Calgary Folk Music Festival

Matt Andersen
(AB) Blues, Country

http://www.stubbyfingers.ca

New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen is known for his larger-than-life showmanship, big sound and virtuosic guitar playing. After years making his name playing classic blues tunes, he’s stepped out to craft original timeless tales, delivered in real, raw country-infused blues. Shuffles, slide licks, tasty picking and full background vocals support Andersen's sweet soulful voice.

Joseph Arthur
(US) Singer-Songwriter

http://www.josepharthur.com

Lyrically adventurous and musically restless, Arthur combines poetic lyrics with a layered sonic palette, and has built his reputation through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring. His atmospheric solo performances incorporate distortion and loop pedals.

Arthur is also a painter and designer whose artwork graces the sleeves of his discography, and he records his music at his Brooklyn gallery/studio, the Museum of Modern Arthur.

C. R. Avery
(B.C./ ON) Blues, Hip Hop

http://www.cravery.com

C.R. Avery is a hip-hop blues iconoclast: musical guest (Be Good Tanyas, Po Girl), group member (Tons Of Fun University),songwriter (Jolie Holland), playwright, and poet (international slam poetry circuit).

He’s a unique and electrifying performer who simultaneously beatboxes, sings, plays harmonica and a Herbie Hancock ‘80s style red rocket keytar. His latest album, Magic Hour Sailor Songs, is a poetic tour de force that bends and crosses genres, including a string quartet, female choir and innovative jazz & classical musicians.

Balkan Beat Box
(USA) Balkan, Hip Hop

http://www.balkanbeatbox.com/

A potent stew of ragga, hip hop, Balkan and Arabic elements creates a new breed of 21st century Mediterranean music.

Geoff Berner
(BC) Alternative, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.geoffberner.com/

Accordion-welding klezmer revivalist/avenging angel excavates the fault line between evil and idiosyncrasy in edgy short stories about misfits and plot twists.

Blind Pilot
(USA) Indie, Pop

http://www.blindpilotmusic.com/

The bicycle-touring duo has expanded to a full band including horns and banjos, but still maintains its sing-along appeal.

Blue Rodeo
Previously Performed in: 2008, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1996

(ON) Roots

http://www.bluerodeo.com/

30 years, a dozen albums and countless awards later, Blue Rodeo’s original countrified rock, based around formidable songwriting duo Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, is still fresh and surprising.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy
(US) Folk, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.myspace.com/princebonniebilly

Actor and songwriter Will Oldham, aka Palace Brothers, brings his trademark do-it-yourself Appalachian post-punk aesthetic and blunt honesty.

BRAIDS
(AB/QC) Folk, Indie

http://braidsmusic.com/

Are making waves with quirky aural experimentation and textured, urban electronic folk music.

Jon Brooks
(ON) Singer-Songwriter

http://www.jonbrooks.ca/

Pens weighty songs that reveal his uncanny ability to press his ear against the heartbeat of our times.

T. Buckley
(AB) Country, Roots

http://www.tbuckley.ca

Original traditional country roots with grit and attitude.

Cadence Weapon
(AB) Electronic, Hip Hop

http://www.cadenceweaponmusic.com/

Clever writing and impressive rhymes from Edmonton’s poet laureate and crusading pioneer push the rap and electronic music envelope.

Caravan Palace
(France) Cabaret, Jazz

http://www.caravan-palace.fr

Imagine sashaying into a club looking to get down to some thumping electro only to hear swing music from the 1930s.

From its inauspicious beginnings – the band was recruited to compose a silent porn film soundtrack - Caravan Palace has taken its amalgamation of Parisian subculture, Roma jazz, American swing and high-energy beats to the masses. Their fresh-but-eccentric, wacky and retro sound unites the past and present with an electronic thread.

Chic Gamine
(MB/QC) Quebecois, Soul/Gospel

http://www.chicgamine.com/ch/

Gospel, soul, ’50s doo-wop, Brazilian forró and French chanson are infused with exquisite four-part harmonies and percussion.

