Kayla Williams is unabashedly obsessed with oldies and is truly the definition of an old soul. Her sound is characterized by powerful, buttery vocals layered over a backdrop reminiscent of decades past. Her love of ‘60s/’70s music is represented by soulful songwriting and thoughtful lyrics, with a modern production. Being so passionate about oldies and harmony even resulted in a meeting with her idol, Brian Wilson, who said “you’ve got the voice!”

In her newest efforts she is pulling influence from the sub genre “yacht rock”. Artists like Hall & Oates, Boz Scaggs, The Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan were the inspiration for this new sound. Williams’ EP “Retrodelia”, scheduled to be released in 2023, is a playful, upbeat tribute to this time in music. She is bringing in a sassiness and feminine perspective to her take on this (male dominated) era of soft ’70s pop/rock and branding it ‘yacht pop’. The team assembled for this project includes producer Heath West and JUNO award-winning producer Spencer Cheyne.

In 2021 Williams was the recipient of the Red Deer Emerging Artist Award, an Alberta Music microgrant and most recently a grant from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts all to be used towards her “Retrodelia” EP. Williams has released four singles (“Stealing from My Youth” 2020, “Something Right” 2019, “Parking Lot” 2018 and “One More Dose” 2017), which have all received radio airplay. “Something Right” was written for the 2019 Canada Winter Games and was performed in front of an audience of over 8,000 at the closing ceremonies in Red Deer and broadcast nationally on TSN. In 2019 Kayla was one of 11 Western Canadian musicians invited into Canada’s Music Incubator’s AE West professional development program at the National Music Centre.

She has recently relocated to Calgary and amongst working on her own exciting EP she also works with artists like ‘Tandem Yam’, ‘The Dirrty Show’, ‘The Torchettes’ and corporate bands with over 100+ performances every year! With these projects she’s performed in amazing venues and with incredible festivals such as Skirts A Fire, Robson Valley Music Fest, Astral Harvest Music Fest, Waynestock, Melbourne International Comedy Fest & more.

She is also a vocal coach with a passion for voice science, vocal health and technique. Williams brings a pop vintage vibe to the Alberta music scene and is hard at work creating her retro vision.

Karolynn Mattern Photography

Born and raised in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB, Canada), Ariana Brophy is no stranger to hard work, taking chances, and using creativity as a means for connecting with those around her. As an actor, writer, songwriter, and performer, Ariana channels her independence and ingenuity into creating her own opportunities, as well as spaces for others.

Brophy’s music has been described as the songwriting equivalent of mulled wine — sweet, tinged with nostalgia, and perfectly paired with a rainy evening and fireplace. Initially taking inspiration from her youth spent in the beautiful surroundings of her Northern Turtle Island (Canada), Ariana has been drawing listeners into her unique inner world since long before her solo musical journey formally began in 2015. Praised for her gorgeous vocals and heart-wrenching lyrics, Brophy skillfully pairs story and song in a way that is rich, transportive, and connected to the depth of human experience. Stephen Thomas of Folkroom Records (London/Brighton, UK) praised Ariana as “one of the [Folkroom’s] stars of 2019,” saying, “her vocals.. songwriting, and the gentle warmth of her guitar result in a wonderful listening experience [akin to] sitting alone by a freshwater lake in the waning twilight… Perfection, in other words.” Ariana’s performances celebrate the strength in fragility and—with her balance of conversational humour and tales of human pain— prove that laughter can share a stage with tears.

Ariana’s music has graced audiences across Canada and the United Kingdom, including Edmonton Folk Festival (2016), Canmore Folk Festival (2015, 2016), The Works Art & Design Festival (2016, 2017), and Elsted Summer Festival (2019). Brophy has also participated in two residencies at the National Centre for Folk Arts at Halsway Manor in Somerset, UK (2019, 2020), crafting songs that were later released on her acoustic album, Naked, and wrote a song for the film, I Had A King. After two years living in the UK, Ariana was endorsed by the Arts Council of England in 2020 while applying for a Global Talent Visa.

In March of 2020, while in Canada for two weeks to apply to stay in the UK, Ariana found herself suddenly stranded nearly 7000 km away from her community, partner, and home in London. Despite the devastating betrayal and loss of her relationship, job, home, and creative life, she released the single “Her Name,” (I Had A King (2021 film)).

