Music – Supercrawl

BADBADNOTGOOD

Toronto’s BADBADNOTGOOD (aka BBNG) is a trio that made their name by crossing genres, creating expansive music that straddles the line between ’70s soul-jazz, alternative hip-hop, and experimental electronica. Formed in 2010, the band has moving between three and four members before establishing its current line up in 2015. The band, aka Alexander Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (guitar and woodwinds), met in the Humber College jazz program in Toronto. At the time, instead of working with traditional jazz standards, the group sidestepped and drew from hip hop and other contemporary genres to create a unique sound. The trio initially gained attention in the early 2010s playing jazz covers of hip-hop tracks, a sound they developed on their first two records, 2011’s BBNG and 2012’s BBNG2, covering songs by A Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West as well as My Bloody Valentine and Feist. Since then, they have balanced working on their own original songs as on 2016’s IV, and collaborating on projects with hip-hop, dance, and neo-soul artists like Ghostface Killah, Kaytranada, Little Dragon, and Kendrick Lamar. One of the central driving forces behind their 2021 album Talk Memory was to capture some of the focus, energy and improvisation at the heart of their live shows. The album is a kind of aural odyssey, with all the sense of psychedelic narrative that entails. It is about drawing on the energy of collaboration as it happens.

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Sarah Beatty

Eclectic and captivating, songwriter and scientist Sarah Beatty might be best described as a clandestine drink of conversation between Joni Mitchell, Julie Andrews and Albert Einstein. With a voice as sharp as a silver-spur and dangerous as a diamond-backed sidewinder (Raw Ramp), she’s a curious observer and constant inquirer of life’s offerings. Bandit Queen, her latest release, chronicles women at the leading edge of social norms, graces, and allowances. It peaked at #1 on Canada’s Roots charts, became a staple in Top 30 charts across the country, appeared in the Earshot Top 20, and planted her songs and insights square in the ears and hearts of bloggers and industry insiders. Far beyond the mainstream, it landed on international playlists all the way from Nashville to The Netherlands and as a live performer, she’s known for enchanting audiences with warmth, wit, and messages that make people think.

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Born In The Eighties

Hamilton’s favourite party band, Born In The Eighties plays the best in ’80s through ’00s.

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Boy Golden

Boy Golden has a purpose: enjoy each day and make good music. Founder and minister of The Church of Better Daze, he wants to help people seeking to improve on yesterday’s themes. His songs, like hymns, are hopeful, fresh and upbeat. “KD & Lunch Meat” is fluorescent and fun, like its namesake, and easily ingested. Something to Work Towards searches for the meaning in life, while Smoke on the Breeze and Any Way It Works are warm, tender and linger like perfume. Church of Better Daze is the inspirational, musical manifesto. The harmonies are the collective idea of working together, the mellow melodies keep our hopes alive and the lyrics are golden rules to live by: “Follow your heart / Make good art / Call your momma / Work real hard.” Redefining jam band and stoner cultures by turning dead heads into lively brains, Boy Golden wants to unite us all in a hazy dream under one roof. “We’re all the same at the Church of Better Daze,” he sings. Find unity in the congregation of these 11 tracks, which redefine the precedent for collaboration, common goals and cannabis. If you’re open to learn, and can speak your truth, you can blaze and still get paid in Boy Golden’s Church of Better Daze.

