Photos: Toronto Urban Roots Fest 2014

As Consequence Of Sound’s Alex Young recently pointed out, the city of Toronto has lacked “a major mainstream music festival”. It comes as a surprise given Toronto’s flourishing music community, but in reality outdoor events such as Field Trip, Edgefest, and OVO Fest haven’t exactly leveled up to a status that makes them an internationally-known commodity. The closest thing the 416 has is Toronto Urban Roots Fest. Jeff Cohen’s summer rock n’ roll bash benefits from Ottawa Bluesfest’s programming and as this year’s run showed, it has the muscle and charm to become Canada’s own Sasquatch or Outside Lands – especially when acts such as Jeff Tweedy, Beirut, Hollerado, The Gaslight Anthem, and Jenny Lewis (above) nail unforgettable sets. Better yet, TURF has the opportunity to groom the Fort York: Garrison Common into a cozy spot that can house the likes of Jack White and Queens Of The Stone Age. Those two names may seem far-fetched but it won’t be hard to find majors that wouldn’t mind riffing through a rare summer landscape.