Ariana Brophy balances her songwriting and performing career with an abundance of work as a Producer and Sound Recordist/Designer. In this domain, Brophy does more than just record and mix sound for films; she uses a combination of meticulously designed and recorded audio to bring stories to the ears of listeners. A longtime advocate for the empowerment of vulnerable people, Ariana’s work in film and television covers a wide range of documentary and narrative works. More information can be found on the page “Film” on her website. Overlapping her music and film interests, Ariana launched FemFolk, a UK based online platform for women, trans, non-binary, and intersex folk musicians. Notably, FemFolk reviewed music, hosted events, and organized hundreds of online shows in 2020, amidst the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022, now two years since her departure from London, Ariana is currently in the process of launching FutureFolk, TheyFolk’s parent company, as well as her newest collections of songs, Under the Covers & Standing By the Window, anticipated in fall of 2022.

Photo by Luke Jansen

Artist Supported by Lilli Chevrier

Toronto-based singer-songwriter Shawna Caspi takes her time crafting lyrics that are poetic and meaningful, often using unusual rhymes and surprising turns of phrase. This is music that makes an authentic human connection, that conveys a sense of closeness, of being understood, of feeling less alone. Shawna spent years on the road, playing festivals and concert halls, train cars, backyards, and living rooms, supporting her warm, clear voice with intricate fingerstyle guitar accompaniment, and drawing energy from shifting landscapes and long drives through Canada and the United States. After taking a break from the road to rest, reflect, and write, Shawna returns with her fifth album, “Hurricane Coming”, a collection of raw, deeply personal songs set against a backdrop of colourful cinematic soundscapes. Shawna also created a series of abstract paintings inspired by the songs on the album, seamlessly combining her work as a musician and visual artist.

Photo by Roni Hoffman

Artist Supported by Bernadette Gasslein

Bella November (they/she) is a queer, Danezaa and Swiss singer-songwriter based in Amiskwacîwâskhikan ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ Treaty 6/Métis Territory, so-called Edmonton, Alberta. Bella views music as a form of medicine and a creative medium for healing, expression, strength, and unity. They’re studying for a Bachelor of Music at MacEwan University with a minor in songwriting to hone their artistic skills and simultaneously fulfill their passion for creating community and connection through song. Drawing inspiration from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy Mcalpine, and
Bon Iver, Bella seeks to captivate listeners through deeply expressive lyrics and emotive melodies.

Esther Forseth is an alternative-folk singer-songwriter based in Edmonton, Alberta. Esther twists her life experiences into thoughtful metaphors. She views her writing as a way to give herself, and listeners a fresh perspective of the complex emotions and situations we experience as humans. With the combination of her soft vocal performance, haunting melodies, and figurative lyrics, Esther’s songs are a safe-haven for self-reflection and vulnerability. 

Taylor Sim is a singer songwriter based out of Edmonton, Alberta. She started singing at a young age and began performing at different talent competitions in Spruce Grove. She enjoys playing all different styles of music though she thrives in the folk/roots genre. She currently attends MacEwan University where she has had many performing and workshop opportunities; a highlight for her was singing her own song for Brett Kissell and Michelle Wright in April of 2022. She is expected to graduate this spring and is eager to put her own music out into the music industry. 

Chelcea (she/her) is a singer-songwriter and composer studying Composition at MacEwan University. Although she’s always loved singing and performing, Chelcea began writing music a few years ago and has been lucky to learn from the Bachelor of Music program industry professionals. Singing is a source of joy and comfort; writing has become a way of self-expression and learning experience with every new song. She learns a lot from her peers and has been inspired by artists such as Ariana Grande, Alaina Castillo, JoJo, and Phoebe Bridgers. This is the beginning of her musical journey, and she looks forward to growing in the years to come.

Lise is a 21 year old singer-songwriter born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From the young age of 7 she started her singing career in the classical realm of music, and then later made her way into fields such as pop alternative with some influences in R&B.

Lise’s spontaneous writing style reflects her day to day life, thoughts, interactions, experiences and imaginations, while also laying out all of her emotions and feelings for all to see. Her vision is to musically capture pieces of a picture in hopes that when you eventually put everything together, you’ll get a glimpse of what’s actually going on inside her head, and maybe see what makes Lise… Lise 

“So at the end of the day I make music to figure out more about myself and to figure out… who am I?” 

