+ Beau Nectar
Beau Nectar is a collaboration between bilingual singer-songwriters Marie-Clo (Franco-Ontarian, Algonquin), and éemi (Fransaskoise), delivering folk-electro pop with ecofeminist themes that spark their fans' empathy towards nature. In 2023 alone, they participated at the Banff Musicians in Residency program, opened for Pierre Kwenders, Daniel Bélanger and Fanny Bloom, were featured on CBC Music's Searchlight Top 100; and, recently nominated for 4 Capital Music Awards.
Signed with Indica Records their first album Two Lips was released in June 2023. Their new single "Même vase qu'hier" will be released on May 10 2024!
+ Carson McHone
There is something almost excruciating about the places in between. The feeling of falling, a reassertion of gravity as one step leads to another, but just before the foot lands. Still Life, Carson McHone’s third album quivers like a tightrope, with songs about existing within such tension and surviving beyond the breaking point. These are stories of sabotage, confusion, and surrender. The album is a testament to the effort of reaching, sometimes flailing, for understanding and for balance. Still Life invites us to gasp at our own reflection, while acknowledging the unsettling beauty in this breath.
+ Checkout Queens
Checkout Queens are a glorious blend of pop, punk, metal, and country, presented with the drama of theatre and the camp of drag. Every angelic harmony, screaming solo, raunchy riff, and infectious beat is crafted with classical precision – and executed with reckless abandon.
Created by a twist of fate, Checkout Queens began as the fictitious band who backs Hedwig in the queer cult classic “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. This chance encounter inspired the members to form a real band and the rest is history.
+ Connie Kaldor
Saskatchewan, 1953; Connie Kaldor is born into a May blizzard that hit Regina on the heels of a heat wave - but this is a woman who weathers the changes. Connie has an impressive 45 years in folk music, garnering three Juno wins and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal. She was one of the first women in Canada to launch an independent record label (Coyote Entertainment), writes for dance and theatre productions, and in 2023 released her latest album, Keep Going. It’s taken too long to get Connie up to Ness Creek!
+ Crooked Creek
Rocky Lakner and Donny Millikin, the son of Jack Millikin "The Grandfather of Ness Creek", are two of the Crooked Creek scribes, best buddies and song writing masters, with an on and off stage chemistry that is uncontainable, comical, clever and entertaining. Joined by long-time friend Kelly Reid and with nearly forty years of musical glory, this local favourite and Ness Creek house band will be sure to get you on your feet and steal your heart away.
+ Daniel Romano's Outfit
Daniel Romano's Outfit is a Canadian indie rock band shrouded in mystery, and known for their high intensity live performances. The band is lead by Daniel Romano and consists of Carson McHone, Julianna Riolino, Roddy Rosetti and Ian Ski Romano. "The Outfit's live shows are nothing short of explosive, leaving audiences in a state of awe and wonderment.” (Paste Magazine) "Daniel Romano's Outfit are a band like no other, weaving a mysterious and mesmerizing soundscape that is as haunting as it is electrifying.” (Consequence of Sound)
+ Dead Ex Girlfriends
dead ex girlfriends, a 4-piece grunge and punk band hailing from Treaty 6 territory, channels a cathartic release that resonates widely, delivering raw and unapologetic soundscapes mirroring their lived experiences as queer and Indigenous fems. Fearlessly addressing crucial issues, the band's music serves as a potent platform to confront topics like domestic violence, sexual assault, and racism, sparking conversations and driving change through their powerful performances and evocative lyrics.
+ Indigo Joseph
Formed in 2010, they made an immediate impact on the Sask music scene. In 2013, they beat out 150 Canadian bands with their song “Others” to win CBC’s Song of the Summer and then went on to release their debut album Collage the next year. NOt knowing their coast-to-coast tour-ending show at the Horseshoe Tavern would be their last together for 8 years - they have rekindled their creative flame, found new life and inspiration within the collective, and are ready to return to their spiritual homeland, the Ness Creek Festival, to rock the stage once again.
+ Kimmortal
Kimmortal is renowned for their highly conceptual genre-bending musical explorations and lyrical intricacies. The queer non-binary filipinx artist flows between singing and rapping over pop-layered hip hop beats; their signature subversive gusto only complemented with a down-to-earth, human vulnerability. Kimmortal's 3rd album “Shoebox” (2023) expresses the journey from healing intergenerational trauma to celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community and their inner child. Their notable sync highlights include their single "This Dyke” appearing on “The L Word: Generation Q” and “On My Way” appearing in Apex Legends Season 19. This past year Kim’s original music for “Sort Of” (out now on HBO, CBC) was nominated for Canadian screen awards and their music video “Blue and Orange” received Best Music Video at Disorient Asian American film festival.
