A rocking tribute concert is also going to be raising support for the Manitou Opera House Foundation.
The show by The Haileys will be the headline act for the annual foundation endowment concert May 30, and the group that includes members from Manitou and Morden will be doing a tribute to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as well as their own original music.
Featuring Manitou’s own Hailey Hunter, this band is known for gritty riffs, catchy choruses, and an electric stage presence. Opening for them is local group The Asters, featuring Denise Howatt, Delaney Smith, Olivia Bamford, and Hallie Loutchan.
“They’re really hitting the rock and roll scene in Winnipeg running,” said representative Lindy Sharpe, noting the show will be hosted by well known radio and music personality Howard Mandshein.
Consisting of Hailey Legary on guitar and vocals, Hunter on bass and vocals, and Haley Matiation on drums and percussion, The Hailey’s draw from classic rock, punk, pop and folk influences to create a sound led by gritty guitar, catchy choruses and driving rhythm.
Hunter connected with Legary when she was about 18, and they would do things like open mic nights in the city. Calling themselves The Haileys seemed like a natural choice for a name.
“As we got more familiar with the live music scene in Winnipeg, we thought we should just make a band, but we thought there was no chance we would find another Hailey,” Hunter shared. “Ever since then, we’ve been gigging pretty regularly in the city, and we got a chance to play in Toronto and open up for The Beaches, which was a huge thing we did last year.”
The Haileys have released a record with another one on the way, so they are excited to have forward momentum and are happy to be coming back to support Hunter’s home town.
“We’re just happy to come back to Manitou because it has a special place in our hearts,” she said. “Manitou is such a musical community … once you move away, you kind of appreciate it even more. I’m really lucky to have grown up there in this way.”
They are very much influenced by classic rock and have enjoyed in particular music by artists like Joan Jett, so it is a good fit for this show, which will feature one set of Jett songs and another of their own original music.
“It’s been really nice to elevate our skills and learn more about writing our own music. That’s something that we’re really passionate about,” Hunter said. “We’re about to release new songs that we did during writing sessions in Toronto. We’re really excited about it because it’s really elevated our sound … they’ll be coming out over the summer, so it’s an exciting time for sure.”
Hunter values the importance of a local venue like the opera house.
“The Manitou Opera House is special. We have connections there obviously. It’s a pretty big deal … the opera house is pretty booked up most of the time with various events going on,” she said. “It’s a good thing to bring people together … and to support the young musicians coming out of the area.
As for the show, she hopes people will just have a good time and appreciate the music.
“We love our cover music, and that’s why we want to do some songs that everybody knows … there’s lots of people writing their own songs, and it’s nice for those to get a chance to shine … you need to support your local talent,” Hunter said. “That’s how you hook them in, and then hopefully they like the rest too.”
Sharpe said they are always happy to support talent with roots in the area.
“We want to give them a platform … we’re super excited because these are all home town girls.”
Fundraising events like this are vital to the historic opera house.
“We are totally run by fundraising for our venue. We don’t have any outside dollars coming in … so we have to have successful concerts and events in order to keep the lights on,” Sharpe said.
When they created the opera house endowment fund last spring, they raised over $44,000. They’re hoping to bring in something similar this year.
“Ideally, long term, we will have an endowment fund fundraiser every year … and it’s always there for people to donate throughout the year,” said Sharpe. “Ideally, eventually, that endowment fund will highly pay for our operating expenses … that’s our long term goal.”
Tickets to the show are available at manitouoperahouse.com/events.
