The Free Label is Coming “Home” for Mariposa-In-Concert on March 28th

Posted on

The final concert in Mariposa Folk Festival’s 2025-26 season is on Saturday, March 28 at St. Paul’s Centre in downtown Orillia. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 (including HST and fees) and are available at the Mariposa office at 10 Peter Street South or online at this link.

“Two crowd-favourites from the 2025 Mariposa Folk Festival are featured at our last concert of the 2025-26 Mariposa in Concert Season,” Mariposa Folk Festival President Pam Carter said.

“The Free Label has local connections,” Carter said. “Not only has the group played the Mariposa Folk Festival in 2019 and 2025, two of its members, Cole Mendez and Jacob Thompson, are from Orillia.

“Evan Rotella from Niagara Falls was one of the winners in the Mariposa Folk Festival’s  2025 Showcase and was a crowd favourite at the 2025 Mariposa Folk Festival.”

The Free Label

The Free Label is a six-member band from Toronto, known for their unique fusion of 70s disco, 90s R&B, and high-energy funk. Their infectious sound creates a captivating, dance-driven experience that has made them a favorite on stages across the globe.

Since their breakout 2019 single, “All Night,” the band has toured Europe, North America, and Australia, steadily growing their international fanbase. Notable Canadian festival appearances include Mariposa Folk Festival, Laketown Shakedown, and the Calgary Stampede, where they shared the stage with T-Pain, Aqua, and Lupe Fiasco. They’ve sold out shows nationwide, from Toronto to Vancouver, and have become a sought-after act at major Canadian and U.S. festivals.

Their 2023 European tour saw them perform in the Netherlands, England, and Luxembourg, where they opened for legendary soul group Incognito and R&B/Jazz virtuoso Mono Neon. The Free Label’s music has found a home on radio stations worldwide, with tracks featured in Canada, the U.S., Indonesia, Turkey, and the Czech Republic.

In 2024, the band celebrated the release of their highly anticipated sophomore album, Songs for Sienna, which earned them a prominent spot on the Amazon Music Billboard in Dundas Square, Toronto. This milestone helped solidify their rising status in the music industry, with tracks like “Blue Suede” and “Change Your Mind” receiving widespread acclaim. The album has garnered attention from both fans and critics, amplifying their presence on all platforms.

The band has also experienced significant growth over the last 12 months, with their live performances gaining millions of views across social media platforms. Their live videos, including festival performances and concert highlights, have collectively surpassed 15 million views, showing a remarkable increase in global engagement and solidifying their reputation as one of the most exciting live acts on the circuit.

In the studio, The Free Label has collaborated with Grammy-nominated artists like saxophonist Braxton Cook, featured on their 2022 release, Shine, and Grammy-nominated producer Aaron Paris (Drake, Kanye West, Kali Uchis), who contributed strings to their latest single, “Real Love.”

Their live performances continue to showcase their natural chemistry and dynamic stage presence. With their blend of technical prowess, crowd engagement, and infectious energy, The Free Label is a band that will get you dancing—and leave you wanting more.

Evan Rotella

Evan Rotella has been playing live music for nearly a decade and has been writing songs for almost that long. In 2020 he released a vinyl 45 of his song, “(If I Was A) Rockstar,” which featured well-known Pittsburgh musicians, guitarist Danny Gochnour and keyboardist Joe Munroe. In 2021 Rotella released a CD of acoustic songs written when he was 12 to 14 years-old, entitled, The Demo Tapes.

For the last four years he’s honed his musical chops playing festivals, theatres, patios, bars, and parties across the Niagara Region. He’s also had the privilege of playing at the iconic Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where Bruce Springsteen started his career. 

Evan has opened shows for Stephen Page, The Wilderness, Miss Emily, Honeymoon Suite, Wheatus, Road Waves, Stephen Stanley, Willie Nile, Joe Grushecky, Bobby Mahoney & The Seventh Son, Joe D’Urso, Southside Johnny, and the great Steve Earle. He has played with Teenage Head’s Dave Rave, Rick Rose, Bobby Mahoney, Astrid Young (Neil’s sister), the Lowest of the Low’s Stephen Stanley, and more.

On September 28, 2023 Evan released his debut album with an all-star line-up entitled, Happy To Be Here, which is a collection of 10 original songs. 

In 2024 he was mentioned twice in Billboard Canada online as “one to watch” and “rapidly attracting attention”.

On December 1, 2024 Evan released Last Train Home, an acoustic album recorded live-off-the-floor to give it a raw sound that mirrored the starkness of the lyrics and songs.

In 2025 Evan won the Niagara Music Awards Folk Album of the Year for “Last Train Home”, and received the Ontario Arts Council’s Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for his song, “Maryanne,” from the album, Last Train Home.

Evan had a busy 2025 playing various festivals including the Mariposa Folk Festival, Light of Day Asbury Park, Supercrawl, and NXNE in Toronto. As well, he has travelled to Ottawa, Kingston, Oshawa and Belleville to play various events. 

The Mariposa Folk Festival’s 2025-26 Concert Series is sponsored by Alleycats Music & Art, Apple Annie’s Café, Back to Function, CanPro Plumbing, Cathy Cleary, Dapper Depot, Dentistry on West, Tim and Rhonda Lauer, Lavender Hills Farm, Paul Raymond and Natalie Little, Amy & Al Wallace, Woodland Tree Service.