+ Lachlan Neville
Lachlan Neville is a singer/songwriter from Rocanville, SK, a small town on the plains of western Canada known for potash mining, agriculture and hockey. Exposed early to folk and country music, Lachlan began to write rapidly honing his lyrical chops. Inspired by the likes of Dylan, Waits, Prine and Isbell, he is bold and intentional in telling tales of loss, empathy and mischief. Lachlan has been working with LittleJack Films and Blake Berglund in preparation for his first studio release.
+ Laska
Laska hits you with a wall of sound, seemingly impossibly made by the trio hailing from the Queen City. Mixing together their unique indie alternative sounds with creative dynamics, accents, and trickery, this band is a must listen for Canadian music fans. These boys play an impassioned set, full of thought provoking lyrics,incredible stage feel, and an energy not seen by the likes of humankind.
+ Leaf Rapids
Cinematic Canadiana, Manitoba Motown or Spacey Spaghetti Western: Critics can’t decide! Leaf Rapids is a small isolated town in northern Manitoba where Aurora Borealis graffiti the winter skies. It is also the borrowed moniker of this Winnipeg band featuring sweet and smoky harmonies, luscious guitar licks, the eerie sound of the theremin, and Keri Latimer, Devin Latimer, Joanna Miller, and Chris Dunn as the realists and dreamers. They are chemistry professors, dry-wallers, child rearers, and custodians of the night. They croon about love as it applies to vultures, barbershop stabbings, satellites, and velvet paintings.
+ Making Movies
Psychedelic Panamanian band Making Movies is on a mission– to reconnect with the rebellious spirit in Latin folk music and harness its power for today. Their music represents the culture of the Americas in a way that delivers the chills of hearing something singularly special, yet feels oddly familiar.
The Latin Grammy-nominated band has collaborated with Rubén Blades, toured alongside Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Las Cafeteras, Flor De Toloache, and is currently producing AMERI’KANA TV an NEA-funded documentary series showing an alternate history of American music, furthering their mission for the world.
+ Sëdézë
Hailing from the Prairies of Saskatchewan, Sëdézë is a dynamic Indie-Soul-Rock band formed by friends treeplanting, in the summer of 2023. Sëdézë’s lead singers bring soulful vocals and expressive harmonies to the band. The multifaceted guitar adds tasteful accompaniment and driving solos while the rhythm section keeps the energy high, hips swaying and feet tapping. They recorded their first singles just last fall, hit the stage and busked their way to the Pacific Ocean. Sëdézë's infectious energy and wholesome stage presence has earned them a devoted following across western Canada.
+ Shaela Miller
Shaela Miller’s years spent doing good country music work are safely etched into public consciousness. A turn at this point is by no means an undoing, but a welcome lead into new waters and a sonic reintroduction to one of Canada’s best voices and most sincere stage personalities. Having accomplished TV placements like HBO’s True Blood, CBC’s Heartland, supporting Matthew Good’s tour, and touring her new record, After the Masquerade, Shaela sets aside (at least for now) her Loretta Lynn likeness in favour of the synth laden corridors of a new sonic pathway.
+ Sister Grace
Sister Grace, a triumphant embodiment of family harmony and musical passion, traces its roots to the scenic landscapes of St. Walburg, Saskatchewan. The trio, consisting of the Gardner sisters – Maddy, Kenzie, and Saidi – discovered their innate musical connection at an early age, under the guidance of their father. Captivating audiences at Party in the Pasture, and the Blueberry Festival, they’re musical journey has also taken them to Calgary and Vancouver.
+ The Boom Booms
The Boom Booms are a celebrated Canadian band from Vancouver, BC. They blend storytelling and dance music which draws on funk, soul, and latin styles and have spent the last decade touring the world and playing festivals. Their debut album Hot Rum, written on their inaugural tour from Vancouver to Panama, garnered a dedicated fan base spanning continents and generations. Be sure to check out their socially-charged documentary, Boom Boom Brazil, filmed over three months in Brazil.
+ The Brothers G
The Brothers G were formed in 2018 in a smoky garage on a farm near the town of Hafford, Saskatchewan. The band's music derives from combining their individual influences, making for a sound that is rooted in rock n' roll while heavily drawing from country, punk, folk, and the blues. They aim to take their unique sound and high-energy live show to new audiences in 2023.
