Back Forty Special

Instant Rivalry hosts a virtual Christmas program

For several months at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Back Forty Productions was offering free musical programming to County residents and beyond. The live-streamed shows were each on a different theme, featured call-in requests and provided giveaways—sometimes valued into the thousands of dollars— to viewers. Hosted by the brother and sister duo of Caleb and Megan Hutton, who perform as Instant Rivalry, and sponsored by Tri-Canadian Energy, the streams have racked up over a quarter of a million views across the globe. Now Megan and Caleb are offering a Christmas gift from their studio on December 22. The prerecorded show will showcase an array of talented musicians, feature plenty of fun and humour, and will include a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus. And there will be giveaways in the 12 days leading up to the show.

Megan and Caleb Hutton of Instant Rivalry will stream a special Christmas show on December 22 that was recorded at thier Back Forty Studio, and will feature musicians including Miss Emily and Justin Rutledge.

Megan and Caleb took a much-needed break towards the end of summer to spend time with family and do some of the things they had not been able to do in previous years due to their busy performing schedule. Caleb and his wife also welcomed a new baby into the world at the end of August, giving them a total of three children. “It’s been a little hectic, especially during COVID with no babysitters and only our family to help out, but it’s been fun,” he says. Through the fall Caleb and Megan have been working with other local musicians as well as with County radio, and in mid-October they started planning the Christmas special. “It’s the end of 2020 and I noticed a lot of musicians have the blues and not being able to play a lot, or their musician friends are all over Ontario so they can’t play together,” says Caleb. “We’ve had a lot of buzz in our studio about trying to do some things and keep it COVID-friendly, so we thought being able to invite some artists to be part of a big Christmas show would bring their hopes up.” Megan adds that it was also a way to keep up with some of their Christmas traditions. “From the time I was about 10 years old I would go to long-term care facilities and sing for the seniors, and with the church choirs. And not having that this year, I feel like there’s a void in the community that wasn’t being filled,” she says. “This Back Forty Christmas special also ties in with the Loch Sloy Santa Claus parade as well. We are working together on both of these, just trying to give back to the community, to give everyone something to look forward to at the end of a crazy year.”

Caleb and Megan had a long list of musicians they would have liked to feature, but they had the difficult job of whittling it down to a manageable number. “We tried to cultivate a show that was going to be uplifting and moving and showcase multiple genres that were appropriate within the Back Forty brand. We try to constantly bring in new local artists every time we do something, but we wanted to invite some bigger artists for our community,” says Megan.

They invited Russel deCarle, frontman for Prairie Oyster, and they also asked The Wilkinsons to join them because they wanted another family performing. Also in the lineup are The Wakami Wailers, Justin Rutledge, Lenni Stewart, The Brian Legere Trio, Dan Dayton, Andy Forgie and Gabriel Guadagnin. “We invited Miss Emily because, well, she’s Miss Emily and she’s a good friend of ours and also a local girl,” adds Megan. These musicians all pre-recorded their songs at the Back Forty studio, under strict COVID-19 protocols. “I feel that from what we’ve done over the whole year with COVID and helping out with the local radio station and doing the We Are One video, we’re set how we keep our safety protocols, and people feel safe with us,” says Caleb. “It’s a lot to handle sometimes, but we feel honoured that people are trusting us and we’re working our hardest to help them out.”

The format is going to be different from previous Back Forty shows. “It’s going to be a bigger production than anything we’ve done so far. It’s a revolving Christmas show—there’s always going to be something new,” says Megan. “It’s almost like a TV show that you have the entire family gather around the television and watch, like a Dolly Parton Christmas show, except this time you’ll recognize some of the faces on the screen.” The guest musicians will play one or two songs, and Megan and Caleb will be the hosts. “We’ll introduce the bands. We might tell a little story. There’s going to be a little bit of humour. We might be in the studio, we might be out of the studio,” says Caleb.

The entire cost for the show is being borne by Back Forty and Tri-Canadian Energy. Some of the musicians are being paid for their time and other musicians have generously donated their time. The show will be streamed for free and will also be available online. Caleb and Megan say this is their way of giving back to the community, and to share some of their Christmas traditions. “We are so lucky to have such a tight-knit family and to have them in our social bubble. Our traditions are simple, just being with family, spending time with people that you love and being thankful in that Christmas spirit,” says Megan. “It’s important to us that we offer people something different who can’t have their family there, offering them a little bit of Christmas spirit. We’re going to be incorporating some of our family traditions so people can get a peek at a Hutton Christmas.” Caleb sees the show as a way for people to connect with family they are not able to visit. “During the start of COVID there were lots of families that weren’t able to see each other, but our livestreams were a way that they were able to talk to each other and still watch something in their own living room and it felt like they were together. So I think this show is going to have them connect in separate rooms if they are not in the bubble and be able to feel like they’re a part of the Christmas they would normally have.”

The show premieres on December 22, and a link can be found at backfortypro.com.

Parts of the show will be broadcast on the radio on 99.3 County FM and Mix 97 on Christmas Day. The “12 Days of Giveaways” promotion begins at 7 p.m. on December 11, and can be entered via facebook.com/backfortypro. The program will remain available online after its premiere.