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Broken Social Scene

It’s hard to know what to make of an ongoing experiment like Broken Social Scene. Is it a band? Not quite. Bands tend to have defined memberships and aesthetics and goals; Broken Social Scene have never been bothered with such limitations. Is it a cult? Nah—some of them have the beards, but they could never agree on the right robes. Is it a collective? Certainly, it can seem that way when you see some 15 people crowding the stage, but BSS aren’t so much a united front as a perpetually mutating aggregate of competing creative energies. Once a two-person basement recording project, Broken Social Scene came to life onstage as a shadowy improvisational entity with a revolving-door roster, each concert a wholly unique experience dependent on the room, the weather, what they ate for dinner that night, and who was dropping in to play. Where the band’s 2001 debut album, Feel Good Lost, presented BSS as an anonymous ambient project that reflected its humble, homespun origins, their electrifying live performances from that era rallied an extended family of performers with roots in post-rock (Justin Peroff, Do Make Say Think’s Charles Spearin), Latin jazz (Andrew Whiteman), art-folk (Feist), synth-pop (Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, also of Stars), dance-punk (Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw), and country rock (Jason Collett). But by pursuing improvisational freedom over commercial considerations, Broken Social Scene set a new gold standard for indie rock in the 21st century with 2002’s You Forgot It In People, an album that pushed the genre far beyond its noisy ’90s slacker roots toward a more sonically expansive, emotionally expressive vision. And with follow-up releases like the blissfully chaotic Broken Social Scene (2005), the rapturous Forgiveness Rock Record (2010), and the intricate, insidiously melodic Hug of Thunder (2017), Broken Social Scene have amassed a thrillingly amorphous, unpredictable body of work. Throughout their two-decade run, Broken Social Scene have achieved all the markers of modern indie success—rave reviews from Pitchfork, invites to play Coachella and Lollapalooza, multiple JUNO Awards and Letterman appearances, and name-drops in Lorde songs. But arguably Broken Social Scene’s greatest accomplishment is their mere existence, as a conglomerate that continues to defy all logistical convention and musical expectations. They’re living proof that underdogs are most effective when travelling in a pack, that mass audiences can be led into uncharted waters through collective enthusiasm, and that the better world we all dream of begins with community. In both sound and personnel, Broken Social Scene has changed a lot since their 2001 inception. But one thing has remained constant—at the end of every show, Kevin Drew bids the crowd adieu by telling everyone to “enjoy your lives.” More than just a simple farewell, those words are a call to action—to put down your goddamn phone, get outside, and be part of a social scene of your own.

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Rita Chiarelli & Sweet Loretta

Rita Chiarelli, Canada’s most highly acclaimed female roots and blues artist, has just released the soundtrack for her award-winning documentary, Music From The Big House, her ninth recording. With a JUNO award and four subsequent JUNO nominations, she is known across Canada as the “Goddess of the Blues”. Chiarelli is a gifted songwriter and an entertaining performer, but it is her soaring three-octave voice that sets her apart from her peers, inspires awe and often tears in her audiences, and causes critics to gush. ” a voice so blue it could make the angels weep”… “a voice that can growl at her demons or soar with the angels, a gift for lyric, an ear for melody and the heart to combine them”.

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The East Pointers

Leading-edge East Coast pop/folk trio The East Pointers have always been furiously energetic, musically complex and technically brilliant and now a family grounding as the seventh generations of traditional Prince Edward Island and Ontario-based Celtic players and writers has effortlessly parlayed into the folk/pop arena. Fiddle tunes are grounded in irresistible EDM-style bass lines, a dirty Americana exploration that turns on a dime into a light-hearted guitar feature, playful keyboard tones that turn traditional solos into urgent dance-party journeys, and perfect pop songs weighted by undeniable musical chops. All live, all the time, and already internationally acknowledged as musical trailblazers, their latest album Yours To Break captures the furious energy of their live shows and push the boundaries of East Coast folk while lighting a path for a new generation of music lovers. The multi-award-winning East Pointers are back on the road with new music from their upcoming EP, as well as a back catalogue of the off-the-hook tunes and anthemic songs that have made them festival favourites from Australia to Japan to North America.

