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Artist Spotlight: Martin Kerr

Thursday, August 15
7:30PM in ATB Park

Martin Kerr’s troubadour dreams just keep on coming true. The red-headed British/Canadian singer-songwriter made legions of new fans around the world this year, opening for Dermot Kennedy, Walk Off The Earth, The Strumbellas and Billy Raffoul, and headlining at summer festivals.

Artist Spotlight: Melafrique

Thursday, August 15
8:30PM in ATB Park

Melafrique is an Afro-fusion band formed in Edmonton, Canada in 2016. The name Melafrique is a condensed form of the term “Melanin from Africa”. We play a variety of genres: Jazz, R&B, Reggae, Neo-soul; in combination with different African styles of music. Melafrique hopes to inspire the world with good music, and through music, we express our identities as African people, Caribbean people and musicians. The band includes members from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Jamaica, and Canada.

Artist Spotlight: Rosina Cove

Friday, August 16
9:00PM in ATB Park

Rosina Cove offers up unpretentious Canadiana with a big heart. Fronted by award-winning songwriter Peter Stone of 100 mile house and rounded out by some of Canada’s finest musicians they’ve received airplay on CBC, CKUA and across the country on campus and community radio. After spending last summer performing at festivals across Alberta they spent the winter months recording their debut full length album ‘Someday We will Make it There’, due for release September, 2020. 

Artist Spotlight: Téa G

Friday, August 16
10:00PM in ATB Park

21 year old Pop and R&B artist Téa G (Tee-ah Gee) from Edmonton, Alberta has a voice beyond her years. Her ability to match the vocal stunts of icons like Ariana Grande and Beyoncé has gone viral, garnering millions of views and over 230,000 fans on TikTok since she began posting during the pandemic. In 2019, her debut single “Say” hit over 600,000 streams on Spotify and was chosen to be on their curated playlist “New Music Friday Philippines.”(690,000+ Followers) Following the release of her first single, this Filipino-Canadian philanthropist was invited to represent Canada at Asia’s premier entertainment conference: Music Matters Live by All That Matters in Singapore. Téa G had opportunities to perform for the Taste Of Edmonton Festival, JUNOfest Showcase, Breakout West, New Skool Rules in Rotterdam, Netherlands and opened for Grammy Award Winner Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt and multi-platinum recording artist and JUNO Nominee Tyler Shaw for the Stampede City Sessions. Tea G continues to pursue her passion in creating more new music, is planning to release an EP, and wishes to perform outside of Canada in 2024.

Artist Spotlight: Funk the Matriarchy

Saturday, August 17
9:00PM in ATB Park

With a contagious energy that ignites dance floors and sparks social change, this ensemble is a positive force to be reckoned with.

This powerhouse group plays a mix of chart topping female hits and some hidden gem women artists. Through carefully curated setlists, they strive to diminish inequality and celebrate the trailblazers who have shaped the sounds of these genres.

Featuring members of King Muskafa, Second Hand Dreamcar, The Superband, Hi-Phoniqs, Mocking Shadows, and The Strathcona Royales, you can be sure you’ll be groovin’ all night and funkin’ it to the man!

Artist Spotlight: Mouraine

Saturday, August 17
10:00PM in ATB Park

WCMA nominee and Explore Edmonton ambassador Mouraine is a talented hip-hop artist set for a big breakthrough. His debut album, “In Search of Gold,” was produced in collaboration with producer duo Deadmen and released via Birthdaycake Records in May 2023. The album includes standout appearances from respected artists such as LA native Westside Boogie, Canadian R&B icon JRDN, and MOTO. ISOG offers listeners a deeply personal and vulnerable look into Mouraine’s life, all backed by bold lyricism and colossal beats.

Artist Spotlight: Montuno West

Sunday, August 18
9:00PM in ATB Park

Montuno West boasts an exciting and infectious sound strongly influenced by jazz, Cuban and other Latin styles. A true blend of tradition and modern approaches keeps the band’s sound fresh, evocative, and, most importantly, uplifting! In 2019, the group won the Calgary Music Award for World Recording of the Year. It was also nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award in the World category.  Montuno West is excited to be joined by special guest Israel “Toto” Berriel (Vancouver/Cuba). Berriel is a traditional Afro-Cuban percussionist, vocalist, and educator. He played with the world’s best-known Rumba group, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, for twelve years, where he mastered the Afro-Cuban repertoire. Toto is an exceptional performer and a naturally gifted vocalist with a distinctive sound. Although deeply rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions, he is also comfortable with jazz, soul, and funk. Originally from Matanzas, Cuba, Toto has toured worldwide and has made Canada his home since 2001.

