When Will and Charlie Lockyer think back on where it all began, it wasn’t under stage lights or in a packed stadium. It was in their Thunder Bay living room, where their dad would sit at the piano and lead friends in sing-alongs at the end of the night. Some evenings, the brothers would listen from upstairs; on other nights, they’d come down and join in. With piano and vocal lessons under their belt, they were soon invited to perform a few songs themselves. “That’s when we realized we were suckers for attention and fell in love with performing!” they said.
At first, the thrill came from covers – tried-and-true crowd-pleasers that could light up a room. But as their confidence grew, they began sliding originals into their sets. “Early on we knew playing covers was always the way to get a rise out of people,” they explain. “But once we knew we could sell an original tune we jumped on it.” That shift gave them a new kind of fire, one that has carried them from local stages to studios in Vancouver and Los Angeles, and into writing rooms with Grammy-winning producers.
Their journey has also been shaped by mentors who left a lasting mark on their music. Jeff Dawson was the first producer they ever worked with, taking them under his wing when they were just 14 and 15 years old. They would travel alone from Thunder Bay to Vancouver, crash at his place, and spend weeks on end in the studio whenever their school schedules allowed. “For a few years we were his kids,” they say. Dawson instilled in them a strong work ethic, pushing them to put in long hours while also teaching them the fundamentals of crafting catchy, memorable songs. “To this day we get pulled into writing sessions for our hooks and melody skills, and we have Jeff to thank for that.”
Later came Mikal Blue, a Grammy-winning producer in Los Angeles known for discovering and nurturing breakout acts. Yet, instead of reshaping the Lockyer Boys, he built them up. “Mikal is famous for discovering and incubating breakout acts, but he never stomped on our ideas,” they explain. “We’re grateful to him for giving us confidence in ourselves, producing some of our favourite tracks, ‘Letting Go’ and ‘306.’” One of the most memorable lessons came when they brought him a new song. Instead of producing it, he told them it was already strong enough to stand on its own and pushed them to finish it themselves. That track became “What It Feels Like,” a milestone moment in their growth as songwriters.
That instinct carried into songs like “UH HUH!”, written in a blur of jetlag after a 24-hour travel day from Thunder Bay to LA. Instead of crashing, they picked up guitars and chased the kind of high-energy anthem that reflected their own relentless momentum. “We introduce UH HUH! as one of our favs because it is,” they say. “The song really captures that ‘we’re going for it’ energy.”
The lessons haven’t just come in studios. Opening for acts like Barenaked Ladies and Loverboy, or studying the stagecraft of the Reklaws at Country on the Bay, taught them the importance of live energy. “We immediately said, ‘we need a show like that,’” they remember. “So we spent all night picking their brain – their band members, their sound guy, anyone we could – trying to learn about making a wicked live show.” Not every moment was easy. On one California run, Charlie lost his voice just days before their biggest shows, forcing them to improvise setlists and adapt on the fly. “Everything we practiced flew out the window,” they admit. “But we were able to adapt, and now we have plans in place moving forward…because we know it will happen again.”
Spending nearly every waking moment together might break other sibling bands, but for the Lockyer Boys, it’s only deepened their bond. “At this point we might as well be twins,” they say. “We know each other so well and can pick up on energy so easily.”
That unity shows in the themes woven through their songs. Whether it’s the optimism of “FEEL,” the nostalgia of “LATKD,” or the forward-charging confidence of “DRIVE!,” their music reflects their own lives: chasing success, stumbling through heartbreak, and mapping their journey across Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Los Angeles. “DRIVE! is our theme song,” they insist. “We never want to let an opportunity pass us by. Romanticizing the chase is what we do best.”
Yet despite the flights and recording sessions, their hearts remain tied to Thunder Bay. Live on the Waterfront had been a dream gig for years, although early applications were turned down, and the pandemic had postponed their first chance. Now, they return not only as headliners, but with a new single, “Live Without You,” and a Thunder Bay-filmed music video dropping the same day. “This is it. This is the show we looked forward to all year,” they say. “Thunder Bay has been there for us from the very beginning. We honestly cannot wait and we want to deliver the very best of what we can do.”
They promise a set that feels truer to themselves than ever before, filled with original songs and a few covers they love, capped off with a drone show to celebrate the city. “If we did our job right, people should feel like they understand us just a bit more after this one,” they say. “All signs point towards this being a very memorable night for everyone.”
As for the future, the brothers say they’re not slowing down. Their first EP is on the horizon, new songs are in the works, and the chase continues. Walk away? Not a chance. “You’re crazy if you think we’re walking away,” they said. “Music can’t seem to escape us. It’s a part of everything we do, and there isn’t a universe where we aren’t doing this…except maybe the universe where Will becomes a Formula 1 driver.”
Live on the Waterfront’s Summer Send-Off isn’t just the finale of a concert series—it’s Thunder Bay’s ultimate summer celebration. On Thursday, August 28, the Lockyer Boys take the stage at 8:30 p.m., followed by a breathtaking drone light show at 9:45. With free admission, food vendors, community booths, and family-friendly activities filling Marina Park, it promises to be a perfect night on the lakefront—and for Will and Charlie, the most meaningful homecoming of their career so far.”