City & Colour
(ON)

http://www.cityandcolour.ca/

Hot on the heels of his 3rd solo album, A Little Hell, Dallas Green wraps candid musings in stripped-down, beautiful indie folk-rock melodies.

Coeur de Pirate
(QC) Acoustic, Folk

http://www.coeurdepirate.com/

Delicately crafted, piano-driven melodies with folk undertones, and a voice that delivers heartbreak and joy with conviction and élan.

Cutest Kitten Ever
(AB) Indie, Pop

‘Rapture pop' – lush, melodic toe-tappers for the End Times, with three-part harmony, French horn, Casio keyboard and distorted guitar amplifying Kris Demeanor's acerbic songwriting,

Dark Dark Dark
(US) Chamber Pop, Folk, Pop

http://www.brightbrightbright.com

Perhaps you’ve seen Dark Dark Dark members acting in the film Flood Tide or heard their musical score for that film. You may have heard of a performance art piece “Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea” which traveled by junk-made rafts down the Hudson River. The band performed the music for it and helped to build the makeshift boats.

This Minneapolis-based chamber-folk sextet began in 2006 as a collaboration between multi-instrumentalists and singers Nona Marie Invie and Marshall LaCount. They combine disparate influences –minimalism, New Orleans jazz, Americana, Eastern European folk, and pop – to create a dramatic sound that’s anchored by Nona’s soaring, haunting voice.

David Wax Museum
(US) Americana, Latin, Roots

http://www.davidwaxmuseum.com/Site/Home.html

Latin rhythms, call-and-response hollering, poetic lyrics and donkey jawbone rattling combine in joyful Mexi-Americana fusion.

Kris Ellestad
(AB) Folk, Indie, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.krisellestad.com/

Sparse haunting arrangements, effortless hooks, organic vocals and down-to-earth lyrics take you on an adventure into the unknown.

FadaDance
(SK) Other

http://www.fadadance.ca

A trio of women lead themed fun and frivolous creative dance workshops for families.

The Felice Brothers
(USA) Americana, Country, Folk

http://www.thefelicebrothers.com

As the tale goes, three brothers from the Catskill wilderness pick up a crap-shooting runaway, pack themselves into a rusted old schoolbus and head to Brooklyn, busking until nightfall. That rambling journey has since expanded to tours worldwide.

With a phrase drawn from the pages of Mark Twain, their Yonder Is The Clock album - recorded in a studio built from the remains of an abandoned chicken coop - is a nod to American ghosts whose narrative and characters became the Felice Brothers’ music. Their travelogue songs are a mad celebration of life on the margins for an original, Americana homegrown sound that’s steeped in history.

The Flatlanders
(U.S.A.) Americana, Country, Folk

http://www.theflatlanders.com

A product of fate, chance and inspiration, friends Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock have traded tales in this not-really-a-band, life-of-its-own musical entity for almost 40 years. Gilmore is the gentle philosopher, Hancock the reclusive ballad singer, Ely the rougher-edged country-rocker.

The Flatlanders’ four albums, including the 1998 film soundtrack for The Horse Whisperer, combine their individual songs and collaborative writing. Their 2009 release,Hills and Valleys, subtly incorporates politics and recent issues in songs inspired by storms, foreclosures, reverse migration and the economic collapse. Using subtle riddles and smart queries, they cut to the core of complex issues in classic rowdy, gritty Texas Americana.

David Francey
(QC) Singer-Songwriter

http://www.davidfrancey.com/

Succinctly and poetically elevates the everyday into something infinitely more noble and memorable.

Nanci Griffith
(US) Americana, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.nancigriffith.com/

Tackles weighty issues and tells vivid stories about her characters’ lives with beautiful lilting folk and country-traced balladry.

