Performances

There’s a quiet gravity to Abigail Lapell’s music — the kind that makes a room lean in. The Toronto songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist blends fingerstyle guitar, piano and harmonica with a voice that feels both weathered and warm. A JUNO‑nominated artist and four‑time Canadian Folk Music Award winner, she’s earned more than 60 million streams for albums like Stolen Time, Getaway and Hide Nor Hair, celebrated for emotional clarity and subtle, adventurous arrangements.

Her 2024 album Anniversary, recorded in a 200-year-old Niagara‑on‑the‑Lake church with producer Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers), deepens her interest in spacious, atmospheric songwriting and lyrical introspection. Onstage, Lapell performs with calm intensity and understated charm, offering songs that linger long after the final note.

Brothers Wilde are a high‑energy country‑rock duo made up of brothers Nolan and Ethan Wilde, whose harmonies were shaped long before the stage—singing in cars, kitchens and community gatherings. Hailing from Kettle & Stony Point First Nation in southern Ontario, they blend country, rock and heartfelt storytelling with the easy chemistry of siblings who know each other’s instincts inside out. Their songs reflect family, place and the realities of life in their community.

The duo has earned national attention through charting singles on the Indigenous Music Countdown and features on CBC platforms, steadily building their presence across Canada. Whether on a festival stage or in an intimate venue, Brothers Wilde bring grit, warmth and a sound that carries the spirit of home wherever they go.

Cassidy Houston is a vocalist, songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist whose music blends expressive lyricism with a warm, intimate sound. Originally from Red Rock, they’ve built a reputation for performances that balance vulnerability with strong melodic instincts, shaped by formal training and years of live experience. Their debut EP Wonder introduced an artist unafraid to explore themes of tenderness, identity and self‑reflection, offering songs that feel both personal and quietly expansive.

Houston’s forthcoming sophomore EP red flag flowers, recorded in Thunder Bay with fellow Northern Ontario collaborators, explores love, heartbreak and the quiet resilience of growth — mirroring the region’s landscapes and the beauty of becoming again. Returning to their hometown for Live from the Rock, they bring a magnetic presence that resonates in both full‑band and stripped‑down settings, guided by emotional clarity and a deep sense of place.

DIVKA is the Toronto‑based duo of bandurist Alina Kuzma and violist Zoë Santo, who fuse traditional Ukrainian village singing with contemporary edge. Rooted in the raw power of women’s vocal traditions and shaped by years of classical training, their music reimagines ancestral songs through bandura, viola and bold, unfiltered vocal textures. Formed in 2024, they’ve quickly become a striking presence in Canada’s global‑folk scene, known for performances that feel both intimate and elemental.

Their new album folk fatale centres on songs created by women and carried through centuries of war, displacement and cultural suppression. Blending ancient vocal traditions with bandura and viola, the record moves from raunchy folk humour to romantic longing, mythic landscapes and original works inspired by ancestral archetypes. DIVKA brings this fierce, theatrical sound to the Live from the Rock stage in a performance that will blur ritual, storytelling and contemporary folk experimentation.

Joy radiates from Donné Roberts’ music — the kind that makes audiences move before they even realize it. Born in Madagascar and now based in Canada, Roberts blends Afro‑pop, rock and folk influences with bright guitar work and multilingual songwriting. A two‑time JUNO Award winner, he helped introduce Malagasy rhythms to Canadian audiences through albums like Rhythm Was Born.

Roberts continues to expand his sound through collaborations across genres, drawing on a global upbringing and deep roots in community‑driven music. His performances are energetic and welcoming, inviting listeners into a rhythmic landscape shaped by movement, connection and cultural exchange.

Isaac Matthews is a Thunder Bay–born singer‑songwriter, poet, and author whose work is grounded in lived experience and performance. He spent over a decade in musical theatre as a leading man, headlining Off‑Broadway productions, international tours, and stages around the world. Those years sharpened his voice, presence, and commitment to honest storytelling.

Now focused on his own music, Matthews trades scripts for a stripped‑back folk and acoustic‑pop sound, often performing solo with guitar. His recent singles expand his sonic palette while preserving warmth, exploring identity, transformation, love, and the courage to begin again. Beyond music, he is the author of Annie James, bringing the same reflective, story‑forward sensibility to the written word.