Artist Spotlight: Major Love

Sunday, August 18
10:00PM in ATB Park

MAJOR LOVE is the moniker of Edmonton singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colleen Brown and a collaboration featuring Alberta rock darlings Scenic Route To Alaska. They make soulful folk-rock music for their hoser friends. 

Forming after a chance meeting overseas, their debut album was released on Cowboy Junkies’ imprint Latent Recordings (Warner) in August 2018. The singles ‘Tear It Down’ and ’So Good’ were embraced by CBC Radio 2 Top 20 and Sirius XM, and enjoyed some initial commercial radio crossover. The album spent thirteen weeks in the Top 50 earshot! National College Radio charts. It also made a respectable showing on 2018 year-end lists, at #9 for CJSR, and #6 for CKUA Radio. 

2024 sees Major Love regrouping to release their cheeky follow up full-length “Live, Laugh, Major Love” with distribution through Slow Weather (The Orchard). Recorded at the National Music Centre’s Studio Bell in Calgary, Alberta – with of slew of Randy Bachman’s borrowed guitars on hand – the new album showcases a live band in lockstep, with chemistry to spare. Produced by Marcus Paquin (The National, Arcade Fire, The Weather Station, Mariel Buckley) these songs thrive at the intersection between Brown’s resonant vocal expression and SRTA’s spirited swagger…music to move body and soul. 

Artist Spotlight: Cryptozoologists

Monday, August 19
5:00PM in ATB Park

Cryptozoologists is a Whitehorse band made up of Zach McCann-Armitage, Dawson Beaulieau, Fabian Brook, and Ben Craymer. The music is from-the-garage raw and gritty, but also sincere, distinct, and literary.  Since starting in 2016, the band has released 2 albums and a recent limited tape, and performed at Breakout West, Dawson City Music Festival, and Flourish Festival. Some stylistic touchstones for the band’s sound are the Clash, the Pixies, Silver Jews, and Destroyer. 

New Feeling has written that the band’s music marries “sardonic cultural critique and existential wandering” with “folky esoterica,” and Vancouver Sun has written that the band makes “really quirky, accomplished garage No Wave that deserves a far larger audience.”

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Alex MacNeil & The Revenants

Monday August 19
10:15PM in ATB Park

From Nova Scotia’s rugged coastline to the untamed wilds of Dawson City, Yukon, Alex MacNeil has left an indelible mark on Canada’s DIY rock scene from coast to coast. Former frontman of Alexander & The Great Ones and sideman to acclaimed acts like Willie Stratton and Braden Lam, Alex now ventures into uncharted territory with his new band, Alex MacNeil and The Revenants. This four-piece powerhouse exudes Yukon powerpop charm. 

Get ready for “FAR OUT MAN,” the upcoming five-song EP that merges 60s psychedelic pop nostalgia with punk sensibilities. Alex’s wry lyrics and contagious melodies find a deadly complement in The Revenants – Jess Van De Broek on keys, Matt Sarty on drums, and Dane Armstrong on bass. Brace yourselves, Southern Canada! This northern indie powerpop machine aims to capture your hearts and get your record players spinning.  

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Ellorie McKnight

Tuesday, August 20
5:00PM in ATB Park

Ellorie McKnight is a bilingual singer-songwriter based out of Whitehorse, Yukon. Her songs are shaped by delicate vocals, ambiguous lyrics, and a nostalgic old timey-ness which invites wonder and dreaming. The midnight sun, vast northern landscapes, systems thinking and a wild heart inspire her songwriting. Ellorie’s second EP Equinox was released in May 2024, recorded in-studio as a live show with full band. 

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Diyet & The Love Soldiers

Tuesday, August 20
6:00PM in ATB Park

Hailing from the Yukon, Diyet & The Love Soldiers are alternative country, folk, roots and traditional with catchy melodies and stories deeply rooted in Diyet’s Indigenous world view and northern life. Diyet sings in both English and her traditional language, Southern Tutchone, and plays bass. Backed by Love Soldiers, husband and collaborator, Robert van Lieshout (acoustic guitar, drums & percussion) and Juno Award winning producer, Bob Hamilton (electric guitar, pedal steel & mandolin); this multi instrumental trio from the Yukon has a sound that can fill a big stage or capture an intimate room. 

