The best festival you’ve (maybe) never heard of: Mémoire et ...
During the third weekend of July every summer, there is a folk festival in the pretty Québec town of Joliette, which is legendary, draws thousands, but is rarely talked about outside of Quebec. It’s the Festival Mémoire et Racines – ...
Oliver the Crow – “45”
Man, there sure are a lot of Canadians in Nashville these days. Beloved bluesman and producer Colin Linden’s been down there for years; he even works on the TV show Nashville. Roots Americana artist and former Spirit of the West ...
Bonnie Dobson finally gets her due for “Morning Dew”
On July 7, one of the true legends of Canadian folk music, Bonnie Dobson, will be honoured at the Mariposa Folk Festival, when her most well-known composition, “Morning Dew,” will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dobson ...
London’s Broomsticks and Hammers: great music … great coffee!
A London, Ont., local may know them best for their namesake coffee roast or for the fact that radio announcers frequently mess up their rather unusual name. Nonetheless, up-and-coming band Broomsticks & Hammers seems to have it all. Formed in ...
Tanga – Reencarnacion
The night was almost perfect. I had just picked up a new book from Owls Nest Books, deemed to be Calgary’s oldest bookstore, with over 40 years in business. It’s one of those fantastic little gems you rarely find anymore. ...
20 years of Penguin Eggs: Canada’s folk magazine marks ...
The 20th anniversary edition of Canadian folk magazine Penguin Eggs has been turning up in mailboxes over the past several days, and we reached out to the man behind it, Roddy Campbell, for a quick email chat about the milestone. ...
Six queer Canadian roots heroes to be proud of
I still remember my first time seeing Ani DiFranco at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. “I’m not a pretty girl,” she sang, “That’s not what I do. I ain’t no damsel in distress. I don’t need to be rescued. So ...
Genticorum showcases its new lineup with new album/tour
For over eighteen years, audiences all over Canada and around the world have delighted in the music produced by this trio from southern Québec. Genticorum has performed over a thousand concerts in fifteen different countries, presenting the exciting traditional music ...
National Indigenous Peoples Day: five artists making change with ...
For decades, artists have been turning to music in times of unrest to protest with chord progressions, lyrics, and melodies. Whether it is a song of celebration for those who are marginalized within society, or a fiery outcry against civil ...
Edmonton’s The Hearts return with new EP Sunshine (video)
On their brand new fourth studio release, the six-song Sunshine EP, Alberta roots-pop collective The Hearts once again delivers memorable pop melodies and moody folk harmonies suited to dive bars, soft seat theatres, international folk festivals and everything in between. What sets them apart ...