The first wave of artists for Folk on the Rocks 2023 has just been announced!
This year’s festival is set for July 14th to the 16th. As Yellowknife’s biggest summer event, Folk on the Rocks brings together people from all across the North, the rest of Canada, and even other parts of the world.
Here is the first wave of artists;
1) Serena Ryder:
This will be Ryder’s second time returning to the main stage for FOTR as the headline for 2023. Last year, she won her seventh Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for “The Art of Falling Apart.”
2) Lemon Bucket Orkestra:
Once again returning for Folk, Lemon Bucket Orkestra’s recent album “If I Had the Strength” features a unique mix of energy and emotion. Their live shows have been described as immersive experiences, being both ecstatic and cathartic.
3) Status/Non-Status:
Status/Non-Status is the work of folk artist Adam Sturgeon. An Anishinaabe community worker, Adam and his colleagues are known for their particularly heavy sound and have made a name for themselves with an abundance of touring, as well as a “heart on the sleeve” musical output.
4) BuenRostro:
Hailing from Mexico City, BuenRostro mixes together traditional Mexican sounds from different regions of their home country with Latin genres for a unique and powerful sound.
5) Hyaenas:
Coming from Vancouver, Hyaenas is a new indie rock/synth pop band that brings a level of energy and ferocity to the stage. Their songs are written from a queer feminist worldview, and explore themes of acceptance and vigilance.
6) K-Riz:
This Edmonton based rapper covers themes of love, heartbreak, revenge, and anger with a keen sense of self awareness. His album “Peace and Love” is currently available on all streaming services.
7) Erica Dee Mah:
This a contemporary folk singer-songwriter, and guzheng player comes from Whitehorse, Yukon, and brings with her songs of transoceanic journeys, Chinese-Canadian identity, and finding identity in landscapes.
8) Brenden Macintosh:
A well known Yellowknife singer, Brenden Macintosh & Friends brings a celebration of the punk rock genre, mixing in styles of pop punk, ska, folk punk and others. Their mission statement is escapism: forget how crazy the world can be and just have a good time.
9) JDBS:
Inspired by acts like Slum Village and the Wu-Tang Clan, JDBS is an Ice Cold Collective production and dynamic rap group based out of Yellowknife. They make use of Their seven members each bring their own style and personality, blending classic boom-bap beats with contemporary production techniques.
10) Mariel:
Mariel first began singing professionally at Ecole St. Joseph School in Yellowknife. She performed a song called “Farewell” at the Grade 7 Farewell. Mariel tries to create new songs every day, and has been posting her journey on her Instagram account.
11) Matt Anderson:
Writing his own songs and playing on his acoustic guitar, Matt Anderson covers topics of mental health and dealing with life, no matter if the song is happy, serious, or sad.
12) Bella Beats:
A Yellowknife based high performance dance troupe, Bella Beats brings a focus of community connection to the scene.
13) Yellowknifes Dene Drummers:
From the communities of Ndilo and Dettah, the Dene Drummers include members of all ages, and make appearances at countless public events. The drummers can be booked for Northern style celebrations, event opening prayer songs and celebration songs, drum dances and hand games demonstrations.
Carly McFadden, the Executive and Artistic Director for Folk on the Rocks, commented on the variety of music that people can expect.
“It’s really hard for artists to come tour the territories, so what we really want to do is bring together a really nice mix so that there’s something for everyone, and anyone who wants to come check out some electronic music, or something a bit heavier, of course folk music, and everything in between. We want there to be a little something for everyone.”
The festival lineup is being announced in three waves, with the second wave scheduled for April 14 and the third wave scheduled for May 19. Early bird tickets are now on sale, and can be found by clicking here.