The Head and the Heart
(USA) Alternative, Folk

http://www.theheadandtheheart.com

Composed largely of transplants to the Seattle area, The Head and the Heart write poignant, soulful songs that speak to fresh starts and ghosts left behind. Textured harmonies, catchy piano, a trio of harmonies and an almost symphonic use of strings weave together layers of indie Americana that is sonically adventurous, yet achingly familiar.

The Herbaliser
(UK) Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz

http://www.herbaliser.com/

Since the early 1990s, their albums and rousing shows have encompassed hip-hop, rare groove, funk, jazz, cool samples, live instrumentation and guest vocalists.

Hollow Brethren
(AB) Blues, Country, Indie

A tête-à-tête between The Cape May’s Clinton St. John and Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir’s Bob Keelaghan that melds surrealist psych-folk with dark early blues and country ballads.

Imaginary Cities
(MB) Indie, Pop

http://www.imaginarycities.ca/

Soul popsters fashion timeless and evocative music, with catchy melodies, funky beats, moody chord changes and sublime choruses.

Inhabitants
(B.C.) Alternative, Electronic, Pop

http://www.dripaudio.com/in/

Inhabitants3rd album, A Vacant Lot, explores the dynamic relationship between chaos and form through experimental sound, intuitive group interplay and instrumental composition. Rich textured landscapes are augmented by electronics, feedback and intimate acoustic minimalism

Since forming in 2004, Vancouver's Inhabitants have become one of Canada's most prominent creative music ensembles. They meld jazz, rock, noise and free improvisation, born out of their work in other groups such as Fond of Tigers and the Now Orchestra. They create post-modern soundscapes with serious musical chops and a sense of fun.

Elisapie Isaac
(QC) Electronic, Pop, Traditional

http://www.elisapie.com/

Inuk singer, composer and filmmaker from the duo Taima seduces with her otherworldly Polar Pop/Arctic Electric songs.

Back to list of performers

Harrison Kennedy
(ON) Blues

http://www.harrisonkennedy.ca/

The soul of a gospel singer, the fire of a blues singer and the sensibilities of roots music meld in one man, for a potent serving of juke-house joy.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang
(AB/ USA) Cabaret, Country, Pop

http://www.kdlang.com/

From her whimsical, subversive roots 25 years ago blending country music with a punk esthetic, this multiple Grammy and Juno Award-winning artist’s career has combined her love of country with sophisticated, emotive torch singing wrapped in an amalgam of jazz, Western music and a little samba. lang's interpretation of Leonard Cohen's oft-covered "Hallelujah" is understatedly stunning and her cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying" breathtaking.

The Times of London declared: "It's a quirk of the music industry that one of the sexiest, most sensual voices in all of pop music comes not from some raven-tressed siren in a glitter-dress but a middle-aged woman with a utility haircut and a penchant for male tailoring."

Her latest album, Sing it Loud, will be released on Nonesuch Records April 12 and is lang’s first record made entirely with her own band since her career-launching Reclines albums. The Siss Boom Bang is Joe Pisapia (multi-instrumentalist/co-producer/musical director), Daniel Clarke (keyboards), Fred Eltringham (drums/percussion), Joshua Grange (baritone guitar, dobro), and Lex Price (bass).

Lightning Dust
() Alternative, Indie, Pop

http://www.lightningdust.com

Black Mountain cohorts Amber Webber and Joshua Wells find a bare-bones niche with Lightning Dust, escaping the comforts of their familiar instruments and writing styles. Spacious arrangements and Webber’s smokey, weathered vocals create songs that creep into your bones with a haunting chill.

Their heart-pounding narratives move from stringed ballads and swirling acid-laced folk to mid-tempo strollers and haunting dirges, complemented by airy drums and eerie keyboards. It’s a hypnotic, uplifting mélange of sounds and senses; songs that feel more unearthed than constructed.

Raghu Lokanathan
(BC) Singer-Songwriter

http://www.raghumusic.com/

Spins clever stories of characters that are as likable, warped, dignified and unlikely as the grinning man himself.

Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies
Previously Performed in: 2006, 1996

(UK) Folk, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.jezlowe.com/

Inspired acoustic simplicity, humour and electric vitality from an oft-covered Northern English artist.

Catherine MacLellan
(ON) Country, Folk, Roots

http://www.catherinemaclellan.com

Catherine MacLellan's voice strikes you first. Pure and haunting, it softly caresses, insinuating itself into your heart. Then the subtle strengths of her deeply confessional, powerfully poetic songs emerge, revealing hidden layers. It’s sparse and intimate music that fuses folk and country with graceful ease.

MacLellan began her musical career in the group The New Drifts, releasing her solo debut Dark Dream Midnight in 2004. Her just-release 3rd album, Water in the Ground, features Canadian roots musicians Treasa Levasseur and Justin Rutledge and a lighter mood that envelopes its listeners in songs and musical conversations.

Lauren Mann & the Fairly Odd Folk
(AB) Folk, Pop

http://www.myspace.com/laurenmannmusic

Reflective, captivating folk-pop melodies that catch you off guard and leave you wanting more.

Matt Masters & The Gentlemen of the Rodeo
(AB) Country

http://www.mattmasters.com/

Road warrior, country traditionalist and original honky-tonker with a real connection to the Canadian west.

Mighty Popo
() World

Popo creates deep, rooted music that pays tribute to ancient, diverse traditions by weaving Rwandan and African poetry, rhythms and vocal styles.

Minotaurs
(ON) Folk, Indian, Rock

http://www.minotaursband.com/

A musical marriage between Afrobeat’s propulsive rhythms and syncopated horn arrangements, and the indie-rock-folk songs of Nathan Lawr.

Jim Moray
(UK) Folk

http://www.jimmoray.co.uk/

His innovative re-imagining of English traditional music blends orchestral flourishes, guitars and electronics.

New Country Rehab
(ON) Country, Roots

http://www.newcountryrehab.com/

A new spin on rooted country that’s refreshingly historical and smartly topical.

Morgan O'Kane
(US) Americana

http://www.morganokanemusic.com/

His organic mountain music combines technical skill, phenomenal energy and a raw punk attitude.

The Once
(NL) Celtic

http://theonce.ca/site/

This young folk trio put a contemporary spin on Newfoundland’s Irish and Scottish influences.

Painting with Ella
(AB) Folk, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.myspace.com/paintingwithellaband

Youthful-but-wise, whimsical lyrics are underpinned by intricate and playful harmonies.

Joel Plaskett
(NS) Pop, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.joelplaskett.com/

Pens infectiously catchy songs with bite and hooks that elevate the ordinary.

Portland Cello Project
(US) Classical, Instrumental, Pop

http://portlandcelloproject.com/

Extravagant performances of original soundscapes and wide-ranging covers blur musical lines and perceptions.

Punch Brothers
(US) Bluegrass, Country

http://www.punchbrothers.com/

Chris Thile and bandmates venture where no string band has gone before, with an unpredictable and virtuosic mix that’s been dubbed ‘the sound of synapses firing.’

Raleigh
(AB) Alternative, Indie, Pop

http://www.myspace.com/raleighsound

Their indie sounds combine duet vocals, deviant percussion, cello, guitar and piano into a poetic musical narrative.

Ernest Ranglin
(Jamaica) Reggae, Rock, Ska

http://www.myspace.com/ernestranglin

You may not know it, but you have heard Ernest Ranglin a thousand times, playing on Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop" and a dozen classic Prince Buster tracks, providing the soundtrack recordings for the James Bond film Dr. No, cranking the guitar line on ska and roots-rocker tunes for decades, starting from the Jamaican pop music revolution of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

A pioneering force known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin’s deep musical history includes being credited with the invention of ska’s "scratching" guitar style. The solid Jamaican grooves and complex beats on his recent albums reinvent classic tunes and contemporary jazz.