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The Flatliners

The Flatliners’ career is a testament to perseverance and dedication. With a lineup that has never strayed from the original members who met as teenagers, the band has since logged countless miles on the road and amassed a dedicated legion of fans along the way. Now approaching 20 years of hammering out bombastic tunes everywhere from dive bars to festival stages to European concert halls, The Flatliners hold fast to the DIY punk-rock ethos that has been at the group’s core since the beginning. The band came out swinging with youthful exuberance on their debut record, Destroy To Create, in 2005, and they’ve honed their anthemic style with each subsequent release: The Great Awake in 2007, Cavalcade in 2010, Dead Language in 2013 and Division of Spoils in 2015. But frenetic touring schedules and prolific recording output takes its toll, and The Flatliners decided to spend the majority of 2015 off the road to recharge and reconnect with friends and family. Striking a balance between home and road life is a difficult task, but frontman and guitarist Chris Cresswell concedes that it’s necessary. “That’s what we’ve been in search of for probably the last seven years. We noticed it in ourselves, and that’s what we’re really striving for now,” he says. “We have a lot of people in our lives that are super supportive of what we do, and we’re supportive of each other.”

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Goodnight Sunrise

Goodnight Sunrise is a Toronto-based alternative rock band. Founded in 2011 by Vanessa Vakharia (keytar, vocals) and David Kochberg (guitar, vocals) through a shared love of pop hooks and the raw power of classic rock, they’ve taken their live show to over 300 audiences across Canada, US, and Europe, opening up for Bon Jovi, Big Wreck, and The Sheepdogs along the way.

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Hamilton Children’s Choir

Over its 48 year history, the Hamilton Children’s Choir has seen more than 1,700 children and youth participate in the choir, performing and traveling around the world. Going far beyond technical excellence, the choir consistently dazzles audiences with its focused sound, brilliant repertoire, and captivating stage presence. A pivotal moment for HCC was in 2003 when Zimfira Poloz became Artistic Director. Her passion and skill transformed the artistic and educational approach of the choir. Under Zimfira’s direction, the choir ventured on more than 10 international tours and participated in five international competitions where they earned the Grand Prize Award. In 2022, Zimfira’s leadership came to a close, and Melanie Tellez, who had served as Assistant Artistic Director since 2015, was appointed Artistic Director. HCC is proud to be one of the most sought-after choirs invited to perform locally, nationally and internationally. It is rare for a community-based children’s choral program to achieve such a reputation without the traditional audition-only model. HCC has evolved into six progressive choral ensembles and has adopted a more inclusive approach which increased enrolment from 80 to 200 singers. Driven by a team of passionate artistic leaders, Hamilton Children’s Choir is dedicated to exploring fresh approaches to choral music that reduce barriers, strengthen the choral art form and demonstrate that artists come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

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Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) was founded in 1884 as The Hamilton Orchestral Society and grew to become one of Canada’s major professional orchestras. Today, the HPO is a leader in Hamilton’s robust arts community where it provides professional orchestral services and music education programs to address the needs of the community. The HPO continues to commission and premiere works and is one of the artistic jewels of the Hamilton/Burlington area, enriching and serving the cultural life of the region. In addition to its mainstage concert series at Hamilton Place, new programming such as the annual What Next Festival of New Music and Indie Series bring the live orchestral experience to a broader range of people. The HPO is led by conductor and Music Director Gemma New. As a key contributor to the development of a vibrant downtown, and a resource for the city in attracting and retaining the creative class, the HPO is an important part of this community. The HPO has been a recurring favourite at Supercrawl, staging collaborations with Basia Bulat (2011), Hachey the MouthPEACE (2013), Thought Beneath Film (2014), Illitry (2015), Black Collar Union (2017), The Altobeelays (2018) and Twin Within (2019). For the 2023 edition of Supercrawl, the HPO will join forces with hip-hop artist LTtheMonk.

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Hamilton Superstars

Curated by JUNO and Maple Blues Award winner Steve Strongman, Hamilton Superstars harness and showcase the incredible richness of their namesake city’s musical talent. At Supercrawl 2023, the revue’s lineup will include Harrison Kennedy, Laura Cole, Brian Melo, and Joel Parisien, backed by Steve Strongman (guitar, vox, MD) Colin Lapsley (bass) and Dave King (drums). Not to be missed!

