KELLY KIYOSHK

Kelly Kiyoshk is a world renowned Native American flute player who has played across Canada, the United States, and Korea. In 2005 he was nominated for a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year for his first album Manido. In 2013 he released his second album Presence of Self.

TWAS NOW

Husband and wife duo Twas Now (Mike & Diana Erb) hail from New Hamburg, Ontario.  They have been performing their blend of original/traditional country and roots music since 2010. Their debut album “Old Fashioned Way” was co-produced/recorded by Juno award winner John “Beetle” Bailey (Ian Thomas, Robi Botos, Amy Sky, Molly Johnson) and will be released in July 2017.  Outside of Twas Now, Diana has carved out a successful career as a visual artist with exhibits in and around Southwestern Ontario. Mike has served as musical director/guitarists for Canadian singer/songwriter Dawn Langstroth, and has released 3 solo albums over the last 15 years.

THE BRANDY ALEXANDERS

LO FI MIND

A 12-piece musical collective hailing from Waterloo Region, The LoFi Mind is a big band with a uniquely inviting sound.  Performing intricate but intimate songs ranging from warm country rock to spacey psychedelic folk, The LoFi Mind mixes stunning vocal harmonies, a wide range of instruments, infectious melodies, and good vibes to produce an eclectic, high-energy stage show.

MIKE GALBRAITH

As a songwriter, Detroit’s Mike Galbraith owes as much to the Replacements as he does Bob Dylan, to Nirvana as much as Neil Young, to Calvin and Hobbes as Ernest Hemingway. Simple truths and insightful storytelling mark modern tales, oft beset by booze and heartbreak. No fat. No feathers.

“Where Mike’s writing shines is when he is standing there in butt naked vulnerability exposing darkness with a voice unafraid to make mistakes in vivid and colourful storytelling. Songs that actually allow us to see the song like a short film—like the same genius imagery of Springsteen, when the screen door slams and Mary’s dress sways. Like that. Galbraith’s writing is laden with visual imagery at every turn, in every song.” — Mary Byrnes, No More Free Drinks

www.mikegalbraith.net

RON LEARY

Ontario-based singer/songwriter Ron Leary is a captivating performer who’s sarcastic and self-effacing tone will have you laughing boisterously one second and then wondering if you should have the next. It’s usually his voice that people talk about the most, one that’s been compared to “an old bottle of whiskey – warm, with a little bite and a velvety finish.”

www.ronleary.com

OLD MAN GRANT

Old Man Grant multi-instrumental trio from Ottawa, Ontario with music characterized by expressive, rhythmic playing and soaring three-part harmony. Since the group’s original format as a duo in 2014, they have expanded, evolved, and taken the southern Ontario music scene by storm. Since summer 2016, the group has completed their “Why Not” tour of the Canadian East Coast, and their “Dead of Winter” tour of Southern Ontario. Aside from their favourite living rooms and dive bars, Old Man Grant has been bringing their Thunder & Spit to such notable stages as Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, Wakefield’s Blacksheep Inn, an official showcase at the Folk Music Ontario conference, as well as Ottawa’s CityFolk and Marvest festivals. As the world changes, so too does the band’s sound and subject matter. Things are getting a little darker, a little swampier… This summer, Old Man Grant is looking forward to connecting with audiences both familiar and strange as they travel coast to coast, placing the songs off their upcoming album through trial-by-fire.

ELLIOT BROOD

Elliott BROOD is a three-piece Folk Rock Alt Country band based in Hamilton, Canada. Their brand of fuzzed-up roots music has always made for a captivating, and frenetic live performance. That energy has always translated onto the band’s five previous critically acclaimed records. In 2013 the band won a Juno Award for their World War One inspired album “Days Into Years”. Over the course of their career they have been nominated for a total of five Juno awards. In 2009 they were shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and in 2012 the band found themselves nominated for a Genie Award for their original song “West End Sky” that was featured in the film “Grown Up Movie Star”. Their style has been called everything from ‘blackgrass’ to ‘death country,’ but those descriptions don’t capture the transcendent heights of their unique approach to roots music. Fall 2017 will see the band release their sixth full-length studio album “Ghost Gardens” via Paper Bag Records.

THE WINDSOR YOUTH FIDDLERS

The Windsor Youth Fiddlers are an exciting and impressive group of talented and dedicated young musicians from Windsor Ontario and the surrounding communities of Essex County.   These up and coming fiddlers, mandolin pickers and guitarists range in age from ten to twenty two and perform the traditional jigs, marches, reels, strathspeys and slow airs that are the unique heritage of Highland Scotland, Ireland and Cape Breton Island.  The group will be joined by their director and teacher Kenneth MacLeod and pianist Susan Tracey. Audience members are invited  to participate in this interactive performance and are encouraged  to get up and DANCE to this timeless music that has survived for centuries for good reason!  Experienced dancers familiar with traditional square dancing will be on site to help get you up and moving to the music of Essex County’s next generation of unplugged musicians.

