Big Dave McLean
 

My Space Page - http://www.myspace.com/bigdavemclean

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQ68UjIuFU
 

A masterful guitarist and top notch harpist, McLean’s raw and gravelly vocals bespeak of a life lived to the fullest, and a career spent performing in and around those countless small towns that dot the Canadian prairies.   He started out on harmonica in the early '60s and had his first guitar lesson from John Hammond at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1969.When it comes to the blues, however, McLean’s heart firmly beats to the ghosts of the delta greats--especially the incomparable Muddy Waters, with whom he toured over two decades ago.
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/bonniecouchie

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXQAwr7Hpk

Everybody knows oldest children should stay on the straight and narrow and set a good example for the rest of their siblings. This is what Bonnie Couchie thought! Though music was her great Love, Bonnie denied its' burning force until the age of 30 when she first dared to profess it out loud. Over the next seven years she built a refuge where Music would find her and feed her and where she would feed music in return. Now, at 37, she has completed her debut CD called "Feather for an Elephant". Having tripped out of her musical closet, and found herself in the middle of a full on party wearing nothing but her birthday suit, she knows there's no turning back.

Brock Zeman
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/brock_zeman

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2EDBEKoVg

Over the past five years Brock Zeman has elbowed his way into the independent music world. The 28 year old singer-songwriter of Carleton Place, Ontario has already released 7 albums and toured Canada and the US extensively averaging 250 dates a year. His signature roots style has been praised by critics for the maturity of his vocals, the depth of his storytelling and his impressive live performances. He was first discovered by Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster) who went on to produce his first 4 releases. By the time of his 5th released Brock was picked up by Busted Flat records out of Kitchener Ontario, and in the past five years Brock has become known as one of the most prolific, hard working artists to fly under the radar.
 

Cindy Doire
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/cindydoiremusic

Videos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qhTkG8yIE

Chanteuse Cindy Doire has been honing her craft as a songstress and performer since the release of her debut album La Vie en Bleu: an interpretation of inspiring French jazz/folk music. She takes her listeners on a migration that travels from North-America to Parisian cafés and cabarets. Cindy’s live performance reveals charm and vulnerability combined with boldness and intensity. Her performance is alluring and precise, demanding everyone’s notice, while her vocal diversity ranges from seductively sweet to a soulful sultry blues style that resonates her northern roots to the Deep South.
 

Craig Cardiff
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/craigcardiff

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-P9qO1Wb8

Craig Cardiff - singer songwriter, troubadour, builds landscapes of sound using live digital loops - brings the room to a hush. edged, folk, beautiful, melancholy and left leaning, one song breaks your heart and the next one puts it back together. Armed with sardonic sincerity and polished awkwardness, Cardiff’s performances are a mix of story and song, and occasional brawls. “I think that the best shows are the ones where the lights are low, the music weaves in and out and the people forget where the audience begins and the performer ends,” says Cardiff.
 

Claire Jenkins
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/clairejenkins

Claire indulges her sense of the theatrical in her live performances, incorporating props and costumes which lend an air of enchantment and whimsy to her musical storytelling.  If you don't start smiling and swaying along when this engaging performer takes the stage, well, you probably hate parties, sunshine, and life in general.  Bilingual by nurture, entertaining by nature this charming graduate from George Brown Theatre School is flying without a net...and loving it!
 

Eve Goldberg
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/evegoldberg

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPZQdjJVxuE

Eve sings music that draws honey from the rock of life. A compelling writer and interpreter, Eve's watercolour voice and solid guitar style have made her a favourite with audiences across Canada and the US. Her performances are intimate and relaxed, moving effortlessly from folk classics to original gems. Since 1990, she has performed her trademark mixture of folk, blues, country, bluegrass, old time, and jazz in venues across North America. Along the way she's earned the respect of legendary musicians like Peggy Seeger, Geoff Muldaur, and Penny Lang, and has released three recordings.

 

Gypsy Jive

The Gypsy Jive Band is a Klezmer Band based in the Owen Sound area. The music is that infectious, raucous wedding music of Eastern European wandering Gypsy and Jewish musicians with a twist of western styles. They have performed this " Country and Eastern and the kitchen sink" music at Ontario Place, The CNE, radio, TV and many weddings. Don't be surprised to hear such classics as "Sweet Georgia Brownstein" or "Romania the Brave" or " Love Potion No. NEIN" or "An Irish Shmedley". Stirring the melting pot are Joachim Ostertag (flute), Colleen Purdon ( keyboard,vocals), Gary Weinger (violin,vocals) and Sebastian Ostertag (cello).



