Tonye is a singer-songwriter born in London England to an a Nigerian father and a Zimbabwean  mother. She moved to Canada in her teens and

Ronnie Dean Harris aka Ostwelve, is a St?:lo/St’át’imc/Nlaka’pamux multimedia artist based in Langley, BC. He got his start with professional graphic design at the age

Celebrating over 44 years, the ‘Reggae Ambassadors’, THIRD WORLD is one of the longest lived Reggae bands of all time, and one of Jamaica’s most

In the tightknit musical community of Austin, Texas, it’s tough to get away with posturing. You either bring it, or you don’t. If you do,

Dervish have been bringing Irish traditional music to the world for more than 25 Years. Described by the BBC as “an icon of Irish music”,

Qristina & Quinn Bachand have proven to be quintessential to Canada’s contribution to the world stage, garnering a mantle-packing collection of awards and recognition that

Anne Lindsay has established herself as one of the most engaging and versatile instrumentalists in Canada, adapting her unique violin/fiddle style to the eclectic sounds

Early Spirit is Will Chernoff (bass), Gabriel Dubreuil (violin), Ben Kelly (drums), and Jay Knutson (guitar). At almost every performance, fans ask “Are you a family band?” But these four sons of Vancouver, BC

When you meet her, Jenie Thai is composed, pleasant, amiable, friendly, and — she won’t like the word but you have to live with it

Bluesman AL LERMAN is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He was founder and leader of the 2X Juno Award winning band FATHEAD, and along the

Guitarist, Singer, Song Writer Jack de Keyzer plays the blues world wide, from Alert, Arctic Circle to Puerto Escondido, Mexico; from Athens, Greece to Hornby

Sue Foley is a multi-award-winning musician and one of the finest blues and roots artists working today. She’s a triple-threat as a lead guitarist, songwriter

Mercy Funk, an Edmonton based band, was formed from an impulsively sown seed by bassist, Angela Proulx, who in her early teen years experienced what she

The only good thing about NOT shopping in record stores like the good ol’ days is you won’t have to figure out what genre to

Mando maestro Andrew Collins finds himself – through no actual fault of his own – at the epicentre of Canada’s burgeoning acoustic/roots music scene. He

The Garifuna Collective promises to carry the torch of cultural innovation and promotion passed on by Andy Palacio far into the future and expands on

Birds of Chicago have been riding a swell of good mojo in the Americana scene since their inception in late 2012. With their new album,

Last summer Ry Cooder returned to festival stages with an astoundingly great band, The Hamiltones. The group has travelled the world, dazzling audiences from Africa

Paul Valdemar Horsdal, CM (born 1 September 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk and country musician whose solo career

It is a commitment to the music, above all else, that fuels Mile Twelve’s continued march forward. The band was formed by five young musicians

By the time Tal National reached international acclaim with 2013’s ‘Kaani’, the band’s first release outside of Niger, they had spent more than a decade

Semple grew up on a farm north of Regina, Saskatchewan. He started his musical career playing with various Regina-based bands, and later relocated to Toronto

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Daniel Lapp grew up in Prince George, BC in a musical house with deep prairie fiddling roots. He received his BMus from UVic studying classical

From Vernon come The Creeks, a fine folk trio comprised of two ex-pat Brits and a Canuck. The Creeks share a love of great contemporary

“…you’ll get transported to a different reality, much like in The Beatles Yellow Submarine album.” -Savannah Bagshaw, KelownaNow.com “Whoa! How long can The Oot n’

Vancouver-based singer-songwriter, Chris Ronald, emigrated from his native England in 2002. Influenced by countless British and North American artists of the 60s onward, Chris’ music

Historically speaking, many have come and gone before us without broad notice, despite having made significant impacts during their lives. These are the stories that

The love of music, dance and singing started early in Ray’s life as a child in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, through his mother’s taste

MEET THE BLUE HEARTS Mark “Westcoast” Comerford: Guitar & Percussion, Vocals and Big Hank Lionhart: Lead Vocals.  Mark and Hank are both members of Uncle

Grizzled veteran of the Canadian folk and country scenes, Nathan started his career in the early 70s busking on the streets of Victoria.  Over the

‘Lucky Hand’ is Steve Dawson’s first record of instrumental music since ‘Rattlesnake Cage’ came out in 2014 and represents a high point of more than

The Lonesome Ace Stringband brings grit, skill and abandon to old-time, Appalachian folk songs and fiddle/banjo tunes. These are songs and tunes for life and

It’s late, and the bar is crowded. The music is loud, and people are dancing. The bartender needs a smoke, and you could use a

You’ll hear it in his voice immediately … the original strain of Appalachian mountain music that lies at the heart of all great modern bluegrass

The Boom Booms are a celebrated Canadian band from Vancouver, BC. They blend storytelling and dance music with draws on funk, soul and latin styles.

