The Earl Brothers, based out of San Francisco, CA, perform original hillbilly mountain music. The band's "less is more" approach to songwriting, singing and musicianship will make you stop whatever you're doing and take notice. For those who remember the first time they heard the high-lonesome sound of Bill Monroe or the otherworldly harmonies of the Stanley Brothers, the same thrill of discovery is being created again by the Earl Brothers. Unlike other traditional bluegrass bands that seek to re-create the music of the original bluegrass masters, the Earl Brothers are blazing their own trail, extending the genre, while staying within the gritty tradition started in the 1940s and 50s.

Listeners are left with a mix of exhilaration and bewilderment upon their first exposure to this new-yet-old form of music. In the short time since the release of their third album, Moonshine (the eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2006's Troubles to Blame and 2004's Whiskey, Women & Death), The Earl Brothers have received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from music-lovers, festival promoters, radio DJs, and music journalists across the country and abroad. CD orders and radio requests have been tumbling in from such far-flung locales as Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and even New York City!

www.earlbrothers.com

The Done Gone Stringband are based out of Whitehorse Yukon. Playing vintage sounding originals as well as a selection of the finest of traditional old time, the Done Gone Stringband are two generations of the Hamilton family, Bob on mandolin, dobro and vocals, Sarah on fiddle and vocals, and Patrick on banjo. The band also features Anne Louise Genest on guitar and vocals and Max Heineman on bass and vocals. Compelling three and four part harmonies, haunting melodies and foot stompin' instrumentals drive this band like a moonshine powered rocket.

www.donegonestringband.com

The combination of ECMA award-winning Nova Scotian fiddler and pianist Troy MacGillivray with multiple national champion fiddler Shane Cook from Ontario brings all the fire and drive of fiddling together with the smooth sounds of Canadian old time piano. With Skip Holmes on guitar and Ray Legare on mandolin, the band brings a very full rounded sound to the stage, but still has the rawness of the occasional twin fiddle tune cutting straight to the bone. The group will have your toes tapping immediately with their high-energy fiddle and old time piano, heavy-weighted mandolin and deadly guitar. These fellas have taken the East Coast by storm and are sure to warm the prairies with their fantastic musicianship stemming from many years of professional touring and recording. The combined accolades of this foursome are like reading a listing of who's who in the Canadian Old Time music scene.

www.troymacgillivray.com
www.shanecook.com

The O'Briens hail from Colorado and have been a family band for four years. Dan O'Brien (Dad) plays guitar, mandolin, writes songs and sings. Janette O'Brien (Mom) plays bass, sings and is the booking agent. Kyle O'Brien, 19 (Brother) plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar and sings. Kyle is the good looks of the family. Maura O'Brien, 16 (Sister) plays fiddle, banjo, yodels and sings. Maura is the brains and the talent of the family. (Father) Dan has been playing his whole life and was most influential while (brother) Kyle was growing up. Kyle started singing with his dad and playing the ukulele at age four. (He was incredibly cute.) Kyle asked for a fiddle when he was seven. (Mother) Janette took lessons with Kyle so they could help each other. One day Kyle and Janette had a lesson planned when Kyle got sick. Janette was trying to figure out what to do with the lesson when (Sister) Maura, who was five at the time, piped up. "I wanna go!" So Maura took Kyle's fiddle and went to the lesson. Well, that was when Maura got hooked and started to play. Soon she got her own fiddle and started taking regular lessons. Three fiddles and a guitar isn't the ideal band configuration so Janette took up the bass and soon after Kyle started playing the mandolin. The O'Brien's started out playing local coffee shops and other open mike opportunities. Four years later, they have played up to 150 shows a year from coast to coast.

www.myspace.com/obrienfamilyband
www.obrienfamilyband.com

Oh My Darling is a Winnipeg based band emerging as a powerhouse of superb female musicianship. Utilizing their keen sense of stylistic versatility, these young women have a vastly eclectic repertoire. Drawing inspiration from traditional music, their original songs are energetic and moving. They infuse their unique brand of country music with the old time sounds of appalachia, a Southern twang and some funk inspired bass lines that'll get your hips swinging while your toes are tapping. In early 2009 they released their debut, a self-titled EP. Highlighting the beautiful original songs of Vanessa Kuzina (guitar, vocals), the instrumental prowess and unique instrumental compositions of Allison de Groot (banjo, vocals) and Rosalyn Dennett (fiddle, vocals) and the undeniably infectious grooves laid down by Marie-Josee Dandeneau (upright bass), this promising debut gained them attention across Canada, including a nomination for Best Roots Album at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Oh My Darling has recently been in the studio recording their first full length album with renowned producer Lloyd Peterson (Wailin' Jennys, James Keelaghan). Their new repertoire pays tribute to traditional sounds, while creating new and exciting instrumental compositions, and showcases captivating new songs that weave a rich tapestry of original repertoire. Heard regularly on CBC and topping university radio charts, the gals are revving up for their third Western Canadian tour in 2010.