KENNETH MACLEOD

Kenneth MacLeod has worked for the past twenty years as a celebrated bandleader, composer, arranger, singer-songwriter, session musician, guitarist, mandolin picker, square dance fiddler, teacher, promoter and performer of original and traditional music.  Since first taking up the fiddle at the age of seven in Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia MacLeod has devoted countless thousands of hours to the performance, study and colourful cultivation of his own and other’s music.  Kenneth has performed and toured extensively in Canada, the U.S., Germany, Ireland and Scotland and has played dance halls, clubs, festivals, Elementary Schools, Universities, churches, bars and kitchen parties from coast to coast and back again. His raucous and idiosyncratic original six piece group Kenneth MacLeod and the Windsor Salt Band has performed to rave reviews on stages large and small across Canada for the past ten years.  For the Pelee festival he will be performing instrumentally on the violin…jjgs, reels, waltzes and even a couple of breakdowns and tangos to boot!

DEIRDRE ROBERTS

A veteran singer-songwriter from Windsor Ontario, Deirdre Roberts has been performing since 1992, when she formed The Kildare Trio. Roberts’ songwriting is at times ethereal, at times pulsating and dynamic, always densely lyrical and melodic. “Stark and beautiful, her voice transports introspective lyrics…and a refined  songwriting ability” (Capital Theatre). Roberts’ sound reflects a range of musical influences, from Bowie to Kate Bush, Beck to Patrick Watson. Her songs are truly original, though, generating “a curious effect on the spine of the listener” (Windsor Reader). “A cool, mellow sound, beautifully melodic,” (CBC TV), Roberts’ songs convey “a signature lyrical attitude that never fails to balance on the edge of epiphany and bittersweet defeat” (The Lance).

SAMANTHA MARTIN AND DELTA SUGAR

Bubbling up from the cauldron of roots Americana music, Samantha Martin is an artist of extraordinary power, gravitas and deep-seated emotion. On first listen, one is immediately struck by the awesome presence and sheer magnitude of her other worldly voice. Cigarette-ravaged and whiskey-soaked in the extreme, Martin’s pipes are capable of conveying an infinite range of emotions, bringing one to tears in one instance and in the next uplifting one’s soul with an empowered declaration of hope, faith and desire.Born in Edmonton, Martin first discovered the power of her voice in Grade 4 while auditioning for a role in a class production of The Sound of Music, belting out Rogers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things.” When her music teacher got excited and brought other teachers in to see the effect of the young dynamo’s pipes, Martin knew she had something special going on. A couple of years earlier, her father had bought her an acoustic guitar, getting her started by showing her a few chords and a basic boogie shuffle.

COFFEE HOUSE COMBO

The Coffee House Combo is a jazz band comprised of young musicians from the Windsor area. The CHC has spent the past three years firmly establishing itself in the local music scene, performing for weddings, galas, parties, and even running a weekly jam session at Phog on Sunday nights. The CHC is proud to be the youngest working jazz combo in Windsor, and is making great strides in its attempts – in cooperation with many of Windsor’s long-time jazz performers – to revive the local jazz scene and inspire young musicians.

ALLISON BROWN

Allison’s voice is experiencing an intense new elasticity as her instrument’s distinct tune and tone evolve with over twenty years of performance experience. Her endless repertoire of roots music matched with crafted originals create an unmistakable spark as she brings her truest personality to the stage in a refreshing conversation with the audience.

THE LAYRITE BOYS

The Layrite Boys are a vintage countrygrass brother duo brought together by a love of tucked in shirts and slicked back hair that could easily outshine the stars in the sky.  Mandolin player and singer Graham Mansfield joins forces with Toronto country guitar ace Nichol Robertson to bring you some of the finest duo harmony singing around.  Inspired by such classics as The Stanley Brothers, The Louvin Brothers and The Monroe Brothers; The Layrite Boys share with you their knowledge of classic Bluegrass and Country music through an intimate performance of burning classics and heartbreaking originals.

BROCK ZEMAN

Brock Zeman is a driven, charismatic and passionate singer-songwriter from Lanark, Canada. His music is all about connecting with listeners through uplifting melodies, organic soundscapes and earnest lyricism , not unlike artists the likes of Wilco, Ryan Adams or Damien Rice. His blend of Americana relies on the insightful depth of his song writing as well as on the bare and elegant instrumentation. Brock’s direct approach is all about turning simplicity and seamlessness into the strength and core of his songs.