Sunday July 31

ALAN DOYLE

The boy from Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, is a born explorer who carries home with him wherever he goes. Anyone who’s been observing keenly or casually over the last three decades will know Alan Doyle shifts his musical emphasis with natural ease while remaining true to the traditions of the place and people which form his artistic foundations. These truths hold on his latest release, Back to the Harbour. The recording has an immediate, intimate feeling; poignant in its clarity with themes identifiably characteristic of the Atlantic but simultaneously universal in sentiment. Back to the Harbour sounds as though it were performed in the listener’s living room.

Sometimes we are parting by circumstance or leaving by choice, or perhaps coming together by fate or reuniting by design. If one knows the canon of Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle’s solo records, there can be no mistaking his distinctive voice and steady themes. With Back to the Harbour, Doyle seamlessly introduces new elements to his range while remaining close to his cherished traditions. Always pushing the boat out a little further, ever returning to shore.

FORTUNATE ONES

Fortunate Ones is a contemporary folk duo from Newfoundland. Celebrated for their harmony-entwined songs of hope, resilience, and the human condition and their joyfully disarming live shows, they have toured relentlessly, bringing their open-hearted performances to thousands of people across North America and beyond. Catherine and Andrew have been busy since the release of their debut album The Bliss in 2015 - thousands of miles, hundreds of shows, award winning albums and scores of fans have all been hallmarks of the success the duo has experienced since their humble beginnings in St. John’s. The Bliss was nominated for a JUNO Award and landed two #1 singles on CBC Radio 2’s Top 20. On their sophomore album Hold Fast, the title track hit #1 on the CBC Music Top 20 Chart. The album also took home three Music NL Awards in 2018, was nominated for four East Coast Music Awards, and the 2019 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year.

To date, songs from Hold Fast have over 16 million streams on Spotify. In the summer of 2020, Fortunate Ones took part in the collaborative Songs from Home EP with Newfoundland favourites Alan Doyle, The Once, Ennis Sisters and Rachel Cousins. Written and recorded in isolation, the EP was released November 2020. 

KELLIE LODER

There is something truly captivating about Juno award nominee, Kellie Loder. It can be found in their poignant and timely lyrics set against magical melodies. It can also be found in the singer/songwriter’s electrifying live shows, inspiring profound emotion in listeners. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, and you’ll tell your friends about it. CBC q’s Tom Power proclaims “If I were a betting man, I’d bet the house on Kellie Loder being the next big thing out of Newfoundland”.

Loder is a contestant on the brand new season of City TV’s Canada’s Got Talent. Included in their long list of accolades are 2022 ECMA nominations for Songwriter of the Year as well as Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year. They were named the 2021 Ron Hynes Songwriter of the Year at the Music NL Awards this past December and received a 2021 ECMA win for their groundbreaking music video and song, “Molded Like A Monster”.

Their 2019 single “Fearless”, received high praise and was chosen as the soundtrack behind CBC’s 2021 Tokyo Olympics coverage as well as the soundtrack behind an IMAX Trailer for Superpower Dogs, narrated by Chris Evans (Captain America/Avengers).  Their continued accomplishments and hard work has placed them on the same performance stages as Melissa Etheridge, Steven Page, Paul Brady, Joel Plaskett, Alan Doyle, and more.

Anyone who has heard Loder or watched them perform knows one thing is certain: they’re a towering talent about to explode on the world stage.