Aaron Goodwin, Penticton, BC
Musician.Lives the good life every day. Eclectic accordion noir.

Ari Neufeld, Penticton, BC
Who makes a top shelf martini with a $200 bottle of vodka, mixed with $.67 worth of Kool-Aid? Ari Neufeld does. A celebration of sublime and ridiculous.

Aurora Jane, Melbourne, Australia
The fluidity and excitement of a Hendrix Experience, with the deep groove of ‘Blood Sugar’ era Chili Peppers, and the retro get-up-and-dance stylings of 70’s P-Funk.

Benny Walker, Echuca, Victoria, Australia
Australian indigenous singer/songwriter Benny Walker’s distinctive sound combines raw, powerful honesty with upbeat, catchy rhythms to create captivating music that you’ll be humming for days.

Bidiniband, Toronto, ON
Led by legendary Canadian rocker Dave Bidini, founder of the Rheostaticts… and now in Wells! Catch them while you can.

Big Twang Daddy, Williams Lake and Quesnel, BC
A Cariboo dance band playing mostly original material, with some sideways covers. Eclectic, sometimes traditional, sometimes psychedelic, sometimes ska, but always great for dancing.

Blackberry Wood, Vancouver, BC
Dash of illusion, pinch of magic alt-country/ragtime/circus gypsy music. Come to the show as your alter ego. Wear a bright headband to soak up sweat.

Blair Leaman, Winlaw, BC
A gentleman farmer, an outlaw with an ink six shooter, and an excommunicated priest, are drinking in a bar. These are there poems, songs and stories.

Bob Campbell, Wells, BC
I live here.

Bobby Herron and the Random Associates, Cumberland, BC
Bobby Herron and Random Associates offers up a provocative and playful urban/rural sound with sophisticated and catchy arrangements, sweet vocals and enticing lyrics.

Brother Below, Montreal, QC and Vancouver, BC
Vancouver based musician, Benedict Marsh fronts this outfit designed to make you dance with hook driven melodies layered over up tempo rock-reggae fusion rhythms and tasty strummings.

Cameron Catalano, Vancouver, BC
This Cariboo born composer/producer is pleased to be presenting a rare showcase of songs he and his guitar have collected over the years.

Canadian Waste, Prince George, BC
Buy us a beer, we’ll play you a song. Buy us a second, it’ll be twice as long. Buy us a third and we’ll forget the words.

Christa Couture, Vancouver, BC
Christa Couture’s gorgeously intimate voice and heart-on-sleeve intensity lives “somewhere between the tough vulnerability of Amy Rigby and the passionate, sophisticated folk of Joni Mitchell.”

Christians, Prince George, BC
Unspeakably heavy electric guitar and drums. Improvised, noisy instrumental meditations on the Psalms. Sounds like the walls of Jericho coming down forever and ever and ever.

Corin Raymond, Toronto, ON
He’ll hang with you when you’ve been sleeping in your clothes for days, stained wine glasses scattered around your bed. He can also clear the sky of clouds. Soulful.

Corwin Fox, Victoria, BC
With his distinctive knack for ironic juxtaposition and more heart than an artichoke, Fox takes another cut at big business, government practices, and environmental politics.

CR Avery, Vancouver, BC
Violent and tender, this one-man band sings poetic verse while beatboxing and pounding the piano simultaneously and adding harmonica like a plot twist.

Crossbow, Kamloops, B.C.
Neil Burnett (Celtic harp, penny whistle, etc.) and Christina Zaenker (cello & voice) make music from a new recipe for 38 strings, ringing timber, and assorted sonic spices.

Crowd the Joanna, Kelowna, B.C.
A boot-stomping, whiskey-hollering hoe-down full of sea chanteys and drinking hymns.

D.J. Zazen, Penticton, BC
A rare DJ that draws from all genres of electronica, who plays soulful grooves that make it difficult to watch without joining the dance-floor.

Daniel Moir, Vancouver, BC
Daniel Moir is a musician from Vancouver. Drawing insight from personal experience and philosophy, Daniel continues to write, record and tour relentlessly.

Danielle Savage and the Miscreants, Okanagan, BC
Danielle Savage and her band, the Miscreants, genre-swim via adaptogenic folk. Heavy on the songwriting, light to the touch. Good for the body.

