Sunday at Boots and Hearts has never been heavier, and it all started with American country group Lakeview bringing their metalcore-inspired sound to the main stage.
Boots and Hearts marked Lakeview's first time performing in Canada, coming off their first six European dates.
One of those dates featured a set at Wacken Open Air, a festival in Germany known as one of the largest metal festivals in the world. Lakeview was the first country act to perform there.
However, Luke Healy and Jesse Denaro's journey from playing in Chinese restaurants to international recognition has been a long time coming.
BAND ORIGINS
The tattoo-clad duo was initially part of separate metal bands. Healy was a guitarist for Christian metalcore band Those Who Fear, and Denaro was drumming for hardcore band Von Wolfe.
Von Wolfe opened at a church in Kissimmee, Fla. for Those Who Fear in 2010, which is when the two met.
Later, Denaro moved from Daytona Beach, Fla. to Healy's hometown of Pittsburgh and met at a party. From there, they both became roommates. They soon worked together installing in-ground pools and bouncing at clubs, carving out their spare time to write songs.
"We grew up in a Christian household where you weren't allowed to really listen to much except church music, and country music was considered safe," Healy said in an interview with Barrie360 after their Boots and Hearts set.
"When we were teenagers, we got into metal and rock and we did that for a long time, but you always find your way back to your roots."
NASHVILLE
The guys sent some songs to some friends in Nashville who pushed them to go all in on country music. Eventually, the guys decided to move to Nashville and try to make their dreams come true.
"We were sick of living in Pittsburgh," Denaro said. "Had nothing really going on and we were just like let's go write some songs in Nashville and see what happens."
"We were both kind of going through similar times in our life at the same time and we both agreed this was something that was missing out there," Healy added.
In Nashville, Denaro and Healy initially set out to be external songwriters for other artists, but were encouraged enough to go for it on their own.
"People were like 'no we want this, what you're doing,'" Healy said. "The following, even as small as it was, was what pushed us into becoming Lakeview."
With their songwriting now benefiting them as artists, the band set off to bring hard-working, party music to country radio.
Getting their name out there was key, and it seems that a name like Lakeview checks all the boxes they're going for, especially in Ontario.
"We just wanted a name that could remind us of when we were kids going to like a real dumpy lake for vacation," Denaro explained. "We never got to do anything super sick like go to the beach... we just wanted you to hear the name and it just bring you to a place of like a good memory and good time."
COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
Lakeview simply defines it's sound as 'country rock', but their blend of the genres didn't take off right away in Tennessee.
"We had no problem, it was Nashville that had a hard time." Denaro said. "A big help has been guys like Hardy, Jelly Roll, and Post Malone who kind of blurred the line between the genres."
In 2020, Lakeview released a selection of singles, with some of them included on their debut EP Small Town Famous.
The first EP features country hits with overdriven guitars and catchy songwriting. But the heavier musical influences entered the fray more with the release of "LOSER" in 2022.
Meanwhile, Healy and Denaro were still working multiple jobs while pursuing music. But the biggest moment came with the release of "Home Team" in 2023.
"Home Team" became a hit, and remains the band's most popular song to date, with over 23 million streams on Spotify alone as of August 2025. It garnered so much popularity it's been in regular rotation at sporting venues across the United States.
"We got to go to a Dallas Stars hockey game where they played the song," Denaro recalled. "To see our faces on the screen was just crazy."
Eventually, the pair went full-time into music in October of 2023, and it started to pay off relatively soon. By the time of their next hit single releases "See Me In a Suit" and their collaboration with Gideon on "Money Where Your Mouth Is", the band was getting noticed by bigger acts.
RECOGNITION
In June of that year, they played the Tailgates N' Tallboys festival alongside Josh Ross, Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman and Shinedown. And not too long after, they were on the same bill as Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
"Of all the crazy s--- we've done, it was one of the only times our parents validated it," Healy said. "We could have a number one on the radio and they'd be like, 'oh that's nice'. Play with Lynyrd Skynyrd—you made it."
In September, Lakeview, their self-titled, debut LP was released, and they got an opportunity to go on tour with Staind, Breaking Benjamin, and Daughtry.
"Money Where Your Mouth Is" was also played at Caesar's Superdome during Super Bowl LIX, which the band recalled as surreal.
"You just never think it's going to get this far," Denaro said.
Their music has been regularly featured on local rock station and SiriusXMOctane. On Spotify, Lakeview has over 460,000 monthly listeners as of August 2025.
Their debut album features hard-hitting singles like "Dying Breed," but also ballads like "By Now", and the fully acoustic "I Don't Call".
Denaro noted that they'd love to play with Jason Aldean eventually, noting
CANADIAN INFLUENCES
Lakeview's biggest influences range from Randy Travis to Bury Your Dead, but both cite some key Canadian influences to their sound.
"Absolutely the best band ever in the world is Nickelback," Healy exclaimed.
"France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty, y'all gave us Nickelback."
The said they've become great friends with Chad Kroeger through a mutual connection. They also wrote a yet-to-be-released song with Kroeger during a writing session.
Nickelback headlined Boots and Hearts in 2023, and later released Get Rollin' which many fans described as 'bro-country'.
"One thing that makes country music is authenticity," said Healy. "That's what attracts me to country music more than anything more than the rock and more than the metal."
Both also recalled Default and Dallas Smith, who played the festival the same day, as inspirations. Lakeview will be playing on the same bill with Default and Nickelback at the Velocity Festival at the Field of Dreams movie site August 31.
"One of my favorite band that's a kid was a band called Our Lady Peace," Denaro added. "I used to listen to them all the time."
Healy also mentioned Montreal-based deathcore band Despised Icon, proving their respect for Canadian music runs deep.
BOOTS AND HEARTS
What felt like a quick set (30 minutes), wasn't lost on the duo, who hope to be back next year and with a later timeslot.
"I've only heard amazing things from all my friends who played here," Denaro said. "We were just super stoked."
"This has been a festival that we both have wanted to play for a long time, especially just from the tags that we've been getting for the past five years saying 'where's Lakeview?'" Healy said.
Healy added that fans called for the band to be included on the bill which led organizers to book them. They were presented with the opportunity by organizers at the 2024 American Country Music Awards.
Lakeview opened Sunday's main stage lineup with an aggressive start. One festival-goer even described them as "scary."
Their energetic start kept fans engaged and the crows surrounding the stage's catwalk grew as the show continued.
SETLIST
- "Hits Different"
- "LOSER"
- "Dying Breed"
- "Wrong Side of the Track"
- "Money Where Your Mouth Is"
- "Bad Day to Be a Beer"
- "Son Of A"
- "Home Team"
The band notably doesn't play live with a bassist. When asked about that, Denaro said they had a bassist when they started, but he quit the band the day of one of their first shows because of a breakup.
Since then, the band has been fine playing without one, but plans to bring one in when they can regularly afford it. Lakeview didn't have their own tour bus until their first appearances in Europe.
Lakeview's touring live band consists of guitarists Alex Drizos and Jordan Tomb, and drummer Cory Muro.
COMING UP
Lakeview has 38 scheduled shows remaining in 2025 on their Blue Collar Country Tour, including their August 31 gig in Dyersville, Iowa. Band representatives said plans are in the works for some more Canadian shows next year.
The band released their new single "Name in a Song" Friday.