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The Hi-Cats

Hamilton’s The Hi-Cats have been a staple of the area’s hip-hop scene for over a decade, consistently producing honest, relatable, and emotional tracks. Throughout their career, the group has opened for live acts such as Royce da 5’9, D12, MGK, members of WuTang, Sean Price, Swollen Members and MadChild, MarvWon, Kid Vishis, Classified, Peter Jackson, DJ QBert, DBlock, and more.

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Jambassadors

The product of a new program offered by An Instrument for Every Child (AIFEC) and the Hamilton Music Collective, AIFEC’s Jambassadors is a unique, performance-based program in which children will experience the “ins and outs” of being in a band, with instruction from professional musicians. This program covers the entire musical journey — from auditions, through rehearsing cover songs and even writing your own original material… all building-up to an onstage live performance in a professional concert setting. The program is currently looking for rock and funk musicians and vocalists, approximately 12-15 years old, with enough proficiency on their instrument to learn to play a few classic cover tunes, and help write at least one original song.

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Lacey Hill

A soulful musician, singer, and songwriter, Lacey Hill composes her music in Southern Ontario on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. She grew up “down the bush” (slang for ‘on the reserve’) where her passion for singing emerged when she was just a toddler. Through the years Lacey paid her dues singing backup for local Six Nations bands like The Breeze performing cover songs, and has establishing herself as one of only a few female musical talents to roll out album after original album from her community. There is no denying the amount of heart Lacey bleeds into each album; 528 Vol I in 2013, “M” released in 2017 available on iTunes, and 528 Vol II The Moon as her newest independent release October 2022. In between each album, Lacey makes a point of hitting the road with her music and continues to expand her fan base not only locally but internationally with shows in Australia, Edinburgh, New York and central and western Canada. Hill is also busting down the parameters of what it means to be a musical performer by taking on the lead role in the NDNs on the Airwaves comedy web series 2022 and as a performer and contributor for the Truth and Illusion theatre project at Young Peoples Theatre, Toronto April 2022, with much more to come both musically and artistically.

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King Park

Hamilton, Ontario’s King Park has been turning out mercurial, high-contrast indie rock since they released their 2017 breakout track, “Stay.” Gritty and lush, the quartet’s sound mirrors the antitheses of their hometown: on the one hand, blue-collar and raw, and, on the other, artful and lovely. Following their self-released debut EP, The Light I Can’t See, King Park won the 97.7 HTZ-FM’s Rock Search 2018 contest, which helped launch other Canadian rock groups like Finger Eleven, the Trews, and Glorious Sons. The basement-to-ceiling intensity of their live show has since continued to earn them a growing and devoted following across southern Ontario. At the heart of the group you’ll find childhood friends and musical co-conspirators Timon Moolman (vocals, guitar) and Tyler Heemskerk (bass, vocals), rounded out by guitarist Brenden Campbell and Nate Wall on drums.

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Pierre Kwenders

Congolese-born, Montreal-based musician, songwriter, and DJ Pierre Kwenders (he/him) is a storyteller at his core. Motivated by the intricacies of love, his songs weave together narratives from memories of the past, sketches of his hometown, and reflections on the future. With his third album, José Louis and the Paradox of Love (via Arts & Crafts), for which he was awarded the prestigious Polaris Music Prize, Kwenders arrives at a new juncture – a moment of resonance, carefully wrapped in freewheeling tapestry, hinged in reverence to its diverse heritage, yet revelling in the inventive combination of its elements. Singing and rapping in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba, and Kikongo, Kwenders similarly weaves his stories across the boundaries of language and geography. José Louis and the Paradox of Love is a culmination of personal growth and the musical dexterity he has honed over the years, converging his strong songwriting capabilities with the bravado he possesses as a DJ. The album explores an ongoing search to grasp the universal complexities of romance, sometimes through the lens of Kwenders’ own intimate experiences.