Josh Ritchie is a dynamic singer, songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist whose music blends rock ambition with sharp, socially conscious storytelling. A natural performer since childhood, he brings big‑energy charisma and meticulous musicality to the stage, shaping songs with the precision of an arranger and the heart of a poet. His work explores identity, community and the world around him through a lens that’s both personal and expansive.

Ritchie’s 2021 self‑titled EP reflected his experiences growing up as a person of colour in rural Ontario, a theme he carried into his second album, Love at the End of the World, which launched to a sold‑out crowd at Lee’s Palace and earned attention across North America. His 2025 release, So Much More Than a Dream, pushes his sound further as he digs into purpose, hope and finding meaning in turbulent times.

Katherine Nemec is a self‑described singer, vocal teacher and theatre enthusiast from Thunder Bay whose music moves between pop, folk and rock. Her debut EP Glow—produced with Jean‑Paul De Roover at Blueprints Studio—highlights her direct writing style and a voice that blends vulnerability with strength.

Nemec continues to expand her presence through appearances with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and performances at regional events, such as Magnus Theatre’s outdoor series and Live on the Waterfront. Her work remains centred on honest songwriting and an engaging stage approach that connects easily with audiences.

Thunder Bay’s Luke Warm and the Cold Ones deliver a sound that’s both familiar and fiercely their own. The five‑piece lineup — Greg Chomut (Luke Warm, lead vocals/bass), Hillary McDowell (piano/vocals), Kyle Oikonen (rhythm guitar/vocals), Carlo DeAgazio (lead guitar), and A.J. Haapa (drums/percussion) — blends punk, folk, metal, classic rock and hip‑hop into a raw, wide‑ranging style. Their songs often dig into the painful edges of the human condition, balanced by an energy that gets audiences moving.

Formed in 2014, the band has built a loyal following through high‑impact shows and a collaborative, genre‑bending approach. Their music carries honesty, bite and a spirit that comes through loudest when the band is onstage together.

A single voice and an acoustic guitar have taken Martin Kerr farther than most artists ever imagine. Born in the UK and now based in Edmonton, he built his career one listener at a time, famously selling 20,000 albums while busking. His clear, expressive vocals and heartfelt writing have earned national attention, with “You’re Amazing” reaching millions and his album Better Than Brand‑New cracking the Canadian Top 10. His newest record, Overdue for a Revolution, praised for its compassion and courage, blends activism with deeply human songwriting.

Kerr’s performances radiate warmth and sincerity, shaped by a career rooted in genuine connection — from street corners to national stages. His songs draw on everyday experience, offering comfort, challenge and inspiration to audiences across Canada.

Mimi Dominique is a Toronto‑based folk singer‑songwriter whose music drifts between ethereal and grounded, pulling listeners into vivid, sensory worlds. The daughter of two theatre actors, she grew up steeped in storytelling and the electricity of live performance. Inspired by artists like Laura Marling, Connie Converse and Joan Baez, she’s recently been exploring traditional folk singing — from British Isles repertoire with her sister, to Ukrainian polyphony with Toronto’s Kosa Choir.

Dominique has played shows across Canada, from Toronto and Montreal to Halifax and the west coast, including the Filberg Festival. A 2024 graduate of Seneca College’s songwriting and performance program and a 2025 Folk Canada Developing Artist, she’ll release her debut album in summer 2026 before touring nationwide, including a performance with JUNO Award-winner Kaia Kater.

Onion Honey is a Kitchener‑Waterloo string band whose harmony‑rich sound draws on clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin and double bass. Their 2023 album Foul Weather Friends — recorded live off the floor with Andy Magoffin at House of Miracles — earned a 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year, highlighting Esther Wheaton’s standout performance. After more than a decade of self‑produced music, the record marked their first professional studio release.

Their 2025 single “Spite, Rebranded” showcases intricate lyricism and a contemporary string‑band arrangement, also recorded with Magoffin. Onion Honey’s shows feel communal and inviting, shaped by years of weekly “Banjo Church” livestreams and a shared love of old‑fashioned string‑band tradition.

There’s an easy warmth to Phil Drost’s songwriting — the kind that feels shaped by Northern Ontario’s landscapes and long drives. Blending folk‑rock, blues and country influences, the Thunder Bay artist writes with a storyteller’s instinct and a melodic touch. His earlier releases, including Drifting With a Dream (2016) and Better Off Believing (2018), introduced a voice both grounded and reflective.

His 2025 album In This World expands his sound with fuller arrangements and themes that look outward as much as inward. Drost’s performances carry a relaxed charm, offering songs that feel lived‑in, honest and rooted in place.

