Oktopus (QC) The instrumental creature known as Oktopus extends its creative tentacles across the landscape of East European music with an effervescent concoction of new and reinvented elements of the repertoire. Their exuberant harmony of bows, keys, valves, and mouths…
Namgar (Mongolia) Namgar are a four-piece music group that perform traditional Buryat and Mongolian music. Their leader, Namgar Lhasaranova, comes from the east borderland where Russia, Mongolia, and China meet. Namgar Ayushievna Lhasaranova grew up in a Buryat family in…
Pablo Menéndez & Mezcla (Cuba) Under the direction of guitarist Pablo Menéndez, Mezcla have been a part of the soundtrack of the Cuban music scene for 30 years. Mezcla bring together several veteran masters with some the best of young…
Raine Hamilton String Trio (MB) The Raine Hamilton String Trio deliver resonant, acoustic chamber folk with an otherworldly edge and a lyrical presence that cuts deep. Their vocals and strings are prism-clear, agile and powerful. Hamilton’s latest album, 2018’s Night…
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (CA) “One of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country, with over 40 albums under his belt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is considered one of the country’s legendary foundations of folk music. Long…
Black String (Korea/UK) Black String creates a unique musical language that draws on Korean traditional music, jazz, and free improvisation. The group features Yoon Jeong Heo (geomungo), Jean Oh (electric guitar), Aram Lee (daegeum, yanggeum), and Min Wang Hwang (ajaeng,…
Aerialists (Canada) In a world where hyphenated genres are becoming the norm, all kinds of monikers are available for a contemporary folk band: post-folk, trad-core, alt-roots. Aerialists fit best with the beautifully contradictory term “prog-trad.” They meld ferociously creative harmonic…
Mike Farris & The Fortunate Few (TN) After winning a Grammy for his album, Shine for All the People, in 2015, Mike Farris has kept it earthy and personal on Silver & Stone, released in late 2018. He wrote the…
Midnight Shine (ON) Turning heads with a sound that seamlessly mixes roots, classic, and modern rock with touches of Mushkegowuk Cree, Midnight Shine have been lighting up the music world all the way from Canada’s Far North. Crafting a musical…
Don McGlashan (New Zealand) Don McGlashan is a New Zealand composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who won fame with bands Blam Blam Blam, the Front Lawn, and the Mutton Birds before going solo. He has also composed extensively for cinema and…