+ The Moon Runners
The Moon Runners are a hypnotizing, emotional rock band residing on treaty 4 territory. They combine complex, frantic energy, technical, complex rhythms, impassioned, emotional performance, and unabashed, shouted vocals. Their 2019 release, Wakeless 2095, saw them nominated for The Saskatchewan Music Awards' "Metal/Loud Artist of The Year", as well as the Western Canadian Music Awards' "Metal/Hard Artist of The Year". Their latest single "sleep_in_the_swamp" is an incredibly ambitious, at times jarring track, bemoaning the hellish existence in a white-supremacist, capitalist society.
+ The Northwest Kid
THE NORTHWEST KID (NWK) is of Gitxsan descent: Frog Clan, House of Haawx. NWK has performed as a poet and emcee within the Canadian music scene for nearly a decade with the former duo Mob Bounce. The Northwest Kid’s genres range from more traditional Hip Hop music to Hip Hop with EDM or Acoustic music elements. The Northwest Kid’s previous releases (Transformation, DoZy & NWK, Mob Medicine, and Mixed-blood Mixtape) have allowed him to collaborate with artists such as The Halluci Nation, Kimmortal, Tara Williamson, Tall Paul and many more.
+ The Radiant
Saskatoon SK’s The Radiant mix a modernized 70’s/90’s rock with today’s alternative, psychedelic and pop, in a captivating live performance. They released their debut EP in 2019 and garnered successes including a WCMA nomination for Rock Artist of the Year 2020 and Alternative Artist of the Year 2022 from North Sask Music Zine. 2023’s release of Logical Steps EP landed the group a Sask Music Award nomination for Rock Artist of the Year. Regarded as a band that “has it together” by Canadian Beats, they’re coming’ for you.
+ The Secret Beach
The Secret Beach is a group of musicians orbiting around the work of esteemed songwriter Micah Erenberg. Their new album, We were born here, what's your excuse? was crafted under the guidance of producer Rob Fraboni, (Bob Dylan & The Band, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys) and evokes whiffs of McCartney solo albums, Big Star's Third, and fellow Canadian Chad VanGaalen. The album unfurls spools of intimate texture, hushed melodies, and an inviting atmosphere that puts the listener virtually in the same room as its timeless numbers.
+ The Waverley Pickers
The Waverley Pickers are a cosmic country sisterhood formed by one of Canada's most naturally gifted artists and ex-barrel racers: the one and only 𝗞𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 of Juno-nominated folk-duo 𝗞𝗮𝗰𝘆 & 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗼𝗻. Hailing from the absurdly isolated Rural Municipality of Waverley No. 44 on Treaty 4 Territory, the ensemble is supremely connected to the fountainhead of great country music and is known to dabble in astral travel. Their otherworldly sound brims over with notes of principle and promise, carried on a discerning wind as it sweeps over the faraway lands in Southern Saskatchewan.
+ The Whats
The Whats are an indie rock/grunge band (mostly) born and raised in the prairies. They formed in 2021 as high school students, and continue to write and practice in their drummer’s garage. Their sound, inspired by The Strokes and The Regrettes, is fresh, energetic, and fast-paced, but the most apparent constant in their music is their fiercely feminist perspective and politically-inspired lyricism. As children, they would have been described as both ‘little terrors’ and ‘a joy to have in class’.
+ Thinktank
"THINKTANK is an experimental hip-hop group from Regina, Saskatchewan. The 3 piece group has performed across the Prairies and Eastern Canada over the past two years touring their debut album 'Dream State', which offers an immersive, atmospheric approach to hip-hop.
+ Unproductive
Born out of hard-headed optimism, a love of social equity, and a passion for community, Unproductive is a propulsive post-punk band with a flair for the dramatic. Talking about existential issues can be uncomfortable. To counter this, we write songs promoting empathy, education, and initiative in our community with danceable rhythms, darkly inviting melodies, and direct, actionable lyrics. Our debut EP drops in March 2024. We were flattered and honoured to be selected as CFCR 90.5’s “Artist-In-Residence” for October of 2023. Enough about us; we hope you're doing well. It’s tough out there.
+ Velvet Threads
Velvet Threads, a Canadian band hailing from Prince Albert and Saskatoon SK, have captivated audiences with their unique blend of contemporary blues and pop-rock. Since their formation in 2018, the band has delighted fans with their energetic performances and soulful melodies. Comprising of seven talented musicians, Velvet Threads possesses a dynamic and harmonious sound that sets them apart.