The Dimpker Brothers didn’t choose music, music chose them. Since childhood days it is all they’ve known, but the only way to share their passion was

MAJOR LOVE is the moniker of Canadian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colleen Brown – and a new album featuring members of Scenic Route To Alaska, Jesse

Still playing and touring the World, Lil’ Jimmy Reed is the last of the original Louisiana bluesmen. The blues was born in the deep South,

Ace Canadian Blues-Rockers MonkeyJunk Celebrate 10 Years With Thrilling #MJ10 Tour The trio, whose career-best fifth album Time To Roll recently netted their second Juno

The Paul DesLauriers Band is made up of guitarist and singer Paul DesLauriers and the rhythm section of Greg Morency on bass and Sam Harrisson

Winnipeg Manitoba based guitarist/harmonica player/songsmith, Big Dave McLean is a highly acclaimed Canadian Roots and Blues artist. A multiple award winner and recording artist, with

Take it from Holger Petersen, the host of CBC’s Saturday Night Blues, who says, “Canada’s premier ‘old school’ harp wizard has never sounded better. Harpdog’s

The Mbira Renaissance Band is an afro-fusion, mbira inspired band based in Edmonton, Alberta. Since forming in 2013, the band has quickly become a staple

For the past 15 years or so, Jewish-Canadian accordion player/singer-songwriter/novelist Geoff Berner has travelled the world. He’s played in bars, cafes, festivals, and the occasional

The instrumental creature known as Oktopus extends its creative tentacles across the landscape of East European music with an effervescent concoction of new and reinvented

David’s first home was in Senegal, the western-most country in Africa. He has memories of growing up in Dakar, with the scent of the Atlantic, 

Michael Franti is a musician, humanitarian, and filmmaker who is recognized as a pioneering force in the music industry. Franti believes in using music as

A stellar presence in the Canadian music scene, Cindy Church has crafted a body of work that is at once artistically successful and culturally significant,

It’s a classic story. A matchmaker, some scratchy old records, a custom banjo and a flyfishing trip all led to to a meeting in 2007

At age 5, Sarah Jane Scouten was sitting on the dining room table, singing “Lace and Pretty Flowers,” by Canadian country-folk musician, Willie P. Bennett.

One of Northern BC’s fastest growing recognizable Indigenous Artists, Kym Gouchie is fostering change through her music and art. Her voice can be heard around First Nations and woman’s issues, the Highway

Eighteen albums into what is remarkable career, Colin James returns to RootsandBlues at what is arguably the hottest chapter of his brilliant career. A year

Ben grew up in the Cambridgeshire Fens, whose expansive skies, mysterious light, and sense of isolation continue to be a source of inspiration in his

Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou?Osagyefo (oh-sah-GEE-fo)  Uhuru (ooh-WHO-roo) Sekou (SAY-koo) Noted activist, theologian, author, documentary filmmaker, and musician, Reverend Osagyefo Sekou was born in St. Louis,

Staying in the world of exceptional original songs coupled with tasty renditions of timeless classics comes one of the great Texas tunesmiths, Jimmie Dale Gilmore,

Ask John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt or Mick Fleetwood about Rick Vito’s guitar playing, or his songwriting, or his singing. As Ms. Raitt has stated, “Rick

Son de Madera: Traditional music from the heart of Mexico, Son de Madera represent a sound that has not been common place at the ROOTSandBLUES

Count on Harry Manx to switch it up and tailor his exotic sounds to a union with a string quartet. Known as the “mysticssippi bluesman”,

It’s been 25 years of stirring the pot for Tom Landa and his group The Paperboys and early on in this most impressive run, this

Along with Richard Thompson, Martin Simpson brings more to the world of British and North American traditional and contemporary folk music than is almost imaginable.

