ALBERTA MUSIC AT FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL 2017

Alberta Music is excited to be returning to the Folk Alliance International conference, and will be teaming up with BreakOut West to present the best in Western Canadian Folk!

The Folk Alliance International Conference is the world’s largest gathering of the Folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Blues, Bluegrass, Roots, Celtic, Cajun, Appalachian, Traditional, World, and Singer-Songwriter).

Members include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work in the folk music industry.

We’ll be in Kansas City, MO from February 15 – 19, 2017 showcasing the following artists

KIMBERLEY MACGREGOR

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Kimberley MacGregor is an Edmonton, Alberta-based singer-songwriter who believes that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that whisky is a health tonic. She lovingly crafts and passionately performs songs that will move your heart, change your mind, and stomp your feet. With her band, she can rock a festival crowd at any time of day or night; solo, she can deliver an intimate acoustic performance that never fails to captivate an entire room. Reminiscent of Susan Tedeschi and meeting Etta James head-on, her voice and energy will change how you experience modern music.

MARIEL BUCKLEY

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

OVER THE MOON

Over The Moon came to be when multi-instrumental/vocalist Suzanne Levesque (ACMA Award winner…bassist/vocalist for The Travelling Mabels) & Craig Bignell (multiple CCMA Award winner…music director/percussionist for Susan Aglukark), met, fell in love, got married and discovered that their voices blended so well together that people often teared up when hearing them sing. Musician friends and colleagues encouraged them to pursue this duo project as their music was so unique and moving.

MARIA DUNN

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

A true preserver of the spirit of folk music, past Juno nominee Maria Dunn is often compared to Woody Guthrie for her keen social awareness and unvarnished songs about ordinary people.

In April 2016, Maria released her sixth album, Gathering, produced by Shannon Johnson (of Juno-winning band The McDades). In keeping with Pete Seeger’s words (1994), “The key to the future of the world is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known”, Gathering highlights stories of love—not typical songs of romantic love, but songs of family, community, humanity and the love that knits us together and fires our actions to make the world a better place.

SCOTT COOK

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

“A roots balladeer with a rare personal warmth, Canada’s Scott Cook has managed to distil the stories collected over a decade of near-incessant touring across Canada, the USA, Europe, Asia, and Australia into straight-talking, keenly observant verse. Road-worn, painfully honest, and deeply human, his tunes weave threads of folk, roots, blues, soul and country over spacious fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer banjo arrangements. His fourth release, One More Time Around, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, and its opening track “”Pass It Along”” won the Folk and Acoustic category in the 2013 UK Songwriting Contest, with UK magazine Maverick Country naming him “”one of Canada’s most inspiring and imaginative storytellers””.

THE DOLL SISTERS

Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

“Hailing from the rolling foothills of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, The Doll Sisters are a fiery Celtic Americana duo who weave haunting harmonies and stellar songwriting together to create a high-energy live show for their audience. As skillful multi-instrumentalists on guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and bodhrán, Jenna Leigh and Shelby Doll tirelessly strive to push the boundaries of female musicianship.

JAKE VANCE

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

“At 20 years old, Jake Vance is a young, up-and-coming singer/songwriter whose background is in piano, bass, guitar, songwriting and vocals. Growing up in a musical family in Southern Alberta, Jake is a burgeoning artist in the Canadian music scene. Multitalented, Jake writes all his own music and lyrics as well as playing guitar and piano.

So far in 2016, Jake has completed the Artist Entrepreneur Program at CMI in Toronto, and played the TD Green Room at the 2016 Juno Awards. He was also a top 10 regional finalist in the CBC Searchlight competition. In September he performed at Canada’s Walk of Fame Festival after being chosen as one of the winners of the Emerging Artist Mentorship Program.

REBECCA LAPPA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Whether playing an intimate concert or on a Festival stage, 5X CFMA nominee Rebecca Lappa is loving every minute of her musical journey. With a haunting voice and elegant lyrics she delivers story songs inspired by history, poetry and life events, spun with romance, fantasy & intelligent wit. In short, she’s resurrecting the art of the ‘Folktale’ and making it accessible & hip again! Rebecca was honored to win Young Performer of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards for “Tattered Rose”. She’s also won Adult Alternative Recording of the Year @ the 2015 Edmonton Music Awards, Sonic Youth @ the 2013 & 2015 Calgary Folkfest Songwriting Contests, Shine My Demo @ 2015 SongRise Conference & the CN Youth Artist Award @ the 2014 Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.

KEN STEAD

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Ken Stead is an artist whose goal is to connect with people. Ken Stead is an Edmonton-based folk-roots singer/songwriter whose fan base has been growing rapidly since the release of his latest album “Fear Has No Place Here”. Ken has toured Canada extensively in support of the album, and has been an artist at the Edmonton Folk Festival, Canmore Folk Festival, North County Fair and Come By The Hills. Ken has also garnered extensive radio play on CBC Radio and College Radio nationally. Kens vulnerability and willingness to give everything he has on stage is what sets this singer/songwriter apart.

THE NORTHERN BEAUTIES

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Wielding an unmistakable brand of Western Folk, CalgaryAlberta’s Northern Beauties have now carved their name into the western Canadian musical landscape. The vocal harmonies of Todd Stewart and Craig Aikman are as big as their ambitions, the band capped off a remarkable year since releasing their debut EP in the spring of 2015. The EP charted on National College stations and Alberta’s CKUA Radio in 2015 which kicked off a series of local shows that built the band a reputation as a must see live act in Alberta.