“This is a new blues woman on the scene with fantastic chops and a command of songs. She is a valuable addition to the blues world, destined for wide recognition.” — Steve Daniels, Big City Blues

Initially signed to RCA in 2007, Crystal Shawanda hit her stride as a country singer and songwriter when she scored a top 20 hit with her song “You Can Let Go” and subsequently tallied sales of over 50,000 copies of her debut album Dawn of a New Day and subsequently debuted in the Billboard Top 20. Nevertheless, she began to realize that the blues had captured her muse, and with that, she left the label, shifted her stance and began recording albums that reflected her love of blues and her natural affinity for that sound.

As she once told an interviewer, “The whole time I was singing Patsy Cline on stage, I was singing Etta James at home.”

Her new album Church House Blues reflects that dedication and devotion and finds her co-writing seven of the ten songs on the album. Produced by her husband, collaborator and cowriter Dewayne Strobel, it not only marks her fourth blues effort to date, but one of her most demonstrative as well. At the center of it all is Crystal’s evocative vocals, a powerful, provocative force of nature that elevates each encounter and sends the album’s entries soaring towards the stratosphere.

The critics all agree. “Shawanda is a real deal blues artist who isn’t dabbling in blues so much as channeling it,” Steven Ovadia wrote in Elmore Magazine. JD Nash of American Blues Scene raved, “Not only does Shawanda capture KoKo Taylor’s southside growl, but after a brief slow down for breath, morphs into a primal scream that would grab Janis Joplin by the shorthairs.” Bill Wilson, writing in Reflections in Blue, concurred. “Crystal Shawanda is every bit the real deal. This is an incredibly powerful piece of work.”

“I veered towards the blues because that’s the music I love to sing,” Crystal says in retrospect. “It feels so natural, the kind of music I was meant to sing. It’s a beautiful release. It’s like letting a bird out of a cage. This is what I’m supposed to do. This is how I fly.”

The Mariachi Ghost, from Winnipeg, Canada, summon the ghosts of old Mexico through traditional Mexican song, haunting synths and explosive guitar lines, alongside rich harmonies, commanding lead vocals and spectral dance. Their show leaps from anguish and longing to a raging fury in a heartbeat.

The band started as an art project among friends in 2009 and has since grown to an internationally acclaimed touring act. The Mariachi Ghost has played festival stages such as Interstellar Rodeo, the Pan-American Games and the Winnipeg Folk Fest mainstage. The band has performed at SXSW, Tallinn Music Week, Mundial Montreal and Breakout West.

Their first full-length album won the "Best World Music Album" at the Western Canadian Music Awards and received international radio play. In 2015, they collaborated with legendary film director Guy Maddin to create a music video. The band’s upcoming work “Rencor Vivo” is inspired by Pedro Páramo, the iconic work of Mexican literature that inspired the magical realism movement in Latin America. Through the story’s lens, the band explores contemporary themes of toxic masculinity, prejudice and elitism.

A truly original new voice in songwriting, Bella White creates an undeniable magic by mining the rare duality at the heart of her artistry. Although she hails from the Canadian city of Calgary, the singer/multi-instrumentalist grew up on the classic country and old-time music she first discovered thanks to her father, a Virginia native who played in bluegrass bands all throughout her childhood. On her debut album Just Like Leaving, White balances her old-soul musicality with a lyrical perspective that’s entirely of-the-moment, embracing an intense self-awareness as she documents her coming-of-age in real-time. “I’m still quite young, but I was very young when I wrote this album,” says the Nashville-based artist. “All of these songs came from processing my feelings right as I was experiencing certain things for the first time in my life.”

Currently writing for her second album, White has already begun to see the impact of her debut’s exacting self-reflection. “Just Like Leaving feels like a storybook of the things I went through when I was 18 and 19—each song is about a very specific feeling from my relationships during that time,” she says. “I’ve had a lot of younger people tell me that they relate to the experience of learning about yourself through someone else, and I’ve also had older folks tell me how it reminds them of when they were younger. I used to fear sometimes that I might run out of things to say in my songs, but I don’t feel that way after seeing how this album has affected people. It’s reminded me that there will always be a creative source for me to tap into.”

“The Hello Darlins” first took shape with Calgary-based vocalist/producer Candace Lacina and keyboardist/producer Mike Little. Previously working with other artists, an impressive list that ranges from Shania Twain and Charlie Major, The Road Hammers to George Canyon and the late B.B. King – they decided to make music together.

The Hello Darlins includes Lacina and Little along with a power-house cast of professional studio musicians. They combine all of their skills and influences to forge a distinct hybrid of country, gospel and blues!

River’s Edge is a country rock band that will bring you a high energy show with a side of a good time. Covering all the fun classics as well as originals, you will be sure to hit the dance floor. Darryl Anderson who performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar, hails from Big River. Cam Sawatsky will amaze you with sweet vocals and smooth lead guitar, and hails from Saskatoon. They are joined by some great musician friends that rotate on drums and bass. Definitely take the time to check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

Qu’Appelle Valley Square Dancers is a highly energetic and captivating team. They have danced across Saskatchewan and Alberta, wowing crowds with their mixture of traditional and contemporary routines. This group is more than just a team, they are a family that ranges with dancers from different First Nations and Metis communities. Their dancers range from various ages, young and old, from beginners to professionals. They are a team that gives everyone an opportunity to dance. The love for dancing as we surrender to the music, we dance to keep our tradition alive. Enhancing the beauty of dance, engage to inspire, and dance to express.