The initial lineup of artists for 2024’s Folk on the Rocks festival has been announced.
The beloved music festival will be returning to Yellowknife once again this year, running from July 19th to the 21st.
This announcement is the first of three, with the second one expected to come on April 19th, and the third on May 17th.
The first group of artists for FOTR 2024 are;
AMMOYE: A six-time Juno nominee, Ammoye gives a unique reggae sound with a mixture of dubstep, gospel, and R&B. Hailing from Jamaica, Ammoye fills her music with messages of empowered.
AMY AND THE EASY HUNDO: A Rock-and-Roll group based out of Fort Smith.
ANDRINA TURENNE: A Franco-Manitoban and Red River Metis singer from Winnipeg, Andrina tells thoughtful stories through her melodies and songs. Andrina has been featured in over fifty different albums, toured across five continents, and once performed with Juno-award-winning band Chic Gamine.
BIG BLUE: From Montreal, Ben Cornel has been making music for over ten years, and has been living in Yellowknife since 2020. What started as putting together guitar-focused instrumentals, soon became heart-felt singer-songwriter pieces. Ben mixes together fingerstyle folk playing with soulful songwriting in this singer-songwriter solo project.
BRANDON SONNET: An award winning Inuvialuk musician from Inuvik, Brandon’s music began as him simply making humorous noises with his friends. Later he began producing and writing for other projects, which then lead to him writing, recording, and mixing music of his own.
BRUNO CAPINAN: Using Brazilian rhythms and a strong stage presence, Bruno is often described as “Queer Bossa-Nova.” Capinan received the Stingray Prize at Mundial Montreal 2023.
DEBBY FRIDAY: Friday has won Canada’s Polaris Prize for her debut long-player, GOOD LUCK which arrived on Sub Pop in March of 2023. GOOD LUCK’s lead single, “SO HARD TO TELL,” saw FRIDAY shed all of her signature industrial tropes to deliver a completely out of pocket, and totally assured, falsetto pop song.
FROG POISON: A high school band that plays their own renditions of familiar sounds of punk, grunge, and alternative metal. Frog Poison pumps each note in the honor and memory of their former drummer Milo Thomas Martin who has given them the love and appreciation for the punk rock and musical scene.
GLAM ON THE ROCKS: A special burlesque dance show featuring a number of local performers.
MIRANDA CURRIE: A northern Indigenous artist working from Yellowknife. She draws her inspirations from her two heritages, Swampy Cree and Euro-Canadian. She aims to create authentic northern indigenous music, film, and books that are accessible for all ages.
MO KENNEY: Kenney will be joining Miranda Currie in her performances. She has received several major awards for her works, including a SOCAN Songwriting Prize, a nomination for Juno Adult Alternative Album of the Year, and too many East Coast Music Awards and Nova Scotia Awards to count.
RYAN McCORD: Ryan previously played at FOTR as part of the family-friendly Peekaboo Kazoo. McCord’s music has been described as “cozy” and like the “crackle of an old country record.”
SEAN BEAVER: Sean is an independent Indigenous techno/electronic solo artist based in Calgary, Alberta. Originally hailing from the Driftpile Cree Nation in Treaty 8 Territory, he is a multi-award-winning performer whose music features select Pow Wow elements, percussion, and vocal chants throughout a high-energy performance. His sound is a cross between The Chemical Brothers and Richie Hawtin.
THE DAVID GON BAND: David Gon is a singer-songwriter from Behchoko, Northwest Territories whose Tłı̨ chǫ identity resonates through his music. Raised on the land as a Tłı̨ chǫ Dene in the 1950’s, David was influenced by traditional drumming and dancing from a very young age. Feeling the drum beat, hearing the voices and watching the dancers perform had a great effect on David. His songs explore themes of land, language and David’s experience navigating the white and Dene worlds.
THOMAS THOMAS: Calgary indie ensemble Thomas Thomas is the result of the creative collision of singer-songwriter Shannon Thomas and indie-rocker Thomas Englund (Bell Tower, Beta Boys). Combining their names and adding a sparkly rock ensemble, the band makes swooning and nostalgic songs worthy of the swankiest high school prom.
YELLOWKNIVES DENE DRUMMERS: The Yellowknives Dene Drummers are from the communities of Ndilo and Dettah, and include all ages. The drummers can be booked for Northern style celebrations, event opening prayer songs and celebration songs, drum dances and hand games demonstrations.
Early bird tickets for Folk on the Rocks are available on the official website.