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
(USA) Blues, Country

http://www.bigdamnband.com

This hootin’ and hollerin’ trio is lead by a commissioned member of the Honourary Order of Kentucky Colonels who grew up listening to Charlie Patton and Bukka White.

Their forth-coming album The Wages was recorded live with no overdubs on analog tape and is chock full of soulful, swinging country-blues on washboard, bottleneck guitar and five-gallon buckets. In true blues tradition, songs address both hard luck and optimism: drug abuse, the disappearance of the family farm, the cost of living, unrequited love, murder, a celebration of rural life and renewed hope.

Carl Hancock Rux
(US) Blues, Soul/Gospel

http://www.carlhancockrux.com/

Poet, playwright and novelist Rux’s heady brew of eclectic soul and neo-blues is characterized by thoughtful and often scathing social commentary.

Buffy Sainte-Marie
(US) Aboriginal, Folk, Rock

http://www.creative-native.com/

She performs her vivid, moving anthems that have spanned genres, continents and generations with her hot 5-piece all-Aboriginal band from Winnipeg.

Martha Scanlan
(US) Old Time, Singer-Songwriter

http://www.marthascanlan.com/

Classic and literate old-time music that evokes western landscapes and country life.

Socalled
(QC) Funk, Hip Hop, World

http://www.socalledmusic.com/

Innovative multi-media artist and sardonic hip-hop maestro mashes up funk, klezmer and 1930s Yiddish music.

SociaLybrium
(US) Funk

http://socialybrium.com/

Original Parliament Funkadelic member Bernie Worrell’s latest project with seminal musicians Melvin Gibbs, J.T. Lewis and Blackbyrd McKnight becomes one big extra-terrestrial jazzy funk groove.

Spiro
(UK) Electronic, Traditional

http://www.spiromusic.com/

Their novel take on traditional music has been likened to techno played by a travelling band from a Hardy novel, or Steve Reich playing the backroom of a village pub.

The Swamp Ward Orchestra
(ON) Electronic, Traditional

http://www.myspace.com/theswampwardorchestra

Quirky songs and global dance tunes produce moments of exuberant folly, tranquil beauty, dance-floor mania and medieval delicacy.

Ti-Coca & Wanga-Nègès
(Haiti) Singer-Songwriter, World

http://www.myspace.com/ticoca

Acoustic roots from one of Haiti’s few professional twoubadous (troubadours) weaves frequently mischievous and ribald tales.

Patrick Watson
(QC) Electronic, Pop

http://www.patrickwatson.net/

Mercurial vocals and a penchant for surreal acoustic and electric landscapes create a detailed miniature world that evokes imaginative flights of fancy.

Emily Jill West
(AB) Folk, Maritime, Quebecois, Singer-Songwriter

http://emilyjillwest.com/

Songs infused with Appalachian, dissonant French cabaret and sparsely arranged acoustic pop sounds.

Jenny Whiteley
(ON) Singer-Songwriter

http://www.jennywhiteley.com/

Haunting folk and understated country songs from an artist known for her melodic gifts, hurtin’ songs and sharp writer’s eye.

Wilson, Swarbrick and Gaughan
(ON/UK/Scotland) Celtic, Singer-Songwriter, Traditional

Visionary reggae artist Jason Wilson, legendary English fiddler Dave Swarbrick and Scottish troubadour Dick Gaughan explore the 300-year history of the rebel musics that have traversed the “Black Atlantic.”

Yemen Blues
(Israel/US) Blues, Funk, Jazz, Pan African

http://www.yemenblues.com/

Powerful desert soul and complex grooves from a brew of Arabic and Jewish, African and Middle Eastern, blues and funk roots.

Yohimbe Brothers feat. Bernie Worrell
(US) Funk, Rock

Two founding members of the Black Rock Coalition – Living Color’s Vernon Reid and DJ Logic – birth psychedelic space-age mix tape bachelor music with a mad twist.