The second wave of artists for this year’s Folk on the Rocks festival has been announced!
Along with a new batch of talented musical performers, Folk on the Rocks has also announced who will be their headlining artist for this year.
This year’s headliner will be Broken Social Scene. They are a Canadian indie rock musical collective that set the gold standard for indie rock in the 21st century. What started as a two-person basement recording project, Broken Social Scene made their mark as a shadowy improvisational entity with a revolving-door roster. Each concert of theirs presents an unexpected experience every time.
They’ve managed to have quite a lot of success in the indie field, with rave reviews, invitations to play at Coachella and Lollapalooza, multiple Juno Awards and Letterman appearances, and name-drops in Lorde songs.
Here are the rest of the artists announced for the second wave;
JASMYN: A new solo project created by Jasmyn Burke. Jasmyn is a former singer-songwriter and frontwoman for the Weaves, a critically acclaimed band who has played at FOTR in 2018. Jasmyn’s debut album, The Wild, has lead to a creer which has resulted in two Polaris Music Prize shortlists, two JUNO nominations for Alternative Album of the Year and two SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominations.
PANTAYO: Hailing from Toronto, Pantayo is an all-women kulintang ensemble. They combine percussive metallophones and drums from kulintang traditions of Southern Philippines with electronic and synth-based grooves.
MEGAN NASH: Megan Nash has a long and varied history of hitting the road with her music, performing in the United States, the UK, Germany, and Estonia. She has won and been nominated for numerous awards including a 2022 Saskatchewan Music Award for Rock/Pop Artist of the Year, 2021 Saskatchewan Music Award for Alternative Artist of the Year, and a 2019 JUNO Award nomination for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for the album Seeker.
WAYFINDING: Matter-of-fact narratives, off kilter vocals, synthesized tones, electronic blips, and dreamy guitars, all help set up Ryan Beattle as a hypnotic and alluring artist. Beattie sings emotively with witty intention but articulate and direct; his lyrics are unsettling and mysterious, occasionally replete with wry jokes that elicit nervous laughter and bewildered surprise.
TE KAAHU: TE KAAHU honours the craft and skill of Māori songwriting and storytelling and is the brainchild of critically acclaimed Aotearoa singer and songwriter Theia (Waikato- Tainui, Ngaati Tiipa). Theia is a fierce proponent of the revitalization of Māori language and culture.
DIAMOND DINO: The breakout solo-act of Patrick Hamilton, Diamond Dino brings a wave of nostalgia for those who remember their carefree teen summers. Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon – where summers themselves burn short and bright – Patrick channels influences like Electric Light Orchestra, and George Harrison.
TANYA SNOW: Tanya Snow is an Inuk originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut and now residing in Yellowknife. She began throat-singing in her late teens and has continued into adulthood.
LA LEGENDE DE CALAMITY JANE: Inspiring the memories of all the dust, grit, and glory of the Old West, and sitting halfway between gangster country and outlaw alternative western, La légende de Calamity Jane relies on rusty guitars and quick draw vocal harmonies. For more than thirty years, Saskatchewan born sisters Michelle and Annette Campagne have shared a musical bond and deployed a unique vocal harmony style with groups Folle Avoine and Hart Rouge, as well as in their respective solo careers.
PARTS: PARTS was created as an acoustic instrumental project in 2016 between two long- time friends. Their sound started at an intimate level to showcase a small set of original work at open mic events in Yellowknife. By 2019 PARTS branched into a more electric and rock sound, eventually leading to the addition of drums and bass and opening up the opportunity to broaden their unique mixture of alternative, progressive, and experimental rock.
CAPTAIN MEL: Captain Mel will be doing children’s performances.
PRONOIA: Northern boy moves south and becomes a DJ. He then falls into a wild world of electronic music festivals as a sound and light tech who played many early morning sunrise sets. After moving back home he falls into family life and decides that 2023 should be the year he attempts another shot at making people dance. Pronoia has shared the stage with many artists from across western Canada and the world.
GLAM ON THE ROCKS: A burlesque dance show.
NORTHERN LIGHTS POW WOW DANCERS: A Pow Wow Group from Northern Alberta.
The final group of artists will be announced on May 19th. Early bird tickets will be available for purchase until May 14th. Tickets, and Owl Passes, can be purchased by clicking here.