Daughters of Blood and Bone, BC and Tennessee
Melisa Devost, Linda McRae, and Pharis Romero weave older musical traditions into old time country, to delta blues, to field hollers. Arrangements of the traditional, and the not so traditional…

Dave Bidini, Toronto, ON
A Canadian independent music legend, a founding member of the Rheostatics, and a songwriter’s songwriter. Literate, rocking tunes about dead hockey players, cannibalism, and lesbian schoolteachers.

Dave Soroka, Grand Forks, BC
A mythical figure in the Canadian indie music scene, his songs are humorous, contagious, heart-wrenching, and capture the emotions and stories of a true Canadian troubadour.

David Newberry, East Vancouver, BC
David Newberry’s music explores the relationships between social, political, personal, and musical stories of our time, constantly playing games with your notion of what folk music “sounds like”.

David Ross MacDonald, Millicent, Australia
“… one of those few songwriters like Nick Drake, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), and Josh Ritter that can captivate his listeners armed only with a voice and guitar.” American Songwriter Magazine

David Roy Parsons, Vancouver, BC
Started as a busker in Ontario, began recording 12 years ago, has since released four albums of original music. Covered by artists such as Joey Only, Raghu Lokanathan, and Jeremy Stewart.

David Simard, Dorreen, BC and Montreal, QC
Simard channels a deft folk crooner with sensitivity … and a little bit of mischief.

David P. Smith, Victoria, BC
Accordion, piano, musical primitivism. David’s songs are vividly surreal spaces in which the opposing notions of humour and despair mingle.

Dok Auk, Cache Creek, BC
A style all of his own and opinion to be heard Dok Auk will entertain you with his lyrics about life politics relationships and much more.

Doug Koyama, Quesnel, BC
Watch an artist at work. Koyama uses a loop machine to layer bits of melody, harmony and vocal percussion. Each song is completely improvised from beginning to end.

Drum and Bell Tower, Williams Lake, BC
Heavy-footed politi-folk songs by Williams Lake, BC’s Brent Morton. Listen for melodic and danceable journeys for life on a crowded planet.

Ezra Kwizera, Kigali, Rwanda
Ezra’s music carries the spark of life, along with rich undertones of surviving hardships and poverty; and it consists of Traditional, Reggae, Soca, and Dancehall.

The Flaming Trolleys, Winnipeg, MB
From street corners to protests, festivals to parades, bringing their unique and wild blend of dancing, playing, singing, parading, hooping and spinning to ArtsWells!

FM Hi Low, Montreal, QC
FM Hi Low is movement music that soothes, grooves and inspires. Fresh off a recording and backpacking adventure in Jamaica FM Hi Low is all vibes!

Folky Strum Strum, Rolla, BC
The group has been described by fans as having a unique and soulful sound, that is backed by exceptional songwriting” with musicians all from around Rolla, BC.

Fraser Union, Vancouver, BC
Fraser Union (Roger Holdstock, Henk Piket, Barry Truter) sing BC and Canadian songs that tell stories, along with blues and originals, accompanied by guitars, mandolins, dobro, and harmonica.

Free Soul, Prince George, B.C.
“A poppy, reggae-filled musical medley of fun, Mike “FREESOUL” Amos will enrich your senses with his strong guitar skills and smooth soulful vocals.” – Barry McKillican

Ghengis Gandhis, Ashcroft, B.C.
The Ghengis Gandhis call their musical style “BC Homegrown Reggae:” fun, danceable, socially relevant, original music that swells the heart and fills the soul.

Geoff Berner, Vancouver, BC
Committed to “dragging klezmer music kicking and screaming back into the bars”, Geoff Berner will show you that it’s better to be disreputable. Bring a flask.

Granville Johnson, Prince George, BC

Grey Gardener, Vancouver, BC
Singing simple yet soulful songs, his natural ability to create beautiful melodic lines is captivating. Speaking of the heart from the heart.

Hannah Epperson, Vancouver, BC
A talented violinist who composes beautifully arranged pieces and uses a loop machine as back-up. You won’t know you’re in love until it’s too late.

