Music Starts AT 2PM
JESSE WALDMAN
A remnant, like the abandoned guitar discovered in his parent’s basement that drove his rock ‘n roll dreams out of the suburban sprawl of Thornhill, Ontario, and into the bars of downtown Toronto. A journey cross-country led him to mountains, ocean, and into the arms of Vancouver’s Commercial Drive music scene. Now his home of over twenty years, the West Coast continues to inspire his lush imagery, sublime melodies, and outstanding technique.
Influenced by folk and blues pioneers Townes Van Zandt, JJ Cale, and Neil Young, Jesse has toured Canada, Western US, and the UK, performing everywhere from local pubs to soft-seat theaters, appearing at major festivals including Vancouver’s Folk and International Jazz Fests, Burnaby Blues and Roots Fest and Mission Folk Fest.
Nice Verde
Nice Verdes music is a sunny and uplifting mixture of originals and traditional folk music from Cuba, Colombia and beyond. They play combinations of Cuban tres, accordions, guitar, harmonica and vocals. Inspired musically by their travels around the world, they defy genres to create their own indie world folk.
Over the years the duo have been on the road in Australia and Canada. In Australia festival highlights include Cygnet, Wallaby Creek, Nannup and Illawarra, and in Canada, Kispiox , Arts Wells, Robson Valley and, Edge of the World. They were also invited in 2017 to perform in Valledupar, Colombia at the UNESCO declared festival ‘Encuentro Vallenato Femenino’, have completed tours of Europe and New Zealand and played cafes and bars on the streets of Latin America. Nice Verdes are always drawn to collaborations and festivals that celebrate a strong sense of community and equality in diversity.
SENYUE
Senyuè is a queer Chinese Canadian performer, producer, facilitator and expressive arts therapist with a major in Pacific and Asian studies with a focus on China. They have lived in both China and Canada and currently reside on the unceded traditional territories of the K’omoks Nation, colonially known as Cumberland, BC. They make music from the heart. That doesn’t shy away from speaking hard truths, no matter what they may be, with the hope of bringing listeners on a journey that feels immersive, tangible, and dreamy. Senyue creates space not only for their truths and those of their ancestors but for other Chinese Canadians, other members of the queer community, and other folks from marginalized communities – with the hope of inspiring others to find their voices and tell their stories.
The Blackwood Two
On the banjo, fiddle, and acoustic guitar, The Blackwood Two play an engaging blend of original folk songs and traditional numbers delivered with old-time charm.
Thoughtful songwriting – heavily guided by a mutual fascination of traditional music – drives the duo’s unique, yet familiar feeling sound. Warm tones and sunny melodies whisper cosmic hints from a bygone era. They’ve taken their signature style of folk music from coast to coast multiple times, including stops at festivals such as ArtsWells (Wells, BC), Winterfolk (Toronto, ON), Vancouver Island Music Festival (Courtenay, BC), the Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Music (Cambridge, ON), and more.
Veda Hille
Veda Hille is a Vancouver musician, composer, theatre maker, and performer. She writes songs, makes records, co-writes musicals, collaborates in devised theatre.
Veda performs in a wide of array of places, alone or with bands, ensembles, symphonies, and casts.
Over her career she’s recorded and toured as an indie art-rock artist, releasing six more critically revered albums and travelling in North America, Europe, and the UK.
Veda’s work circles around many recurring interests: above all she writes about the natural world, amazement and the unknown, and the intricacies of human relationships. She strives for an ecstatic connection through weird detail, the universe visible through a microscope. All fancy language aside though, Veda Hille chases down the songs that are in her head and does her best to deliver them to the world, beautifully.
West My Friend
Cascadian third-wave indie prog chamber folk-roots music. In the modern musical landscape, it’s rare to hear something as put-together as three-piece Cascadian folk outfit West My Friend – something so layered, deeply symphonic, baroque, and mysterious in its own winking way while still courting an edge of disaster. Simple is safe, but complex is fiery, intricate, and ultimately more rewarding. Steeped in the visual styles of western Canada, West My Friend are veterans of the Victoria music scene and recently released their Independent Music Awards-nominated fourth album “In Constellation”, (produced by Joby Baker, co-produced and arranged by Adrian Dolan) features longtime members Eden Oliver, Alex Rempel, and Jeff Poynter.
With over 700 performances and countless tours under their belt, West My Friend is bringing forth a new sound you’ve never known you’ve wanted and new meaning to the things you’ve never known you needed.