Republic Live, organizers of the Boots and Hearts Music Festival,has announced the Top 8 Finalists for the Emerging Artist Showcase presented by SiriusXM Canada. The final eight artists include Birds of Bellwoods, Eric Ethridge, James Barker Band, Johnson Crook, Leanne Pearson, Ray Gibson, Tenille Arts and Travis Wood. The finalists will be competing for a chance to perform on the Main Stage at Boots and Hearts prior to Thomas Rhett on Sunday, August 9th, in addition to winning a single release with Universal Music Canada and an opportunity to perform on the Main Stage at Boots and Hearts 2016. Fans are invited to vote for the Top 8 Finalists at www.bootsandhearts.com/showcase. Fan votes will determine the artists’ placement in the performance line up on the Front Porch Stage in front of a panel of judges at Boots and Hearts on Saturday, August 8, 2015.

“We’re very excited to have the Emerging Artist Showcase as a pillar of our festival to provide these up and coming artists a chance to not only perform at Boots and Hearts, but to win such a great prize that can really kick-start a career,” said Shannon McNevan, Executive Director, Republic Live.  “We are very grateful for the support from SiriusXM Canada in continuing to grow the showcase with us year after year. When we look back at some of the talent that crossed the stage for this festival, like Tim Hicks, Tebey, The Reklaws, Wes Mack, Jordan MacIntosh, Trinity Bradshaw, and so many more, we can clearly see how an opportunity like this and a single deal with Universal Music Canada can change an artists’ life.” 

The Top 8 Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase Finalists include:

Ø  Birds of Bellwoods, Toronto, ON; http://www.birdsofbellwoods.com

Ø  Eric Ethridge, Sarnia, ON; http://www.ericethridge.com

Ø  James Barker Band, Lindsay, ON; http://jamesbarker.ca

Ø  Johnson Crook, Toronto, ON; http://www.johnsoncrook.com

Ø  Leanne Pearson, Winnipeg, MB; http://www.leannepearson.ca

Ø  Ray Gibson, Maple Ridge, BC; http://www.raygibsonmusic.com

Ø  Tenille Arts, Weyburn, SK; http://www.tenillearts.com

Ø  Travis Wood, Toronto, ON; https://twitter.com/TravisPeterWood 

To view full biographies of artists, visit www.bootsandhearts.com/showcase 

Stay tuned, as we did last year, we will be featuring all of the top 8 leading up to this summer’s main event! If you are one of the top 8 watch your email and social media, we’ll be getting in touch very soon!

About SiriusXM Canada

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as SiriusXM Canada. SiriusXM Canada, with over 2.6 million subscribers, is the country’s leading audio entertainment company and broadcasts more than 120 satellite radio channels featuring premier sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music. SiriusXM Canada offers an array of content from the most recognized news, entertainment and major sports brands including the NHL, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, CNN, CBC, FOX, BBC, Howard Stern, Oprah, Disney, Comedy Central and more.

SiriusXM programming is available on a variety of devices including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks and boats, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available online at www.siriusxm.ca and on Apple and Android-powered mobile devices. 

SiriusXM Canada has partnerships with every major automaker and its radio products are available at more than 3,000 retail locations nationwide. To find out more aboutSiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), visit our website at www.siriusxm.ca.  SiriusXM Canada has been designated one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies five years in a row and 2013 and 2014 rankings in PROFIT 500’s list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies. 

Join SiriusXM Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/siriusxmcanada, on Twitter at twitter.com/siriusxmcanada and on Youtube at youtube.com/siriusxmcanada. 

About Boots and Hearts

Boots and Hearts is an annual country music festival event run by Republic Live, and will take place at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds, in Oro-Medonte Ontario August 6 – 9 in 2015. This year’s headliners include Brad Paisley, Eric Church and Florida Georgia Line as well as artists Justin Moore, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett, Dallas Smith, Chad Brownlee, High Valley, The Road Hammers, Frankie Ballard, David Nail, Maddie & Tae, Canaan Smith, Kira Isabella, The Stellas with Lennon and Maisy, Blackjack Billy, Old Dominion, Jess Moskaluke, Mackenzie Porter, Dylan Scott, Small Town Pistols, Wes Mack, Trinity Bradshaw, The Lovelocks, Leah Daniels, The Reklaws, Ty Baynton, Kaitlin Kozell, Them Dang Rattlers, Genevieve Fisher, Melissa Payne, Jesse Labelle, Kate Suhr, and Abby Stewart.  Boots and Hearts recently won the CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) Festival of the Year Award and continues to receive accolades from Canadian Music Week.  All tickets and camping offerings are currently available at www.bootsandhearts.com