RéVeillons: Amuse-toi bien!
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Québecois quartet, RéVeillons, sweeps audiences off their feet with rousing arrangements that are rooted in the traditional, yet are curiously avant garde.
With stunning musicianship, and tunes that lilt, howl and rumble, their music is like comfort food for the aural senses.
They are four cool dudes who will dance you to the soul of Québecois music, and demonstrate what joie de vivre truly means.
Playing bodhran, concertina, guimbarde, guitar, banjo, fiddle, and even suitcase, they step, stomp, sing and harmonize with swaggering panache.
This is a melodic, percussive, stirring sound that will get your spirit moving, toes tapping and hips swinging.
Amuse-toi bien!
There’s something special about a jug band!
The exhilarating live show of Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys will enthrall you with engaging, sometimes jaw-dropping, stagecraft and showmanship.
It’s not that often that Mariposa Folk Festival books the same act two years in a row, but when they make a huge impression on our audience, sometimes we make an exception.That’s the case with Union Duke, one of the auditioned Mariposa Showcase Acts at last year’s festival that blew the socks off of everyone. This act is a must see.
Ever pluck a harp or drum on a djembe? Ever womp-womp on a didgeridoo or buzz into a shofar? Ever strum a mountain dulcimer or frail a banjo? All of these traditional folk instruments and about 100 more are part of Todd Crowley’s Musical Petting Zoo. It is a fully interactive, hands-on exhibition for musicians, young and old, novice to professional. The instruments tell a story of their own each time a child connects to the folk tradition by trying an instrument for the first time, or an adult rediscovers the joy of making music. Check it out – you will be surprised how much fun it is.
After he moved on from a ten-year stint as the front man of a touring rock band, Nicholas Keays spent time writing and stockpiling a bunch of great songs for a rainy day. When it came time to make his next move, he went in a new direction, joining Justin Rich and Jason Turner to form Nicholas Keays and the North River. The trio has crafted a stripped down, harmony filled, sound that is gracefully carried by a standup bass, acoustic guitar, banjo, and a kick drum fashioned out of an old suitcase. They play tunes of home and family that are hook-filled, simple, and of the foot stompin’ variety.
This exciting quartet has bridged the space between electric jazz and French Canadian folk with brilliant results. They describe themselves as a bold assertion of Quebec’s traditional identity with a modern edge but, to their audience, they’re pure spirit-moving, fun-loving, aural magic. Their debut album, Telescope (2011), garnered a Juno nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year plus three nominations at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In their dynamic live performances, the band pulls off a daring balance between fervour and trance, and acoustic and electric, on tenor banjo, violin, electric guitar, mandolin, keyboards, bass and podorythmie (footwork like step dancing or flat footing while sitting in a chair).
This dynamic folk act bridges the gap from big city rock to country bluegrass with entwining, rambling banjos, soaring vocal harmonies, plucking electric guitars, and a fast, heel stompin’ beat. Their rough and rowdy dynamic, strong stage presence, and great tunes make them a real crowd pleaser at clubs and festivals. You have to see these five guys live, with their truckload of stirring folk rock, to understand how really very good they are. Their two well-received albums, Bandits & Bridges (2013) and One and Two (2012), also drive that point home. This is one band you don’t want to miss.