roberts made the wait worthwhile.
“We all had a major fan-girl moment,” Thompson joked. “It was all very surreal hearing our name on the radio and then finding out we were sharing the stage with one of our childhood idols.
"We had been brainstorming and tried to figure who the headliner would be and short-listed bands that weren’t currently on tour and could not be happier with how it all worked out.”
Cousin Jack is set to hit the stage around 8:15 p.m., right after the 8 p.m. family countdown and fireworks.
The guys are confident there will be a big crowd at the show not just family and friends out to support them, but with the fact Barrie has become such a huge music city.
“The music scene in Barrie, as of the last few years, is slowly being resurrected,” Thompson said. “We have met many talented bands, ranging in many different sounds, but all coming together as a musical community.
"Of course, having the mayor in a band is a positive and having a great political figure advocating for the music scene, great opportunity arises, with possibilities for advancement in musical entertainment in Barrie."
Cousin Jack released a live-off-the-floor music video Sunday, which can be viewed on their Facebook page @cousinjacktheband.