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Ryan Langdon

Given that he had a very promising US college baseball stint, it seems fitting to use a sporting metaphor to describe the ongoing career ascent of Niagara region-based country music artist Ryan Langdon. After paying those proverbial dues on a college team, and diligently working on his craft as a vocalist and songwriter, this charismatic performer has proven himself ready for the major leagues. In 2019 Ryan was nominated for a CMAO Rising Star award and, beginning with his 2020 EP Lit In The Sticks and its breakthrough title track (almost 4 million plus streams on Spotify), he has since delivered a series of Top 40 hits that have now placed him in the top tier of emerging Canadian country acts.

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Mikhail Laxton

As 2020 came, Ottawa-based singer/songwriter Mikhail Laxton was set to open the next chapter of his life with the release of his debut EP, Real, a collection of Soul-folk gems. But what should have been the wider world’s introduction to the Australian-born artist’s immense talent, already established in his homeland through appearances on Australia’s version of The Voice was lost in the mess of pandemic confusion. Mikhail coped the only way he could, by wiping the slate clean and re-emerging with a new crop of songs drawn from the core of his being. His new album is simply entitled Mikhail Laxton, because it is who he is. The contrast between his first EP and Mikhail Laxton is striking. Not only does the artist fulfill the promise of his debut, it firmly establishes him as one of the most vital new voices within the Canadian music scene. No matter what genre labels are placed upon him, there can be no disputing that Mikhail Laxton has his own timeless sound, the product of a unique life experience.

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Mattie Leon

Mattie Leon is a singer/songwriter hailing from Hamilton. A craftsman on guitar and piano, Mattie refuses to leave the past behind. His sensibilities are informed by the songwriting of the sixties and seventies. His voice, whether soaring or soulful, is his own. The result is a fresh take on a classic form; familiar but unmistakably new. Mattie is no stranger to the road. He’s brought his music to stages across Canada, from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts. At his side is Mike Leon, Mattie’s drummer and longtime collaborator. Together, they’ve become a captivating example of the unique thing that happens when siblings share the stage. For his latest album, Mattie enlisted the help of acclaimed Canadian producer Mark Howard. Recorded during the last gasps of winter in March 2022, Mattie, Mike and longtime bassist, Nelson Sobral did things the old-fashioned way: recording everything together in the same room. The result is Backroad Medicine, out now on Castlemore Records.

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LTtheMonk

Originally from London, UK, LTtheMonk first fell in love with hip-hop at just eight years old, when the music captivated his young ears and ignited what would become a lifelong passion. Blended with constant exposure to reggae (via his Jamaican mother) and rock (via his Irish father), LT’s adventurous love of music and performing onstage would only grow stronger. That eclectic musical upbringing, coupled with discovering the music of Michael Jackson and becoming obsessed with the pop icon’s music and dancing in parallel with his foundational hip hop exposure, set LT off on a journey to becoming a musician himself. It’s also an intrinsic part of LT’s toolkit, with bantamweight Gene Kelly-meets-James Brown footwork and immaculate sport socks both indelible signatures of his persona as an entertainer. LT has since carved a reputation as a vibrant and compelling talent, fusing dance music with hip-hop and pop, to create his own unique sound. At Supercrawl, he’ll explore hybrid sounds via a special collaboration with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Luella

Luella is the musical project of Kingston-based singer-songwriter Liv Whitfield. Her debut album, Luna, was released on November 1, 2022 on North of Princess Records, and was produced in collaboration with Liv’s father, music producer Zane Whitfield, founder of North of Princess Studios.

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Raine Maida & Chantal Kreviazuk