Kate Blechinger is an inventive singer-songwriter based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB). Active in the Western Canadian music scene since 2013, Kate has brought her own unique brand of folk-jazz to the TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival, the Yardbird Suite, and countless other venues. Musically, Kate takes direct influence from the vast prairie landscapes of her youth to create expansive, evocative compositions for listeners to enjoy. Her lyrics intimately capture life’s many ups and downs, highlighting themes of love, grief, and growth. Pairing the lush harmony and spirited improvisation of jazz with sincere storytelling born out of the folk genre, Kate creates a fusion that is personal, poetic, and playful. Kate’s debut 2018 album, Under a Dancing Sky, features innovative folk-jazz arrangements of Joni Mitchell’s compositions alongside several of Kate’s original songs.

Recent highlights from Kate’s career include having her compositions and arrangements played on CKUA Community Radio, CBC Radio-Canada, CBC Radio Two, and many campus radio stations across the country; winning the Jazz Recording of the Year award at the 2019 Edmonton Music Awards for her version of ‘Night in the City’ by Joni Mitchell; playing a sold out show to 180 people in her hometown of Regina, SK; and being nominated for the Julian Award of Excellence for Emerging Canadian Artists organized by CJSF Radio (Burnaby). “[Her] arrangements are sculpted perfection and Blechinger‘s voice like liquid peace.” Chris Haynes, CBC News, September 2019.

Photo by Raine Radtke

I offer MUSIC; blues, jazz, funk, folk, whatever comes to mind; to entertain and stimulate. I offer WORKSHOPS, that empower and create hope, I offer CLASSES to grow knowledge and create skills. I offer PRODUCT created out of the old to cherish and recycle. I offer STORIES to take you to new places and ideas.

My message is simple… in the end…..it’s all about love. We are designed with love in mind and it seeps into every aspect of our existence! It permeates from our souls to our soles….And we reveal our hearts, in the way that we love each other, our families, our God, our work, our friends, our world, and yes, even ourselves.

I am: a mother of three, a sister of many, a friend to anyone, a servant, a builder, and artist, a songstress, an entertainer, I was a victim for years, I am dependent, I am fragile, I am unbreakable, I am joyful, I am stubborn and strong, I am expectant, I am excited.

I’m Natalie and this is my mission. To inspire, to love, to help you to find rest, to remind you that ‘You Can’, to give you a place to go to get away from the everyday and remember what we already have all around us….And never forget, You are Beloved.

Cheers!

Natalie B

Shannon Brown is a local student & singer-songwriter with a passion for folk music and the stories of women and queer folks. Featured in SkirtsAfire 2021, Shannon is looking forward to returning to this warm & grounded community of artists. She mixes her interests in both the literary and musical atmospheres to bring forward a sound that celebrates both the soft and raging side of her role as a woman in folk music. For her, music speaks in stories and there are many still unheard. When she isn’t reading or fiddling with her own music, she can be found worshipping artists like Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, & Tracy Chapman.

Photo by Emma Brown Production 

Dara Schindelka is a Saskatchewan singer/songwriter with a touch of the north and the pull of the prairies. Her latest project is a full-length album entitled Saturn Returns which has received the support of a sound recording grant with Creative Saskatchewan. Her debut EP, Thou Art Loosed, was a celebration of female strength and gained her awards and followers throughout 2020-2021.

As 2022 started, Dara was granted a SOCAN artist career development grant to complete work on her album, Saturn Returns, and has partnered with Boreal Heartland in northern Saskatchewan to create a unique tea based on the music of the title track. She has been recently nominated for keyboard player of the year by the Saskatchewan Country Music Association. Dara is touring across the prairies with the generous support of Cherry Tree House Musical Education Fund through the Saskatoon Community Foundation as a musician and workshop facilitator. Dara supports music festivals and livestreams that bring awareness and help to women’s issues and has worked with Stay Human Productions, Rock Against Racism, Piwapin Women’s Shelter, Prince Albert Multi Cultural Council, and FemFolk UK and most recently with the Saskatchewan Council for International Co-operation. Dara was recently chosen as an artist to showcase at the Ontario Presents Showcase in Orilla, Ontario. This past winter, due to the independent artist grant with SaskArts, Dara is completing research and reimagining traditional folksongs that share the lives of women from long ago and make connections to the present day.

Photo by Colin Hubick Photography