2012 Artist Profiles
Gary Ness and The Mud Creek Boys
The Mud Creek Boys, an acoustic trio based out of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, play an eclectic mix of old-time country, bluegrass, blues and swing. They especially seek out those "old tunes that everyone remembers but no one plays anymore". J.P. Huang plays guitar and mandolin, Peter Williams plays guitar and bass, and Ian Spooner plays banjo and guitar.
The Mud Creek Boys have performed in many different venues across western Nova Scotia, and been part of a showcase at the Lunenburg Folk Festival. To a great extent, their repertoire draws from traditional sources, such as the Delmore Brothers, the Carter Family, and Woody Guthrie, but numbers by contemporary artists, such as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Peter Rowan, The Beatles and The Dillards, also find their way into the mix.
Special guest Gary Ness, now a retired professor who was with Acadia University for many years, joins the Mud Creek Boys, for the "train show." Gary is a historical train enthusiast and has written two books on the Dominion Atlantic Railway. As part of the "train show," he will tell stories about trains and share from the vast collection of train photos he has collected over the years.
For more: visit their website
Naming The Twins
Micah O'Connell
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III has had a vibrant 41 year career in the music business that most singer-songwriters only aspire to. MOJO Magazine calls Wainwright "lyrically compelling and emotionally overpowering." He began his career as a folk singer-songwriter, in the late 60's, writing humorous, yet honest, autobiographical songs. In 1972, he wrote "Dead Skunk," in 15…
Read More Loudon Wainwright IIIContinue
Originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Fish & Bird started as an acoustic duo in 2006, comprised of Taylor Ashton and Adam Iredale-Gray. Their interpretation of 'folk' took them to original songs in odd time signatures and traditional murder ballads with rock beats. On their second album, Left Brain Blues in 2009, friends were enlisted to…
Read More Fish & BirdContinue
Harvey Marcotte
Harvey Marcotte is a singer/songwriter, from Bear River, Nova Scotia, who has his feet firmly planted in the fertile soil of a family musical tradition. Growing up in a French community on Rhode Island and encouraged by musical parents, Harvey learned to sing and play various instruments. At the age of 15, he was performing…
Read More Harvey MarcotteContinue
Sheesham & Lotus & Son
Sheesham Crow and Lotus Wight originally came together, as Teilhard Frost and Sam Allison, for the fiddle band Flapjack, in 1998. During their seven years with this group, they discovered their mutual interest in the folk traditions of North America, particularly the American south. Through personal instruction, perseverance and osmosis, they learned harmonica, jaw-harp, flatfoot…
Read More Sheesham & Lotus & SonContinue
Ilannaat
"Ilannaat", an Inuktitut term describing good friends, is the new Throat-singing duet of Kerri Tattuinee and Kathleen Merritt. The two are indeed good friends, who grew up in the tiny Arctic community of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Since the age of seven, they have been inspired to learn the art of Inuit throat-singing; an ancient practice…
Read More IlannaatContinue
Willie Stratton
The Willie Stratton band is a howling, seething cyclone of god-fearing folk music. Comprised of the band's founder, chief writer and namesake Willie Stratton, his half-wolf little sister Grace Stratton and super solid bassist Dave Fultz, The Willie Stratton band has been stomping their feet, gnashing their teeth and belting their lungs out since they…
Read More Willie StrattonContinue