Emily Triggs (AB) A bred-in-the-bones roots musician, Emily Trigg’s second album, Middletown, takes listeners on a journey through inspirations and experiences that have shaped her folk/roots sound. Bringing in influences she has had over the years, she pushes the boundaries…
Tal National (Niger) By the time Tal National reached international acclaim with 2013’s Kaani, the band’s first release outside of Niger, they had spent more than a decade crisscrossing their native country, usually on dirt pathways through the Sahara, playing…
Sunny War (CA) It’s no secret that great art comes from the margins, from those who are either pushed to create from inner forces or who create to show they deserve to be recognized. Los Angeles-based street-singer, guitarist, and roots…
Nano Stern Trio (Chile) Fernando Daniel Stern Britzmann, best known by his artistic name, Nano Stern, is a Chilean singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. His work is linked with popular song movements, and his style encompasses trova, folk, and rock. The…
Son of James (BC) Shon Wong grew up in Vancouver in a family of Chinese opera actors and performers. Wong listened to classical Chinese music in their family apartment, as neighbours blasted Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Guns N’ Roses, and…
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers (NC) When Sidelong, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ debut album, was released in early 2017, it quickly earned kudos for its blast of fresh, fierce, honesty, and sly wit. Hers was a welcome new voice…
Sam Roberts Band (QC) Canadian singer-songwriter Sam Roberts released his debut album, We Were Born in a Flame, in 2002, following a popular independent demo recording he made in Montréal. Before then, he had been a violinist who eventually moved…
Ruby & Smith (BC) Ruby & Smith are Vancouver’s First Lady and Duke of Uke, Daphne Roubini and Andrew Smith, known across Canada and beyond for their vintage jazz band Black Gardenia and Ruby’s Ukes, the world’s largest Ukulele School…
Rosie & the Riveters (SK) Rosie & the Riveters never planned to get political. But opening a newspaper or watching the news these days made it impossible to see the status of women around the world and stay silent. The…
Lucy Rose (UK) Something’s changing in Lucy Rose. After two albums of feeling her way through the densely-populated landscape of contemporary singer-songwriter music and emerging as a rising UK star, she chose to head off on an unusual tour. She…