Connie Kaldor—singer-songwriter, entertainer, TV personality, and women’s music pioneer is celebrating 45 years in show business this year with her upcoming 18th recording, titled Keep Going! the Boston Globe has described her as, “a masterful performer, wildly funny one moment, deeply personal the next.” A three-time Juno Award winner, Connie is a member of the Order of Canada, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recipient, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina, and is the first songwriter to receive a Western Literature Association Award of Merit.

https://www.conniekaldor.com

Aleksi Campagne is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition. At five years old, he began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon, Connie Kaldor. At 19, Aleksi moved to Paris to study under jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood. At 21, Aleksi became the only student to have ever been accepted into the classical violin, the jazz violin and the jazz voice performance programs at McGill University. Since then, Aleksi had graced the lineups of some of Canada’ most beloved folk festivals—including the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Regina Folk Festival, and the Northern Lights Festival, among others. Aleksi tours festivals and venues across Canada with a four-piece band made up of some of the finest young musicians Montreal has to offer: Stephane Krims (Bass), Aaron Dolman (drums) and Zach Bachand (guitar).

https://www.aleksicampagne.com

James Gordon has been there. He’s done that. He has had a remarkably diverse and resilient career in the Canadian cultural sector. As a solo singer-songwriter and with the ground-breaking trio Tamarack, he’s recorded 42 albums and toured relentlessly around the world. He’s written for symphony orchestras, musical theatre and dance works, scored films, and for more than ten years was heard on CBC radio as songwriter-in-residence for the ’Basic Black’ and ‘Ontario Morning’ programs. Between tours, James is a record producer, playwright, community activist, theatre director and he was a Guelph City Councillor for eight years.

After a long break because of you-know-what, Gordon is touring again either solo, as a duo with Katherine Wheatley, or with his band consisting of David Woodhead, Katherine Wheatley, Anne Lindsay, Ian Bell and Randall Coryell on drums if the situation allows!

https://jamesgordon.ca

Lucy has been performing with the Barra MacNeils for 37 years. They come from a long tradition of Cape Breton music and dance that has been the foundation of creative pursuits over their musical career.

Alongside her brothers she has travelled to Europe, Scotland, England, Wales,Ireland, the United States, Barbados, throughout Canada from Fogo Island, Nfld. To Iqualuit and a northern Quebec community, Puvirnituq.

During the pandemic which was a very quiet time for many Lucy started working on a solo album. Something she had wanted to do but the time never presented itself. She also felt in these uncertain times watching a world that was going through immense change and upheaval she wanted to leave something behind of herself and her lifetime attachment to traditional music and song.

https://lucymacneil.com

RPR is a Canadian folk-rock band known for engaging live shows, soaring vocals and huge harmonies, all showcasing the music of this powerhouse band. Running the spectrum from stirring anthems to whisper-gentle ballads, RPR’s songs evoke joy, tears and laughter with a dynamic tapestry of musical styles that range from folk, rock and blues traditions in unique and refreshing ways. It’s cinematic storytelling from four captivating songwriters.

Together since 2012, RPR have regularly played throughout Canada and the US, as well as three UK tours to date. Appearing on festival stages, concert series, music halls, theatres, town halls and beyond, RPR continue to win new fans along the way. The band has released two CDs, Trans Atlantic in 2013 and the latest, Longview. The new record, nominated for Blues and Roots Radio 2019 Album of the Year, features twelve songs that showcase the songwriting and musicianship like never before.

Celebrating 14 years together as a band, Celtic-American Roots music “super group”, RUNA, continues to push the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music.

Seeking to preserve and continue a traditional culture in a modern age, RUNA creates the backbone of its signature roots sound from the musical and geographical diversity of its individually established band members. Their strive for excellence and creativity blazes a trail for the future of folk music, earning them the reputation as one of the most innovative Irish folk groups of this generation.

https://runamusic.com

Lynn Miles has the kind of voice that insists that you pull the car over. Call the radio station. Change your citizenship. Buy a home in Toronto. She’s been blessed with such a drop dead beautiful honey smooth voice that it’s impossible to not fall in love with it. It rides along the ebb and flow of a gifted sense of melody. She’s the kind of lyricist that renders whatever heartache you feel into something both beautiful and aching. She also is extremely funny. Like she’s carrying an antedate to inject you with between songs to cure you of the snake bite.

Ellis Paul

https://lynnmiles.ca