 

Heather Bishop
 

Website – www.heatherbishop.com

Heather Bishop has dedicated her life to making a difference in the world. Believing that music is one of the most effective tools for change she has dedicated her career to addressing the challenging issues facing our society. She has been a champion of women's rights and gay rights, sacrificing gain in her own career to stand behind her truth and her beliefs. Heather lives happily on the land in southern Manitoba, feeding her family and friends from her organic garden and waiting on her two dogs and four cats.
 

Ian Tamblyn

Website:  http://www.tamblyn.com
 

A fine guitarist with an expressive, melodious voice, the central Canadian singersongwriter'sgreatest gifts are his poetic, evocative songs. A wide-ranging traveller with a painter's eye for essential detail, Tamblyn brings stories of the scope and soul of Canada to life, conjuring-up rushing rivers and echoing canyons, a fevered bus ride through a verdant landscape, and the ghostly, last

call of our nation-spanning national dream; armed only with his six string magic wand. Ian explores the interior landscape as well, with songs about interpersonal relationships and the mysteries of the heart. Through his 30 albums of original music in a variety of styles, his work has become known and respected around the world.
 

John Booth and the Southside Band
 

Website - http://www.reverbnation.com/thesouthsideband
 

John Booth is a 30 year veteran of the blues scene in Ontario.  His roots stretch back to the Toronto club scene in the mid seventies.     He discovered a passion for the blues while listening to the raw sounds of the Rolling Stones and Animals.  He began fronting bands in his early twenties and a short time later he was touring eastern Canada.   John moved to Thunder  Bay in the late eighties and formed his first local band, Rocket 88, which played the usual blues hot spots.   The Southside Band is John’s latest endeavour.  One part Louisiana growl, one part Memphis swagger and one part Chicago blues, and never a dull moment.

Jory Nash
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/jorynash

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c471XJOhrU8

Jory Nash is a Toronto-based, independent singer-songwriter. His music blends elements of folk, jazz, pop, country, soul & blues. Jory has crisscrossed North America several times, playing folk festivals, folk clubs, concert series and house concerts. Unusual things tend to happen to Jory on the road, and when not legally bound to silence, he will incorporate these events into his onstage storytelling. Jory has a lot of stories. There is little or no influence of salsa, didgeridoo or dub reggae in his music.
 

Kim Churchill

Website:  www.kimchurchill.com/

Guitarist and songwriter Kim Churchill is a truly gifted soul. At just 19 years of age, his implausible talent and unique approach to his music is awe inspiring. Kim’s style is explosive, with intricate fingerpicking, percussive beats on the body of the guitar, and two-handed tapping intertwined with an earthy stomp box, powerful blues harmonica melodies and soulful voice. His songwriting reflects his coastal lifestyle – growing up on the NSW South Coast with the surf at his front door, and now his nomadic life on the road. Kim’s music speaks beyond his years. He is living and breathing the vision he has had from childhood – performing his music to the masses – and right now he has the world at his feet.

Lead Pipe Cinch
 

A harmonious and energetic blend of blues, folk, celtic, country and everything in between, Lead Pipe Cinch has a repertoire of original material, influenced by the likes of Emmy Lou, Earle, Hiatt & Hank. Ken Allen draws his inspiration from Celtic, Blues, Mountain, traditional country music, and rock leaning heavily on a groove oriented style with a love for the driving beat. Jennifer Ives is a self-proclaimed ” heartbreaker, mover and a shaker”, a shy, retiring kind a girl, who broke her baby teeth listening to the Vienna Boys’ Choir and Dixieland jazz, cut her first molars on Elvis, and her wisdom teeth listening to the Who, Hendrix and Joni Mitchell.  www.liveatjives.com

Lennie Gallant
 

My Space – http://www.myspace.com/lenniegallant
 

Recognized as one of Canada’s best performing songwriters, Lennie Gallant is a native of Prince Edward Island now living in Nova Scotia. This prolific songwriter has recorded nine albums (seven in English and two in French), which have won him a host of awards and nominations from both the JUNO Awards and East Coast Music Awards. Recognized by his peers as one of Canada’s best performing songwriters,  Gallant’s intense delivery reaches down to the very soul of his audience, moving effortlessly through stirring narratives, comic observations, and hard driving rhythms.
 