www.ohmydarling.ca

The Willie Sons are Reed Willison, Brendan Varcoe, Alf Epp, and Tyler Bergen. All members hail from the Saskatoon area, each bringing a wide variety of professional experience. Willison (guitar/lead vocals), a singer/songwriter who contributes the bulk of material to the group, together with Varcoe (upright bass/5 string banjo), a veteran musician of the 80's rock era, balance their styles with the more contemporary leanings of Bergen (guitar/vocals) and the well established folk and bluegrass playing of Epp (mandolin/vocals). The result is a category-stretching blend of country, bluegrass, and gospel intended to entertain, embrace, and uplift.

The Willie Sons' live performances are dynamic, energetic, and highly entertaining, as brotherly relationships on stage create a warm, inviting atmosphere for audience members. In addition to the songs by Willison and other members, The Willie Sons perform several covers, plus new arrangements of familiar gospel and bluegrass songs. Families and jobs have kept the group to a small touring schedule - mostly throughout southern and central Saskatchewan - but with the release of their debut CD, the Willie Sons are eager to see what the future holds.

Gateway Express is a five piece traditional bluegrass band based in the Winnipeg area and delivers a bouncy blend of folky Flatt & Scruggs style music that generates enthusiastic applause from fans of old tyme, 40s-era country, folk and bluegrass. The band started out as a pick-up band for a fund raising concert in support of music scholarships in western Manitoba. Everyone had so much fun and the audience clapped so hard the band hasn't stopped picking for almost 3 years! Since then the band has played numerous concerts, town festivals and special events all over Manitoba. They were featured on "Made in Manitoba" a popular radio program heard throughout southern Manitoba and are putting the finishing touches on their first recording project. Gateway Express features Joe Cotie on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Josephine Lloyd on lead vocals and mandolin (she's also the band's chief resident songwriter), Wayne Cathers on vocals, lead guitar and fiddle, Sandra Taylor on Bass and Kelly Dueck on banjo.

www.gatewayexpress.ca

Billie Zizi and the Nomad is an Alberta father-daughter duo featuring Cam Neufeld on the violin and Jordan Billie Zizi on the guitar and vocals. Their music is a combination of 40's Gypsy jazz and original jive. Although they are based in Edmonton Alberta they have travelled far and wide to continue their musical journey. Their wanderings have taken them from the desert of Rajasthan, north India, to the heart of gypsy jazz in Paris. They have just returned from Django Gypsy Jazz festival just outside of Paris and hope that you will enjoy their music.

www.myspace.com/billiezizi

Ryan Boldt is based out of Mortlach, SK. Has toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States with his band The Deep Dark Woods. The band has been together for five years and have released two full length albums on the Black Hen music label out of Vancouver, BC. His main influences are The Stanley Brothers, Shirley Collins, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits.

www.myspace.com/ryanboldt

Bonnie Logan is a Saskatchewan storyteller, singer/songwriter & old time banjo player. Her love of traditional music and stories has grown from kitchen party jams and tell-arounds into a full time career. Bonnie started frailing in 1976 on a Saga banjo that she put together from a kit. The next year she joined up with a loose group of like-minded souls, and The Friends of Old Time Music was born. By 1979 Bonnie was performing in schools and community halls with Communicart, a Saskatchewan Arts Exchange Program. She began storytelling in 1985 while touring with the Saskatchewan Heritage Traveling Show and she's been telling tales ever since in schools, libraries, festivals and special events. Bonnie works professionally as a full time storyteller and workshop educator. She tells folktales, cantefables, literary and original stories. Bonnie particularly enjoys telling humorous stories (she likes to laugh), adventuresome tales (she likes to travel) and gross stories (she has a strong stomach). She lives in Saskatoon with her husband, sons, dog, cats and fish.

Born, raised and still residing in Park Valley, SK, Irvin is well know for his easy, relaxed way of delivering great old gospel, bluegrass and cowboy songs. One of the original members of the Baler Strings, Irvin receives requests for some of his work with the group to this day. Irvin will be leading the Sunday Morning Bluegrass Gospel portion of the festival. One listen to this unforgettable golden voice and you will be an instant fan.