High Society, Vancouver, BC
High Society is a band of street musicians, mercenary troubadours, and blues bandits: Cory Sweet, Kenan Sungur, Adam Farnsworth, and Chelsea D.E. Johnson.

Hip Sisters, Grand Forks, BC
Belly dance inspired fusion – a modern colorful and energetic rendition of the ancient and sacred art of belly dance.

Hujune, Fort Fraser, BC
May we sail freely to the next stage…. ever changing, ever evolving, ever loving…. Snachileya> Complex thankfulness.

Jaron Freeman-Fox, Toronto, BC
Jaron Freeman-Fox makes his fiddle squeal like a wounded aardvark and whisper like the sea. Mongol blues. Country and eastern. Afrobeat jig-saws. BYO parachute.

Jayme McKillop, Vernon, BC
Jayme’s impassioned renditions of classic favourites, along with her own songs of human connection and social critique, make for a remarkable listening experience.

Jasper Sloan Yip, Vancouver, BC
In high school, you get your heart broken, cry and then dance about it because it’s new and exciting. Jasper’s songs make you feel this way again.

Jeff Andrew, Vancouver, BC
Guitarist and fiddler Jeff Andrew knows a trick for raising the dead, but it only works on Tuesdays. “Think The Pogues at their most engaging, singing early Tom Waits” (Leicester Bangs).

Jenny Omnichord, Guelph, ON
Jenny Omnichord: be prepared to smile, to be amazed and to be bewildered. The omnichord is coming, and we will all be the better for it.

Jenny Ritter, Victoria, BC
Jenny’s original tunes are a new, beautiful form of unique indie-folk. With roots buried deep in folk traditions, her branches reach into a sky of modern sensibilites.

Joanna Chapman-Smith, Toronto, ON
Just back from Europe, this parlour-sized wanderer with the big voice brings home hints of Parisian cafés and Italian vistas.

Joe Nolan, Edmonton, AB
Joe Nolan is a songwriter wise beyond his ripe young age. His latest record “Goodbye Cinderella” produced by heavy hitter Colin Linden can testify this… Catch Joe while you can.

Joey Only, Vancouver & Wells, BC
Vancouver radio personality, published writer, booking agent, and artist. Joey’s done a thousand shows in Canada playing radical folk and outlaw country music.

Jungal, Australia
This trio of sisters “know how to bring some serious foot stomping, festival-style…Veering between roots and blues and then all over both.”

Karyn Ellis, Quesnel, BC
Playful, bittersweet. Her music is a glass of homemade lemonade after a hot summer stroll. She’s a modern folk darling and gentle powerhouse of a songwriter.

Kris Demeanor, Calgary, AB
Calgary-born songwriter Kris Demeanor delights in exposing the underbelly of western Canadian culture- gambling, drug use, murder, religion, the suburbs. Recently named the first Poet Laureate of the City of Calgary.

Ladybug and Caterpillar, Winnipeg, MB
ladybug: red beetle with black spots, eats aphids (Coccinellidae)
caterpillar: worm like larvae of butterfly or moth (order Lepidoptera)
an unlikely love story.

Lexi Marie, Vancouver, BC
Raw combination of rhythmic, harp-like ukelele, and a voice thats bound to set the stage ablaze. Lyrically driven soulfolk/reggae/hip hop thats good for your soul.

Linda McRae, Nashville, TN, USA
From Dear John to John Deere. Combining old-time sounds with themes of heartbreak and redemption, Linda’s lyrics are timeless and heartfelt—plus she’s got serious pipes and chops.

Little Horsefly Country Band, Horsefly and Williams Lake, BC
Sweet sister harmonies and vintage country twang rolling out of a modern-day-Great Depression honky-tonk. You can almost hear the dust sifting off their guitar strings.

The Lovely Bones (formerly Seth & Shara), Dunster, BC
With an acoustic twist, and heavily influenced by latin guitar, reggae, and other world music, they create powerful and passionate performances. The thread of the “guroove” runs deep.

Luke Blu Guthrie, Comox Valley, BC
Rhythm & Blues provides the back drop for his lyrical and musical wanderings. Acoustic & electric guitars, assorted foot percussion, and plenty of rhythmic slaps and yowls.