During the last decade Diyet has performed at major folk, jazz, world and multi-disciplinary festivals and theatres in Canada, toured in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and Greenland. She will have her first tour to Japan in spring 2025. TV appearances include APTN Indigenous Day 2019 Live, CTV Atlantic Morning, CBC New Years Eve 2020 National Broadcast and Against the Grain Theatre’s Messiah/Complex. Continuing to live with feet firmly planted in two worlds, Diyet’s adventurous and sometimes chaotic life is on full display in her music. She often says, “yesterday, fishing for our dinner on the ice, the next day, on the stage singing for you!” 

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Bria Rose N’ Thorns

Wednesday, August 21
5:00PM in ATB Park

On the wings of the north wind, Bria Rose N’ Thorns (BRNT) shake the room with soulful energy, each song telling a story from the eyes of a young Tahltan/Cree woman finding her hope and way in the world around her. Their folk rock sound is complete with rasp and a deep alto flavour that bridges heart and grit. BRNT is the sweet and salty ensemble that boasts positivity, playfulness, and power through a rural lens. Their debut EP, Sprout, was released May 31st 2024. 

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Elijah Bekk

Wednesday, August 21
10:15PM in ATB Park

Elijah Bekk is a singer, guitarist, pianist, bassist, drummer, songwriter, and more, living with a non- freezing cold injury, meaning negative temperatures can cause his arms to swell and limit his use of them. Though the icy climate of the Yukon can exacerbate this condition, Bekk still calls the territory home, originally hailing from the community of Faro, and now based in Whitehorse. Bekk’s Yukon roots run deep in his music, with the folk tendencies of the territory saddling up next to elements of soft rock and R&B. Bekk leads his own band, The Elijah Bekk Band, as well as his new folk act Tumbleweed. He’s hard at work on his debut album these days, and is looking forward to releasing his first material this year.

Brought to you by Music Yukon with support from Yukon Government, CKUA, Fringe Theatre, and Alberta Music. These artists are sponsored by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, offering two free checked bags and a warm cookie on every flight, with direct service between Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary and more.

Artist Spotlight: Caylie G

Thursday, August 22
9:00PM in ATB Park

Caylie G (she/they) is a queer-femme artist, singer, songwriter and producer from Treaty Six Territory in Alberta, Canada. With roots firmly planted in their country, rock and folk upbringings, she’s built a dreamy and nostalgic pop sound that breathes life into her vulnerable and hypnotising lyrics. Caylie navigates the valleys and swells of being twenty-two and in love, an old soul (as her grandma would say), a big feelings enthusiast and a resident expert in having their heart broken. Caylie’s revered lyricism resonates with people from all walks of life. This is done through speaking to the truth of feeling like a personified natural disaster and all of the beauty within the chaos. Resounding from  humility, empathy and tenderness, Caylie is sure to leave audiences feeling heard and held in a musical space that embraces all of the complexities that make us human.  

Having recently returned from a southern Alberta tour with waffelhouse; the band she leads, Caylie is nurturing her solo project as an indie-pop artist. Throughout their career, Caylie has worked with Grammy-nominated artist Jessie Reyez and also recorded with Juno-nominated producer Father Bobby Townsend. Caylie is studying in her final year at MacEwan University, completing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music, majoring in Recording and Production. As a recently retired barista and now full-time musician, Caylie is venturing into the vibrant and ever-growing Canadian music scene with her head on her shoulders, shoes on her feet and many stories to share. 

Artist Spotlight: AV and the Inner City

Thursday, August 22
10:00PM in ATB Park 

AV & the Inner City is an all-female soul/roots group which formed during the course of the COVID19 pandemic and opioid crisis pandemic in the inner city of Edmonton, Canada.  This summer they were awarded an Emerging Artist Award based on their performances at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, despite not having a single recording to their name. 