Chantal Kreviazuk, a two-time JUNO Award winner and Raine Maida — a four-time winner with Our Lady Peace — are one of Canada’s most influential cultural couples. Kreviazuk made her critically acclaimed full-length debut, Under These Rocks and Stones, in 1997. Since then, the Winnipeg born singer-songwriter has released five more studio albums, and garnered five JUNO Award nominations. Maida has forged a dynamic career as a solo artist and the front man for the band Our Lady Peace, 25-time JUNO Award nominees, including winners for Rock Album of the Year in 2003 (Gravity) and 1998 (Clumsy). The pair has also co-written countless hits for artists such as Kelly Clarkson, David Cook and Carrie Underwood. While Kreviazuk and Maida are quick to lend their time to the studio and stage, they are equally committed to lending their help to those in need — both in Canada and internationally. The couple received the 2014 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award that recognizing outstanding Canadian artists whose contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada. War Child Canada is one of the many organizations the married couple has embraced. Kreviazuk is an honourary founder and active in various causes including women’s rights, war refugees and child education. Maida launched War Child’s Busking for Change program, in which Canadian musicians have raised money for children in the world’s most devastated regions, supporting initiatives such as the construction of schools in the Congo. Additionally the couple has recorded contributions for multiple benefit albums for War Child. The pair’s collaborative album, I’m Going to Break Your Heart, was released with an accompanying documentary – capturing the couple’s personal struggles and musical journey – all to inspire a generation of a cycle-breaking and hope for a more peaceful future.

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New Friends

Canadian indie-pop act New Friends went viral with the very first song they ever recorded, “Purple Candy,” when they were practically strangers — now at 5.5 million streams and counting — scattered to their respective homes during Covid, recorded and released more songs, then won Slaight Music’s life-changing It’s Your Shot contest. The resulting EP, Camaro, was recorded with the $100,000 studio and promotion prize. New Friends — comprised of players from all over Southern Ontario, lead singer Stefan Boulineau (Windsor), guitarist Cole Wilson (St. Thomas), keyboardist/lead writer Ayden Miller (Orillia), and Conrad (Waterloo) — have experienced success at breakneck speed, landing LA management and a top booking agent despite only having played their first show in November 2021.

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Mimi O’Bonsawin

Mimi O’Bonsawin is a contemporary roots singer-songwriter from Northeastern Ontario. Through her rhythm and story-driven songs, Mimi embraces the beauty of the land, all the while yielding to her Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki roots. The ethereal quality of her music whisks you away with uplifting melodies and introspective lyrics that weave pop sensitivities with acoustic instruments.The layers of percussion and surprising harmonies make you feel the music rather than just hear it. Her duo stage performances are honest and dynamic as she tours with her partner Ryan Schurman on drums, making it an intimate yet uplifting experience for the audience. Mimi’s 2023 album Willow features her four singles, Here’s to the Women, I am Alive, I Wish I Was a Farmer and The River. Like her previous release, and first instrumental album Fiddleheads & Ferns (2022), this upcoming album was produced and recorded in Mimi and Ryan’s log home studio. A full-length French album is on the horizon in late 2023.

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Keegan Powell

Keegan Powell is a Toronto-based songwriter and performing artist combining elements of psychedelic rock, with alternative folk, brit pop, and shoe-gaze, to create something completely his own. His debut single, The Door (2018), premiered on Stereogum and followed shows in New York, Montreal and Los Angeles. 2019 saw the release of two EPs: Is+Was— featuring the singles “Beginning Of Life” and “All The Love”, which were featured on CBC Radio 3, and sound-tracked acclaimed director Kazik Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 ft, respectively— and Headspun, which ranked in the NACC top 200, securing Powell’s first official charting position. An unprecedented four lead singles off his debut album, Previous Pain, have been in rotation on SiriusXM satellite radio. Powell started his journey writing and recording in Teenage Kicks (Resolute/EMI) as guitarist on their debut album Spoils Of Youth, recorded with Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures). Powell went on to compose songs for Chastity (Dine Alone/Captured Tracks), on their debut LP Death Lust (2018), Home Made Satan (2019), and Suffer Summer (2022). In 2020, Powell joined studio project Darling Congress alongside Brett Emmons and Peter Van Helvoort of The Glorious Sons as lead guitarist.