Maiya Robbie, Penticton, BC
Songs crafted from the expanse of landscapes and distances, rythmic and intricate. Singin’ like a bird. Bringing an electric this time.

Maria in the Shower,Vancouver, BC
From uptempo swing to sensitive folk ballad, energetic samba to subtle waltz, Maria in the Shower spread joy with a captivating performance not to be missed.

Marin Patenaude, Horsefly, BC
She sings and plays an old guitar; original songs rooted in real-life blues and story-telling folk. Melodies and words, let say we listen.

MC Bodhi, Penticton, BC
A unique blend of Melodic Electro-Rap and Inspirational Hip-Hop. MC Bodhi putting together his first Rap Album, “MC Bodhi: The Bodhi Tree.”

Meeka Noelle Morgan, Ashcroft, BC

The Melawmen Collective, Ashcroft, BC
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Melisa Devost, Hornby Island, BC
Melisa Devost has toured extensively throughout Canada, the UK, and Europe, carving her niche as a compelling vocalist with the guitar and songwriting skills to match.

Michael Musclow, Penticton, BC
Three-time BC Indie Award nominee, guitar & ukulele master Michael Musclow continues to de-construct our reality through sound waves.

Michelle Dumond, Vancouver, BC
Journey through gypsy folk, pop, jazz and classical styles with lyrics that get you wondering and grooves that get you dancing! With Quesnel’s Christine Allen, percussion.

Mikkal Waters, Lavington, BC
A masterful singer/songwriter with a rich and heartfelt voice and persona, who draws from the depth of his experiences and all encompassing worldview.

Miss Emily Brown, Montreal, QC
A delicately visual lyricist, Miss Emily Brown illuminates the dusty corners of our memories with songs of quiet intensity.

Miss Quincy and the Showdown, Northern BC
Smokin’ hot girls in not many clothes rocking out with raunchy electric roots & blues – what more could you want in a band?

Morlove, Victoria, B.C. & Montreal, PQ
Best heard through your oldest set of speakers, Morlove is the creative collaboration of Corwin Fox and Miss Emily Brown (along with certain special others…). Experimental, handmade folk.

Orkestar Slivovica,Vancouver, BC
High energy Balkan Roma-style brass band. Wedding music and heart-wrenching songs sung in Romani, Serbian, Macedonian, and English!

Ory No Man, Toronto, ON & Wells, BC
“And what is good, Phaedrus,
And what is not good—
Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?”
—Robert M. Pirsig, Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Party on High Street, Nelson, BC
About four years ago, in Nelson, Forrest Gump and Winnie The Pooh haphazardly started a band. They called it The Party on High Street. Psychedelic funk-rock.

Paul Linklater, Toronto, ON
Toronto guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. He plays in the Pinecones, who have a new album in the fall, and is a longstanding Bidiniband member.

Pharis & Jason Romero, Horsefly, BC
Guitars, banjos and intense duet harmonies. Ethereal old time songs to hard edged country blues, with an easy rapor, a feeling of intimacy, and love.

Picture the Ocean (formerly Jesse Dee & Jacquie B), Edmonton, AB
Picture the Ocean is refreshing alt-pop delivered by a powerhouse trio that sounds twice its size.

Rachelle van Zanten, Northern British Columbia
Canadian songstress and slide guitarist, whose raw melange of blues, political folk, Americana, and serious guitar shredding is currently shaking up an audience of its own.

RadaR,
Poet, sound tech, and now head of her own production company (Listen Louder Productions). Former member of the Vancouver Slam team and Artswells regulars The Ramoana-Lisas. For love, for friends lost, and new friends found.

Rae Spoon, Montreal, QC
Rae Spoon is a transgendered musician/author. They started out as a country artist and later composed experimental/electronic music. Has six albums and a book of short stories coming soon.

Raghu Lokanathan, Prince George, B.C.
A rare sort of songwriter whose work conjures a world both familiar and strange. He is an artful dabbler in folk traditions.

Rambling Dan Frechette, Kootenay Mountains, BC
Rambling Dan’s old soul songwriting has garnered him many warm embraces from the song lovers who dig his hard edged lyrics and old style sound.

