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Pam Day winner performs at Heritage Festival

Ben Hermann performs on the mainstage at the North Bay Heritage Festival. Photo by Steve Clarke - RePercussion Drumshop, Special to BayToday.ca.


Ben Hermann performs on the mainstage at the North Bay Heritage Festival. Photo by Steve Clarke - RePercussion Drumshop, Special to BayToday.ca.

This year’s Heritage Festival gave local performers Ben Hermann and Seth Yzereef a spot on the main stage along with such big names as D21C, Billy Talent and Kalan Porter.

Hermann and Yzereef won the Pam Day Band Challenge, which earned them the chance to play in front of thousands of people at the Festival Monday evening.

“I was pretty nervous when I was going out there,” Hermann said.

“But once I started playing I wasn’t nervous.”

Accompanying Hermann’s performance was fellow Joseph-Scollard Hall student Yzereef, whose guitar playing added a heavier sound to the performance.

Hermann said his influences include Dave Mathews, Coldplay and The Police, while Yzereef said he enjoys Metallica, Slayer and various free jazz performers.

“Seth is from the dark side,” Hermann said.

Although Hermann doesn’t have a record contract or songs on the radio, he certainly has a cult following.

There were many homemade signs supporting Ben, and the loud screams of local teenage girls rivalled screams from fans of the evening’s headliner Kalan Porter.

The Festival also gave other up and coming acts a spot on the main stage Monday night.

Dala, Pat Robitaille, Johnny Williams and Aaron Garner, who were scheduled to play Fox Fest in the beer garden, were given time on the main stage.

“At the last minute they had some spare time,” Amanda Walther of Dala said.

“So we were all added to the stage.”