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Revive The Rose

Revive the Rose is a Niagara-born rock band with a classic sound for everybody. Since 2014, they have rocked their way through Southern Ontario and are ready to take on the world with powerful shows, a fresh sound, and their very own beer in multiple different restaurants and bars! Over the years, they have opened for huge rock acts such as The Glorious Sons, PUP, Monster Truck, The Trews, Headstones and Bush to name a few. Through these experiences, they have built a strong fanbase that are always excited to see their energetic show, and hear their new songs that tell stories about love, life, and moving through obstacles. Their songs have been featured in the airwaves on popular radio stations such as 102.1 The Edge, Rebel 101.7 and 97.7 HTZ-FM. You can even hear them during NHL games. Most notably, their song “Bar Down” has been featured as a warm-up track in NHL 2021. Their Heartless Place EP and new single “Think Too Much” are available on all streaming platforms.

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Shad

Shad is one of Canada’s most revered rappers, a peerless wordsmith who embodies hip-hop’s power to entertain and educate. Since releasing his DIY debut in 2005, the Toronto-based MC has pushed his style of socially conscious yet infectiously playful hip-hop across five increasingly ambitious albums that have received widespread critical acclaim and coverage in outlets like Rolling Stone, Complex, The Ringer, Fader, NPR, and more. To date, Shad has racked up over 30 million streams, a JUNO for Rap Recording of the Year (for 2010’s TSOL), and four placements on Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize shortlist, most recently for his 2018 concept-album opus, A Short Story About a War. His mission to inspire and inform goes beyond his own music: a former host of CBC Radio’s flagship arts and culture program q, Shad can currently be seen talking shop with the legends of rap on the Emmy/Peabody Award winning Netflix Original docuseries, Hip-Hop Evolution. His most recent album, TAO, was released in October 2021 on Secret City Records.

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Smoothie Lou

Smoothie Lou is a Hamilton raised, alternative rapper influenced by Kid Cudi, Linkin Park, and Kanye West. Smoothie has put out 12 bodies of work including his first album, released exclusively on Bandcamp this past Father’s Day. Smoothie first appeared on the Supercrawl stage in 2020, featuring on an LTtheMonk set, but this year marks his first solo performance, taking the main stage on Saturday September 9.

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Sunshine Makers

As their name suggests, Toronto’s Sunshine Makers create music that radiates warmth. With a bouquet of beautiful vocals and the use of organic instrumentation alongside analog synthesizers, sequencers and drum samples they create a fresh, contemporary sound well rooted in the foundation of classic Soul and R&B. Alongside singer/songwriter Brent Jackson and writer/producer Ben Fox is a host of unique talent from artists including Odario Williams (Grand Analog) to Julien Barbagallo (Tame Impala) and many more exemplifying a collective spirit that transcends languages, genres and borders. Songs ‘Got to be Good’ and ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ showcase their talent for songwriting in its purest form, highlighting the bands message of empathy and understanding. An infectious sound that takes us away from darkness, a vacation for the soul because in times like these we can all use a little sunshine.

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Adrian Sutherland

Adrian Sutherland is a roots-rock recording artist with heart from Canada’s Far North. He’s a singer, songwriter, musician, speaker, author, and advocate. He’s also a traditional knowledge keeper and respected cultural leader, fluent in his first language, Omushkegowuk Cree. After constructing his own recording studio inside a shipping container during the pandemic, Adrian worked remotely from Attawapiskat First Nation with producer Colin Linden in Nashville to record his debut solo album. When The Magic Hits earned nominations at the 2022 JUNO Awards and 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while title track Magic Hits won Best Music Video from San Francisco’s 47th American Indian Film Festival. Adrian just completed recording his second album with Colin – working in-person for the first time. They laid down ten tracks in Nashville, born from the depths of Adrian’s extraordinary experiences and perceptions, and brought to life thanks to the incredible contributions of Colin’s musical colleagues.

