SaskMusic and artists The North Sound and Jake Vaadeland & The Sturgeon River Boys will be participating in the 2023 Canada House at AmericanaFest. We’ll be partnering with colleagues CIMA and Alberta Music, Manitoba Music, and MusicOntario to present a showcasing & business mission for Canadian companies and their artists.
Friday, September 22 from 11:00AM-5:00PM Canada House will present showcases at InDo (632 Fogg St), preceded by a networking reception 11:00-11:30AM. The event is open to AmericanaFest conference delegates and the general public.
- 11:00AM: Networking Reception
- 11:30AM: Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane
- 12:10PM: Basset
- 12:50PM: The North Sound
- 1:30PM: Field Guide
- 2:10PM: Colleen Brown
- 2:50PM: JJ Shiplett
- 3:30PM: Cat Clyde
- 4:10PM: Jake Vaadeland & The Sturgeon River Boys
Canadian companies representing the showcasing artists will also get the opportunity to participate in a business-to-business session in partnership with Sounds Australia, British Underground and AMERICANAFEST. (Canadian companies who will be in Nashville in September and who are interested in taking part in the business events can contact Jenia Schukov for more information.)
Canada House Artists
Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane: 2023 International Acoustic Music Award Winner Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane have performed over 3000 concerts in 11 countries armed with 10 instruments, brotherly harmonies and masterful storytelling. "Majestic songwriting, incredible insight, genuine authenticity" Americana UK
Basset: This Toronto-based duo, comprised of songwriters Sam Clark and Yasmine Shelton, will take you through city streets in the hours before the world has woken, or to a corrugated steel home north of the treeline. Their inventiveness shines on Sam's fiddle, and in their intricate harmonies, with Shelton and Clark’s voices wrapping around each other like twin flames in a warm fire.
The North Sound: The North Sound is ever-changing with lyrics spanning across haunting metaphors and a sound balanced between today's modern production and the era of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris blazing the highways. The group was formed in 2014 by lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Forrest Eaglespeaker with his partner Nevada Eaglespeaker supplying harmonies. The North Sound was created to share stories in keeping with Forrest’s Blackfoot identity and traditions from Treaty 7 Territory
Field Guide: Field Guide (aka Dylan MacDonald) is a weaver of worlds. Built around his inviting voice and wrapped in warm textures, his self-titled sophomore full-length builds his most engaging world yet. It lives in a place between darkness and hopefulness with unshakeable melodies at its heart.
Colleen Brown: Prairie-raised multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Colleen Brown has been called “one of Canada’s premiere songwriters” by CBC Radio. Weaving elements of folk and pop, her latest album ‘Winging It’ is vulnerable and authentic, with captivating vocals. Released on Flatcar Records, it hit #1 locally and #7 nationally on campus radio in Canada, and was featured by prominent DJs across the US.
JJ Shiplett: JJ Shiplett is an Americana singer, writer, musician, storyteller who always makes an impactful impression with his textured and powerful voice. JJ’s new single “Already There”, received 10 Apple playlists on May 12 release day and an Amazon playlist cover amongst others. Last year JJ performed a much-lauded sold-out show at Studio Bell in Calgary’s National Music Centre.
Cat Clyde: Cat Clyde joined producer Tony Berg in Los Angeles’ famed Sound City Studios to record her latest album Down Rounder in 6 days, with her singing voice spanning an appealing twang to a lovely, plaintive croon. It’s about an exploration and expression of self, patterns in the natural and unnatural world, and the ever-changing nature of love and life.
Jake Vaadeland & The Sturgeon River Boys: Jake Vaadeland is a 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist, who along with his band The Sturgeon River Boys has earned 4 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards and 2 Saskatchewan Music Awards. He has over 80 shows scheduled on his 23/24 Canadian Tour.
How were the Canada House artists chosen?
A call for submissions for Canada House was run and juried by CIMA, through which two Sask artists were chosen. SaskMusic is sponsoring the participation costs of the Sask artists.
AmericanaFest also runs a separate official showcase submission process each year to curate their official showcase artists. Artists announced to date for officials can be found at: https://americanamusic.org/americanafest-lineup
