This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Sun May 31 18:02:49 2026 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: All aboard: The Mojo Train is coming to Orangeville Blues and Jazz next Saturday --------------------------------------------------- By Sam Odrowski Glenn Marais and The Mojo Train are bringing their blues-rock show to the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 6 – and if Marais has anything to say about it, audiences should expect a high-octane performance. “To me it's not a good show if you're not soaked in sweat by the end of it,” he said. “If I come off and I have energy left, I didn't do the show.” Juno-nominated frontman of the Toronto-based four-piece band, Glenn Marais, is no stranger to OBJF, having performed at the festival a couple of times over the past several years. “We're really excited. It's a great way to kick off what's going to be an amazing Saturday,” said Marais, who added that his band will be playing at 1:45 p.m. on the TD Main Stage in Alexandra Park. “We're going to bring midnight energy to the middle of the day. It's going to be pure fire when we hit the stage.” That level of ambition doesn't come without preparation. The band has been rehearsing since February, fine-tuning a show Marais said is designed to hit differently than anything they've brought before. “We have a reputation for being a high energy act, and we try to engage with the crowd, so those elements we want to keep, but we're trying to take the performance up to another level,” Marais said. “We put a lot of thought into this year's show for the festivals that we're doing… how the songs hit live, and adding some special moments.” Reflecting on the band's sound, Marais said it is blues rock at its core, but with a funk groove element and a knack for surprises that keep audiences — and even band members — guessing. “We don't put cages around our songs live, we often go off and just improvise on the spot and feed off of each other's energy,” he told the Citizen. “We're not a jam band, but we do like to have that improv capacity and ability to share with people.” That spontaneity has been sharpened over years of touring, culminating in a recent milestone that put the band on an international stage. The Mojo Train made it to the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this year — one of the most prestigious competitions in the blues world. The experience, Marais said, reinforced something he already believed: Canadian blues gets less credit than it deserves. “The common mindset is that American blues bands are some of the best in the world, but then when you hear from people in America, ‘Man, you Canadian bands are really good' — that is something that we're so proud of to be part of,” Marais said. That pride is part of what makes his upcoming performance at OBJF significant. What sets the festival apart, according to Marais, is the people behind it. He's developed a personal friendship with founder Larry Kurtz and his family over the years, and describes the entire operation — from organizers to volunteers — as genuinely invested in seeing performers succeed. “It's a level of excitement that I haven't experienced at other festivals,” he said. Marais also reflected on what festivals like OBJF mean for aspiring artists, recalling how the festival gave his own band their first break. “Larry is the kind of promoter — if you're good, you're eager, you approach him with intent and enthusiasm, and you're nice, they'll give you a shot. We were brand new into the blues scene, and he put us right on the street at a really good time slot.” Beyond his own performance, Marais said events like OBJF play a vital role in Canada's live music landscape. “They're hugely important. If you get into the fiscal part of it, they bring a lot of money into the downtown cores and into local businesses — they provide an identity for the town,” he said. “Orangeville is known for the blues festival, not just regionally, but across Canada as being one of the best festivals in Ontario, possibly the world.” For those on the fence about attending, Marais offered a simple message. “When you go to a festival like this, it's worth coming for the whole day because there's going to be an unbelievable lineup… fantastic food, and lots of places to sit and eat. It's just very well organized,” he said. Tickets for festival admission to the Opera House and Alexandra Park stages are available now on the OBJF website, with single-day admission priced at $20 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, and $10 for Sunday. Weekend passes are available for $40. “For what you pay to attend the festival, you can see 10 bands. It's an unbelievable deal,” Marais said. “Come Saturday at 1:45 and be ready to have a blast.” --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2026-05-28 12:20:29 Post date GMT: 2026-05-28 16:20:29 Post modified date: 2026-05-28 12:20:31 Post modified date GMT: 2026-05-28 16:20:31 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com