Hurray for the Riff Raff is Alynda lee Segarra, a 25-year-old Puerto Rican from the Bronx. She left home at an early age to travel the country, eventually settling in New Orleans where she began performing and recording with a revolving cast of musicians. Then, along with her long time fiddling sidekick, Yosi Perlstein, Segarra teamed up with the honky-tonk band...
“Gorgeous, sunstruck, acoustic soul”* – here’s Reid Jamieson. He was born and raised in Toronto, but now calls the west coast home. Reid is also a favourite and regular member of CBC’s Vinyl Café Orchestra and a grand prize winner for folk in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for his song RAIL. Not only is he an inspired songwriter...
Anthony Joseph and The Spasm Band is a group led by Trinidadian poet, novelist and lecturer Anthony Joseph. Joseph moved to the UK In 1989, forming the band in 2005 in London as an offshoot of his then novel-in-progress “The African Origins of UFOs” – for Joseph, poetry is music and must be chanted, sung and declaimed...
With powerful instrumentals and beautifully arranged songs, skillfully executed and soulfully delivered, The Alan Kelly Gang sits firmly at the cutting edge of both the Traditional and World music scenes. Fronted by Ireland’s piano accordion maestro, described by New York’s Irish Voice as “in league with the best piano accordionists in the world”...
Even considering her young age, at 22 Mo Kenney is far from being a novice songwriter. Her writing began in her early teens, and by the age of 14 she had already done some recording at a small studio in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Influenced early-on by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, Kenney had a turning point in her musical evolution...
Independent and unconventional, guitarist Kaki King has been hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself.” She is a true iconoclast, a visionary musician and artist whose singular work rightly stands out amongst the more easily categorized work around her. Over her decade-long career thus far, this Brooklyn-based guitar-wizard and composer has recorded five extraordinarily diverse and distinctive LPs...
This multi-talented, 24 year-old Victoria, BC native not only has a thriving musical career in the spotlight, doing his own work, but has appeared on numerous CD jacket credits, playing everything from spacey electric mandolin to violent, pounding hardcore drums. Aidan Knight has recorded and performed with Hannah Georgas, David Vertesi, and The Zolas, and shared stages with Patrick Watson...
Kobo Town takes the intricate wordplay of classic Caribbean music and runs it through a 21st Century filter. In the world of Kobo Town, calypso, roots reggae, and acoustic instrumentation meet innovative production techniques, social commentary and indie rock attitude. Named after the historic Port of Spain neighbourhood where calypso was born, Kobo Town was founded by Trinidadian-Canadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves...
Credited as the originators of “Gyp-Hop” (Gaelic gypsy hip-hop), the Latchikos blend together a raw mix of virtuoso violin, spoken word and raw, driving Gaelic beats. Behind this innovation is Aindrias de Staic, a traditional Irish fiddler whose musical path got waylaid by hard-living. But while busking in Australia, he was introduced to new genres and approaches to music...
If you think you can’t be blown away by a cello – banjo duo playing old time music, have another think, and plan to come see The Littlest Birds.Hailing from the small mountain town of Bishop in the Eastern Sierras of California, TLB are a touring cello and banjo duo that have established themselves on a national scale as folk and old time music artists. Both are classically trained: Dave Heubner plays the cello and Sharon Martinson plays the banjo as well as the French horn...