The group is made up of 6 singers: band leader and multi award-winning singer-songwriter AV (Ann Vriend), Debbie Houle; co-founder of the Juno-nominated international touring Indigenous a cappella group “Asani” and who regularly sings backup vocals for acts such as Juno Award winner Maria Dunn, Mercy Funk, and others;  former jazz radio host, jazz singer, musicologist, and professional pickle company owner Johanna Alleyne (company: Mojojojo Pickles and Preserves); Crystal Eyo, a communications business owner and lead singer and songwriter of Edmonton pop/RnB band “Mercy Funk”, ESL teacher Alenka Lundell, who fronted and wrote songs for bands in her home country of Czech Republic; and Jenn Dahlen, a plumbing and HVAC maintenance planner who is also a clarinetist, burgeoning songwriter, and who has sung backup vocals for Canadian singer/songwriter/producer Jennifer Berezan.

Artist Spotlight: Mallory Chipman

Friday, August 23
9:00PM in ATB Park

Mallory Chipman is an award-winning singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer from Treaty Six Territory in Canada. A true raconteuse, Chipman is revered for the way she artfully weaves story into song and expresses both power and vulnerability through her music. 

Genre knows know bounds within her catalogue, as she seamlessly traverses styles including folk, jazz, country, pop, rock, and experimental music. Alongside her current solo folk music project, Chipman plays with alt-country outfit, The Goddamsels. 

On May 5, 2023, Mallory released her latest album, a EP entitled As Though I Had Wings  on Tunnel Mountain Records, which Amplify Magazine described as “some of the finest folk-rock currently being made”. Her next release, a full length album entitled Songs to a Wild God is slated for release in September 2024. 

Mallory Chipman’s performance career is balanced by her work as a songwriter, arranger, producer, and music scholar. In 2023 she was named Edmonton’s inaugural Musician in Residence and celebrated as a member of Edify Magazine’s Class of 2023 Top 40 Under 40. 

Artist Spotlight: K-Riz and the Family

Friday, August 23
10:00pm in ATB Park

Although born in Toronto, Ontario K-Riz has lived in Edmonton, Alberta for a number of years. Shaped by the polarizing lifestyles found between Canada’s East and West, K-Riz has truly come into a sound of his own that is drenched in these varied experiences. 

On August 4, 2016 K-Riz released his official debut, Fresh Air – a project he thinks will help to revitalize the rap game. Inspired to usher in a new sound, Fresh Air is a 14-song hip-hop album that is progressive and futuristic with elements of 90s R&B.

Artist Spotlight: Cikwes

Saturday, August 24
9:00PM in ATB Park

Cikwes is a nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ soul singer, songwriter, and a multi-award nominee from Bigstone Cree Nation. She currently resides in Amiskwaciy Waskahikan, also known as Edmonton, Alberta. In 2023, her album, kâkîsimo ᑳᑮᓯᒧᐤ, a full length Cree language album, was nominated for the Juno Awards, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards, Edmonton’s Music prize and the Western Canadian Music Awards. Cikwes graduated from York University in 2022 with her Masters in Music.  

Her music explores her Cree language, nêhiyawêwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ and nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ musical methods that include chanting cahkasinahikanak ᒐᐦᑲᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᐣ also known as spirit markers or syllabics. Her intimate performances are accompanied with heartfelt stories and laughter. Using her breath and the Cree syllabics, she invokes a feeling of comfort similar to that of a wepisowin, a traditional baby swing. A matriarch for the revitalization of the Cree language and Nehiyaw musical methods, her nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ song writing is an emblem of hope and beauty for the continuation of nêhiyawêwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ.   

Artist Spotlight: Josh Sahunta

Saturday, August 24
10:00PM in ATB Park

Drawing upon his influences of John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, and Lewis Capaldi, Josh Sahunta‘s songwriting is packed with deeply rich narratives and cool, contemporary soundscapes. 

Josh has opened for the likes of Scott Helman and Joey Landreth, and he continues to perform across Canada, the US and Europe. Josh’s music has seen huge success in the world of film & tv. His song “Take All I Am” was used on season 2 of the Netflix Original show The Order, and his song “Summertime” was used on the first season of Netflix Original Tiny Pretty Things. Josh has also had several songs placed on the hugely popular Netflix Original Love is Blind. 

He was also involved in the writing and singing on a major release by Sony India that has already amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. 

Josh’s latest album To Be Loved Vol. I has been shared by the likes of Logan Paul, and has also most recently been nominated for a JUNO Award for “Adult Contemporary Album of the Year” 

“Josh Sahunta is one of those creative prodigies who excels at absolutely everything he touches.” – BK On The Scene