A life lived across continents shapes the emotional depth at the heart of Sandra Bouza’s music. Born in Toronto and raised partly in Northern Spain, she later spent three transformative years performing nightly in Morocco — an unexpected detour that sharpened her craft and expanded her artistic voice. Her songs draw directly from these experiences, blending personal storytelling with the perspective gained through constant movement and reinvention.

Back in Toronto, Bouza quickly made her mark, winning the Toronto Blues Talent Search and placing second in the city’s Soul Slam. You can hear echoes of Etta James and Carla Thomas in her powerful, nuanced phrasing; like Amy Winehouse and Adele, she’s absorbed the greats of classic R&B yet emerged with a style entirely her own. Her EP Three Years and album Falling Away From Me reveal an artist defined by presence, vulnerability and hard‑won honesty.

Messages of advocacy, community and lived experience run through the music of award‑winning songwriter, multi‑instrumentalist and educator Shy‑Anne Hovorka. Based in Northwestern Ontario, she has built a career that blends music, teaching and cultural connection. Her first three albums sold more than 15,000 copies worldwide and earned multiple Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards — including a sweep of six wins in one night for Interwoven Roots, making her the top‑winning female artist at that year’s awards.

Her 2022 album, and then, was created in response to the discovery of children at former residential school sites, released quietly and sold by donation with all proceeds supporting the Residential School Survival Society. A dedicated Ojibwe language teacher who lives closely with the land, Hovorka brings that grounding into her performances, offering songs shaped by resilience, responsibility and deep northern roots.

Hard‑drivin’ banjo solos, blues‑infused mandolin breaks and hair‑raising fiddle tunes sit at the heart of The Stanley County Cut‑Ups, a Winnipeg bluegrass supergroup combining northern style with southern flavour. After nearly 20 years playing together in various configurations, the quintet has honed a sound rooted in tradition and lifted by tight two‑, three‑ and four‑part harmonies. Jess Reimer, Jeremy Penner, Jeremy Hamm, Tim Osmond and T.J. Blair bring deep experience to original songs and classics from the bluegrass canon.

Onstage, the Cut‑Ups deliver sets described by audiences as “more than fine” and “refilling my folk music cup,” blending precision, warmth and an obvious joy in shared musicianship. Their performances celebrate the enduring pull of bluegrass and the chemistry that comes from years of playing side by side.

Few Canadian folk groups have animated history with the power and theatrical sweep of Tanglefoot. Active for nearly three decades, the band carried the spirit of Canada in story and song across North America, the UK and parts of Europe. Known for powerful harmonies, quick wit and storytelling steeped in Canadian history, they became a defining force in contemporary folk. Their album Dance Like Flames earned the 2007 Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Vocal Group.

After disbanding in 2009, the group returns for select 2026 performances, reuniting CFMA winners Steve Ritchie, Al Parrish, Sandra Swannell Young and Rob Ritchie, joined by Josh Ritchie in place of the late Terry Young. Their comeback brings renewed spark to a sound built on energy, warmth and the enduring pull of Canadian storytelling.

Warm, atmospheric songwriting runs through the music of Tennyson King, a nomadic artist shaped by his Hong Kong roots and Canadian upbringing. After immigrating at age five and growing up in Mississauga, he left Toronto’s band scene to travel and perform full‑time, drawing inspiration from the people and landscapes he encounters. His sound blends Western folk with Chinese influences, performed in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and often built around rhythmic guitar, kick drum and the zhongruan.

A 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award nominee and 2025 Ontario Folk Music Awards Performing Artist of the Year nominee, his live sets emphasize presence and connection, offering the uplifting energy he’s become known for on stages around the world.

The sweeping folk anthems of London, Ontario songwriter Willem James Cowan have been capturing ears across eastern Canada since 2018. Across three releases and various singles, he has explored “the uncharted corners of his soul and sound,” blending retro and contemporary elements into music that feels both nostalgic and relatable. His 2022 album Mourning in the Morningtime pairs lush production with soft‑spoken truths shaped by the anxieties and small hardships of growing up in suburban North America.

Singles like “Apartment” (2024) and “Jam Jar” (2025) continue that trajectory, weaving introspection with melodic warmth. Drawing on personal experience and a sense of discomfort, Cowan writes to offer solace to a generation rooted in self‑doubt and social stigma, resonating with fans of Elliott Smith, The Shins and Wilco.