Cameron Whitcomb and Default to play Rock The Lake in Kelowna this summer

The first two names have been announced for this year’s Rock The Lake in downtown Kelowna.

Rising homegrown country star Cameron Whitcomb and Vancouver alt-rock band Default will both play at the three-day summer music festival outside Prospera Place.

These are the first two of several artist announcements expected over the coming weeks as the lineup fills up for the event that is set for July 10-12.

Whitcomb is certainly a major get for the festival, although a bit of a departure from the type of acts that have graced the RTL stage in the past.

Raised in Nanaimo before moving to Kamloops at the age of 17, Whitcomb burst onto the world stage on American Idol four years ago and has not looked back.

He won a pair of Canadian Country Music Awards in Kelowna last year and is up for five Juno Awards in Hamilton this weekend.

While led by a country artist in Dallas Smith, Default is a more typical name you’d expect to see on the lineup for the annual Kelowna rock festival.

Smith and company are sure to deliver an electric performance at RTL in July and the set list should include No. 1 hits “Wasting My Time” and “Deny” from their popular debut album.

“Rock The Lake has always been about bringing our community together,” said Trish Jelinski from GSL Sports & Entertainment, the company behind RTL. “We’re excited to blend these first two high-energy Canadian artists with some definite fan favourites that will be announced soon.”

Jelinski added: “As our community changes and grows, we want to ensure we cater to those who live, work and play around our incredible city, which includes curating a lineup with an inclusive approach to the evolving genre of rock, rising talent and, of course, homegrown artists.”

Three-day general admission tickets and VIP first-release festival passes are available now through Select Your Tickets. Visit the Rock The Lake website here.