Folk on the Rocks 2019: Your guide to the Cabin Stage

Folk on the Rocks 2019 is right around the corner – and so is the Cabin Stage’s second summer at the festival.

Cabin Radio is once again broadcasting live for 30 hours across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, bringing you the best of the Canadian North Main Stage, Cabin Stage, and Big Rock Beer Garden Stage.

And if you’re there in person, come find us at the Cabin Stage to the right of the main arena.

On this page, find out more about acts set to play this summer’s Cabin Stage. You can check out the full stage-by-stage lineup here.

Saturday

12:30 Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife / Website

For the second year, the Rainbow Coalition proudly opens up the Cabin Stage with help from a range of talented young NWT performers. The Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife runs an annual performing arts and queer justice camp prior to the festival – this year with assistance from Cassia, of the band Wares, and Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen.

1:30 Ryan McNally & The MessaRounders / Website

Band or not, Ryan McNally is a man with immense talent. He is a multi-instrumentalist who has performed for Prince William and Princess Kate and has had his album, Steppin’ Down South, nominated for Blues Artist of The Year at the Western Canada Music Awards. 

2:30 PIT! / Website

This Yellowknife band claims to rock a turtleneck like no other. The group has opened for Tanika Charles, performed at an MLA’s wedding, and lays claim to “impressive impersonations” of Prince and The Beatles.

4:00 Lazarus

Igloolik’s Lazarus Qattalik, also known by the stage name Mister, is a singer, guitarist, and drummer known for collaboration with a range of Nunavut musicians.

5:00 Leanne Betasamosake Simpson / Website

Leanne is ready to entice you with her storytelling abilities through song. Simpson has also been recognized as “one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation,” while her supporting band is comprised of three talented individuals – including Ansley Simpson, named Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in 2018.

6:00 Kilo November (presented by NWTCC) 

Kilo November, one of the youngest performers at Folk on the Rocks, is an Indigenous DJ from Yellowknife. He has been creating his own music since the age of seven, and made an appearance at this year’s Snowcastle. Now, the 11-year-old is playing a full set on-stage at Folk for the first time. We can’t wait to hear what he’s got!

Sunday

12:30 Fiver / Website

Fiver (aka Simone Schmidt) is back to showcase her voice and her storytelling abilities. Her album Audible Songs from Rockwood includes a stunning series of 11 fictional field recordings, gathered from case files of patients at the Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane between 1854 and 1881. Her album made the 2017 Polaris Prize longlist and gained recognition from the likes of NPR, CBC, The Walrus, and the Bluegrass Situation.

1:30 Beverly Glenn Copeland / Website

Glenn, born in Philadelphia but a well-known folk singer-songwriter in Canada for decades, enjoys making people happy with his music. He creates songs for people of all ages and has received awards from the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Arts NB, among others.

2:30 nêhiyawak / Website

This group consists of three Indigenous performers: Kris Harper, Matthew Cardinal, and Marek Tyler. They are from Amiskwaciy, or Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory, and describe their experimental indie music as a blend of traditional culture with contemporary technology. 

3:30 Wares / Website

Variously described as a “musical project” and a “cathartic shout across the prairie sky,” Wares was formed in 2013. Combining elements of indie, punk, and synth, the quartet has travelled across Canada with noisy, driving power-pop sounds created by Cassia Harvey.