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Texas King

The soundtrack to your favourite memories, Texas King have put 250,000 miles into their van over the past decade – touring all over North America alongside acts like Big Wreck, Last Dinosaurs, and The Glorious Sons – and there’s thousands more miles to go. Best known for their high energy live show, the rock ’n’ roll band from London, Ontario were influenced early on by Kings of Leon and The Black Keys. Since 2013, they’ve been cutting their teeth on the road and in the studio, so far releasing one album and two EPs that capture the show-stopping passion they’ve brought to stages that include Vancouver’s Ambleside Festival, Ontario’s ParkJam and Hillside Festivals, and Québec’s Festival D’ete. Texas King’s third EP is their biggest and boldest record yet, capturing a world of warmth and wonder in five heartfelt, honest alt-rock outpourings. It’s a story of reckoning and redemption, nostalgia and hope that sees Texas King’s Jordan Macdonald, Melvin Murray, and Phil Spina following up from where 2021’s Changes EP left off: “I did make some changes, and I thought it was smooth sailing,” Macdonald says. “But that’s the thing about change: One moment you’re fine, the next you’re not. The waters got rough, and the boat has capsized.” In-your-face singalongs and heavy-hearted power ballads reflect the heat, the urgency, and the desperation of the moment — yet through thick and thin, Texas King shine with the strength and resilience of a band that will play anywhere, at any time, and for anyone who wants to listen.

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VILIVANT

VILIVANT (Julia Gentile) is a Canadian hard rocker who started music at a very young age. Starting with the piano and picking up the guitar and bass along the way. Drawing heavily from influences such as Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, and Three Days Grace, she created her self-titled debut EP. Her first two singles (“Never Again” and “Stabilized”) saw radio airplay on stations such as 94.9 The Rock (Toronto), Rebel 101.7 FM (Ottawa) 98.3 CIFM (Kamloops) & The Wolf 106.9 FM (Nanaimo). With the continuous success on radio, her two singles reached #89 and #98 on the top 100 Canadian rock radio charts, garnering a fanbase across the country and internationally. VILIVANT released her full-length album Running on Empty with the help of Sam Guiana, producer of JUNO-nominated band Silverstein. Her two singles, “Running on Empty” and “Drown” both reached over 50K views on the music videos and continues to climb steadily, while “Running on Empty” has over 130K streams on Spotify.

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Suzie Vinnick

A Saskatoon native transplanted to the Niagara Region, Suzie Vinnick is the proud owner of a gorgeous voice, prodigious guitar and bass chops, and an engagingly candid performance style. Her career has seen triumph after triumph. Among her most recent successes: being awarded the 2019 Saskatchewan Jazz Festival Special Recognition Award; being nominated for a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Producer of the Year with her co-producer, Mark Lalama. Suzie achieved finalist status in the Solo/Duo Category at the 2013 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN; received the 2012 CBC Saturday Night Blues Great Canadian Blues Award and the 2012 Sirius XM Canada Blues Artist of the Year. Suzie has won 10 Maple Blues Awards (she has been nominated for 21 so far!), won the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year and is a 3X Juno Nominee. Suzie has toured nationally with Downchild, Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café and the John McDermott Band, and performed for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. Suzie’s latest album is a full-band roots and blues extravaganza entitled Shake The Love Around.

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Roslyn Witter

A charismatic, distinctive and organically-nuanced tenor, Roslyn Witter is ready to claim her own country music spotlight. Whether she’s revving up the sunshine on the terminally upbeat summer anthem “Good Vibes,” her debut single; twirling through life’s rotisserie of love and loyalty through the poignant country waltz “Ferris Wheel Ride,” or optimistically grabbing the brass ring with a “my foot on the gas” and “nothing but dreams on the dashboard” armed with a sentimental memento on the motoring “Flannel Shirt,” Roslyn Witter is an exceptional siren whose gift of artistry bypasses cliché and stakes her authenticity as both singer and songwriter in the genre known as “three chords and the truth.” Witter’s truth lies in a naturally intuitive voice and a phrasing that zigs when you expect it to zag and a lyrical prowess that expresses natural emotions and opinions without stooping to the formulaic Nashville drivel you’ve heard ad nauseam. Roslyn says she wants to be honest to her muse. She had an early exposure to music stardom. When she was old enough, her country star dad Jim Witter took Roslyn on the road all over North America and she sang with him occasionally.

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