As the calendar flips into 2018 it marks the 50th anniversary of Sly and the Family Stone, the ground-breaking interracial band from the San Francisco

Tower of Song is a duo– Oliver Swain and Glenna Garramone– based in Victoria, BC, Canada, who re-imagine and interpret the songs of Leonard Cohen,

The winner of the Creative Okanagan Inside the Music program has been announced. Tiger Moon is a West Canadian Folk duo from Kelowna, BC. They

A force on the Canadian blues scene, and one of the long-time sparkplugs of the interior’s roots music scene, Sherman “Tank” Doucette finds his way

At only 24 years of age, Charlie Jacobson has been building a rock-solid career foundation for a few years now.   The guitarist, tunesmith and

Although based in Montreal these days, The Om Sound has woodshedded and performed in the Okanagan and Shuswap region for years. The trio merges genres

Blu Hopkins is a familiar favorite on the local folk scene and has been for years. Blu’s capacity for reviving classics from the books of

Jay Gilday, is a gifted guitarist, singer, tunesmith and riveting performer who engages with his artistry and between song stories and observations. His first appearance

Dana Wylie is a small-town gal from Saskatchewan who moved to Britain for a few years, to soak up the traditions of song writing before

Los Duendes is a powerhouse unit from Vancouver that performs various styles of music from Latin America as infectious tropical rhythms are intertwined with spicy

On the final night of ROOTSANDBLUES, the songbook of Leonard Cohen will be celebrated by an wonderful cast of artists. Cohen, who passed away in

The Salmon Arm Roots & Blues House Band came together four years ago and they immediately made a splash with our audience and the musicians

Coco Jafro is a hard hitting force to be reckoned with, unifying the masses with their electrified, funky global rhythms. They bring together the schools of

Fiddler, singer, and stepdancer April Verch knows how relevant an old tune can be. She was raised surrounded by living, breathing roots music—her father’s country

Listen to Jane Bunnett be interviewed by ROOTS&BLUES Artistic Director Peter North Four-time JUNO Award winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and Officer of the Order of

Listen to Stephen Fearing be interviewed by ROOTS&BLUES Artistic Director Peter North What the people are saying… Halifax Chronicle Herald — Stephen Fearing was born

The root of all soul music is freedom-sheer abandon. It’s about luxuriating in the emotions that make us all human. No wonder singer Frazey Ford

John Primer has undisputedly helped build the sound and style of Chicago blues as we know it today. The echos of tradition bellowing from the

It can be argued that it was Booker T. Jones who set the cast for modern soul music and is largely responsible for its rise

Braden Gates is a young man, which may come as a surprise to anyone who has heard his brand of classic foot stompin’, fiddle playin’,

From Ireland, ROOTS&BLUES is pleased to bring acoustic music fans the brilliance of Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle, as it is a rare

2017 Juno-nominated songwriter Maria Dunn draws deeply on the folk tradition of storytelling through song. Melding North American roots music with her Scottish-Irish heritage, she

Some music cannot be found on a map or within iTunes categories.  Some music is so original it seems snatched from the great, invisible substrata

For over a decade, the Acadian trio Vishtèn has dazzled audiences with its fiery blend of traditional French songs and original instrumentals that fuse Celtic

For 2017 Roots & Blues will present The Mad Dogs Experience on Saturday night in The Barn. A 17 piece band with choir will roll

When people see The Lil Smokies setting up their acoustic instruments, they’re often unprepared for the electric energy they generate. The band captures that same

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, beginning a 40-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting and teaching. Born in

Listen to Kaia Kater be interviewed by ROOTS&BLUES Artistic Director Peter North The new album from young African-Canadian roots phenom Kaia Kater couldn’t come at

Authenticity is something that I believe is important to all of us. And hopefully we get to work with people who are authentic. When you

With his compelling, sprawling vocal range and songs that strike a perfect balance of familiar yet sophisticated, Dylan Menzie is quickly becoming one of Prince

One of the finest songwriters of his generation, Jeffrey Foucault has taken, in his own words, ‘the small roads;’ building a brick and mortar independent

One of the finest blues piano players anywhere, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne is on a wonderful roll these days making critically acclaimed albums for Stony

Long recognized and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, Claire Lynch is a pioneer who continually pushes the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.