Ross Douglas, Point Roberts, WA, USA
Award-winning songwriter, great singer, wonderful performer, iffy dresser. His music is praised for its humour, emotional power and grand variety of influences.

Sarah Burton, Toronto, ON
Her steady and soulful voice tells the tales of life with beauty, strength, and weariness, and an ever-present sense of excitement. Rock with country and pop influences.

Scott Cook, Edmonton, AB
Prairie balladeer Scott Cook sings acoustic roots music so honest it hurts. He brings years of roads and a deep love of humanity to his songwriting.

Selina Martin, Toronto, ON
“I felt as if I was at CBGB’s in 1977 witnessing the birth of Talking Heads” – Jowi Taylor
“The most overlooked talent in Canadian music” – Globe & Mail

Shawn Stephenson, Ymir, BC
Kootenay mountain musician. Multi-instrumental looper freakshow. He likes meat, veggies, booze, wigs, tofu and bacon stir-fry and other genderless stuff, and knows how to get it.

shayne avec i grec, Victoria, B.C.
One of 2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac, a poetic preacher of The Anthropocalypse, and a co-conspirator in the creation of the world’s first psychedelic talk opera.

Shelder the Electric Clamfish, Victoria, BC
Armed with an arsenal of rainbow-coloured clothes and wacky instruments, this Electric Clamfish is certain to get the crowd clapping their hands and stomping their feet.

Sodapop Somers, Vancouver, BC
Psychedelic folk rap. Sodapop Somers, formerly known as “fritz tha cat,” and 1/2 of the group OK Cobra. True school rap skills meets one-man gonzo hip-hop dream theatre.

Spaceport Union, Victoria, BC
An exploration in progressive, art-rock music featuring vocal harmonies, ethereal arias, musical saw and loop pedals, creatively juxtaposed with the fundamentals of rock.

Stellar Radio Choir, Golden, BC
Sounds like your dads record collection that was struck by a high energy pulsar beam. Hooky bass lines, a strong back beat, and psychedelic washed out guitar with a touch of the blues.

Steve Brockley Band, The Road, Canada
A lot of gorgeous women like Steve Brockley’s music, and he’s a pretty ugly guy. That says a lot about the zoom boom power of this man’s words and music.” -C.R. Avery

Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Victoria, BC
Call it folk. Call it fusion. Call it gypsy-roots-folk-tango-afro-psychadelic-soul-music. Or forget about the definitions and just enjoy one hell of a good show.

Tereza Tomek, Vancouver, BC
With powerful expressive folk-als, Tereza Tomek awakens childhood times when everything was animated. Narrative tunes guaranteed to spiral through your head on your next walk through tall trees.

Tim Williams, Calgary, AB
Blues learned at the knee of Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mississippi Fred MacDowell, and others mixes with Hawaiian, Mexican and folk country in the hands of a multi-award-winning writer, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer.

Transfiguration Good News Band, Prince George, BC
You’ll want to be in that number when The Transfiguration Good News Band comes marching in with big band jazz grunge African American Spirituals and unstoppable dance floor energy!

Trevor Tchir, Edmonton, AB
Uniting the sounds and images of Canada’s rural and urban spaces, Tchir has captivated audiences across the country with his songs of work, play, and love.

Warless, Vancouver, BC
With roots in BC west coast-style folk, gospel and reggae, Warless build warm enthusiastic grooves and an energy that beams positivity and ignites a dance floor.

Wax Mannequin, Hamilton, ON
Strange-folk phenomenon Wax Mannequin has travelled vast terrain — both sonic and physical. His newest release ‘No Safe Home’ is an acclaimed collection of dark, whimsical folk songs.

Weathered Feather, Kamloops, BC
A pack of howlin’ gypsies under the desert sun with the blues psychedelically trickling through their fingers.

Yael Wand, Wells, BC
From the enchanted suburbs of Wells, this honey-voiced mountain folk goddess will shiver your spine and nudge your feet with hillbilly jazz and rootsy ditties.

Check out our ArtsWells playlist on CBC Music? It features many of the artists from the 2012 ArtsWells!

Collaborative Sessions

No one can tell what will happen at these jams… witness the moment before it’s gone forever.