Manitoba Hal

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/manitobahal

Manitoba Hal Brolund is a multi-instrumentalist and the consummate blues ukulele man. A powerful vocalist, with a voice as smooth and sweet as tupelo honey, he can growl like a hurricane on a hot Louisiana night. Charismatic and engaging on stage , old gospel songs are played alongside stories of lost love and murder. Hal has a songwriter's roots in eerie folk - murder ballads and killer floods - and a player’s roots in the deep, dark, fixin'- to- die blues. This is a man who can sing the word "lonesome" like he means it, and no mistake
 

My Sweet Patootie
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/mysweetpatootie

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Sp2vzrk3g

My Sweet Patootie is an old-fashioned shotgun wedding of cool uptown swing and rural Ontario grit. Terry Young  and Sandra Swannell met as soloists touring and recording with veteran roots-group Tanglefoot. They soon discovered a mutual love of big bands and swinging country blues. When Tanglefoot made the decision to trade in a life of touring for shuffleboard and wearing pants up to their armpits, Terry and Sandra changed into their zoot suits and party dresses to re-emerge with a stage show packed with energy, charm, wit and humour.
 

My Space - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Sp2vzrk3g

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z1OiOW1SKA
 

Rita Chiarelli …is an accomplished singer-songwriter, a gifted vocalist and a skilled musician. Add to that a warm persona and a fine sense of humour and you have all the ingredients for an outstanding performer. Dubbed the ‘goddess of Canadian blues’ by CBC's Shelagh Rogers, Chiarelli is equally comfortable belting out the blues, delivering her original material, crooning an Italian folk song or wailing R&B or Presley cover tune. Rita brings her newest, all original recording Sweet Paradise to the Rock.  www.ritachiarelli.com
 

Slap Johnson and the Trowellers

In 2010, Slap Johnson & the Trowellers will celebrate their twentieth fourth anniversary as a musical institution in Thunder Bay. Their fun, energetic and engaging shows have always been a sure fire way to raise spirits, put big smiles on faces and fill dance floors beyond their legal capacity. Irrepressible vocalist Lee Johnson is joined by Michael Abraham, Tom Sinkins, Wayne Breiland, Hugh Hamilton and David Smythe! Don’t miss this bountiful bonanza of local talent!

 

Steve Schellenberg
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/steveschellenberg
 

Born in Minnesota, raised in Winnipeg, Steve’s musical roots are deep. From his father’s cowboy songs to his uncle Solli’s hootenannies at Lake Winnipeg, Steve’s childhood was steeped in folk tradition. Years of volunteer work in soup kitchens and shelters across Western Canada are reflected in Steve’s writing, not through mere observation, but from the heart of a man who believes one person can make a difference. In a world shrouded in fear and indifference, Steve’s music and quick wit provide a common ground, and each song he creates contains the subtle strokes of a master, whether it’s a robust travelling song or a tale of lost love.  www.steveschellenberg.com
 

The Auditor General

The Auditor General is an intoxicating combination of four professional drinkers from the cold North Shore of Lake Superior who occasionally play a tasteful blend of folk and rock music. When they find the time , the group explores complex lyrical themes through memorable, simple hooks that tap the toes and warm the hearts that beat beside them. If you thought a Finnish guitar prodigy shredding along with sweet harmonies and upbeat rhythms didn’t belong on the indie scene, The Auditor General is out to prove you wrong.  The Auditor General is on the road this  summer to get you dancing out of the way so they can drink your beer.
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/theauditorgeneral
 

The Wooden Sky
 

My Space - http://www.myspace.com/thewoodensky

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Fp-Oob0l0
 

Trying to nail down the disparate genres explored by the Wooden Sky isn't an easy task. When pressed, the band tosses out tags like "folk rock," but the words don't hint at the nuances in their sound. Since 2003, the Toronto collective has been pushing the limits of folk and country, adding pieces of outside influence and slowly developing their own unique sonic aesthetic. The Wooden Sky sweeps through rock and roll subgenres with the deftness of the Allman Brothers, the songwriting focus of Wilco, and the experimental sonic cacophony of the Flaming Lips.   www.myspace.com/thewoodensky

Valdy
 

Website - http://www.valdy.com/
 

Born Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa, Valdy has been part of the fabric of Canadian pop and folk music for over 34 years. A man with a thousand friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand, he's a singer, guitarist and songwriter who catches the small but telling moments that make up life. He is a consummate  performer  with a lifetime of speaking the truth and gently encouraging others to think. In his own  words, “ There is so much music to be made, and it's such a healing tool; we need more music on the planet, play on Sisters and Brothers."  Today, he is based on Salt Spring Island, where he lives with his wife Kathleen, two dogs and two large cats. All three children are now grown, flown and doing famously living in or near Vancouver.  Visit Valdy at "http://www.valdy.com".