FREE during Fringe

Kaeley Jade

Alternative-folk singer-songwriter Kaeley Jade crafts full-hearted songs that dig deep. Growing up on the outskirts of North America’s most northern metropolis, the Edmonton-based Métis artist has been sculpted by icy winter winds and sweeping prairie skies. Whether through gently textured acoustic ballads or rip-roaring full-band cuts, Canadian Folk Music Award-winner Kaeley Jade’s powerful voice captures life’s most challenging moments with sincerity and precision. Her cinematic new album, The Great Unknown, invites listeners to release what no longer serves them and celebrate the beauty found within the ever-shifting tides of experience

Opening Ceremonies: Aug 13 (Thu) @ 7:00PM

John from Dawson

Presented by Music Yukon, supported by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, FACTOR, and the Government of Yukon.

John from Dawson is an Anishinabeg Hip-hop artist born and raised in Dawson City, Yukon on the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in.

With music that has been described as a mix of Mac Miller and the Bloodhound Gang, JFD uses emotional inner thoughts to create catchy hooks that keep crowds energized and engaged. JFD channels his emotions and life experiences through his music, creating Hip-hop that expresses his positive outlook on life and aims to uplift and inspire the youth of the Yukon and beyond.

After attending the Canadian Music Incubator’s Artist Entrepreneur West Program and performing at several large festivals such as Dawson City Music Festival, Keno Festival, Edmonton Fringe Festival and Break Out West, JFD set his sights on touring within Canada and Internationally. Opening for Hip-hop artists such as Haviah Mighty, Super Duty Tough Work and Shad, JFD creates genuine connections with audiences making his performances unforgettable.

Catch John next in Edmonton at Purple City Festival! 

Aug 14 (Fri) @ 9:00PM

Stone Joy

Society is on the brink of collapse. Our governments are run by the corrupt, the square, the jive, and the unfunky. Within the dregs of Edmonton’s criminal underworld, however, hope persists in the form of 7 powerful and notorious funk outlaws known as Stonejoy. Strap in with Grand Marshal Groove, Alto Montana, Rosario Lothario, Fuzz, Dr. Dissonance, Bottom End Betty, and Bushido Bam Bam as they appropriate the banknotes of the bourgeoisie for the betterment of society. The revolution may not be
televised, but this Groove Platoon of Doom will make sure you hear it coming

Aug 14 (Fri) @ 10:00PM

Misfortune Tellers

Energetic, irreverent, and packed with angst, Misfortune Tellers embrace the emotionality of their Emo and Alternative influences in their revival of early 2000s Pop-Punk and attack the stage with high energy, in-your-face live performances. In the five short years the band has existed, they have made a name for themselves across western Canada, playing slots at acclaimed festivals such as Winterruption, Purple City Music Festival, Hi-Light Fest, and Next Fest. They have headlined at Edmonton venues such as the legendary Starlite Room Main Stage and have garnered a large online audience with over 150k views across their social media platforms. Misfortune Tellers have sold out Edmonton venues such as The Aviary and Starlite Room’s Temple Stage, and are gearing up for their first album recording.

Aug 15 (Sat) @ 9:00PM

Tea Fannie

Tea Fannie is a bold, genre-bending artist blending hip-hop, soul, and wit into fearless
storytelling. Known for clever lyricism and unapologetic vibes, she turns life’s highs and lows
into beats that hit hard and linger longer. Tea’s music isn’t just heard—it’s felt

 Aug 15 (Sat) @ 10:00PM

Claire Ness & The Rubies

Presented by Music Yukon, and supported by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, FACTOR, and the Government of Yukon.

Canadian Folk Music Award winner Claire Ness has an imagination as bright as the midnight sun and a wanderlust reaching from the rugged Yukon mountains to the Atlantic coast, seamlessly blending folk, blues, country, and comedy into a bilingual foot-stomping celebration of northern life.

Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Claire’s artistic journey was shaped by a fierce commitment to the craft of storytelling and a keen interest in colourful characters. From studying the sharp mechanics of comedy writing in Toronto to mastering the gravity-defying poetry of circus arts in Montreal, Claire has spent a lifetime gathering the tools to do what she does best: keep an audience completely spellbound.

When it’s time to truly kick the dust off the floorboards, Claire Ness hits the stage alongside The Rubies, featuring the driving rhythm of Genesee Keevil on upright bass and the soaring, lightning-fast melodies of Keitha Clark on fiddle. Together, this powerhouse trio delivers an interactive, high-energy show that bridges worlds and languages.

“When I listen to her voice, I want her to be my friend. There’s just something so unbelievably appealing.” – RICH TERFRY, CBC

Aug 16 (Sun) @ 9:00PM

Major Funk

Presented by Music Yukon, and supported by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, FACTOR, and the Government of Yukon.

High energy bass-led grooves, soaring vocals, and a tight horn section; this isn’t what you’d expect from a band coming from the Yukon in Canada’s North, but it’s exactly what you get with Whitehorse’s Major Funk. It’s also a great formula to get a crowd moving, and they’ve got this down to a science. Several years of research and development in the studio and on the road has refined the band’s sound into something familiar but fresh, epic but accessible, and dangerously infectious. Most importantly, however, it’s a ton of fun, and it makes you want to dance. It’s all on display in their growing discography of top notch funk-pop music and their unforgettable live shows: a groove-heavy genuinely good time that will stay with you long after the last note. 

Aug 16 (Sun) @ 10:00PM

Ryan McNally

Presented by Music Yukon, and supported by Air North, Yukon’s Airline, FACTOR, and the Government of Yukon.

While he’s best known for his interpretative playing of traditional acoustic blues, jazz and old time music, audiences can’t help but notice the influence that Northern living has had on his music. For the past 15 years McNally has called Whitehorse, YK his home.

Originally from rural southern Quebec, Ryan first discovered jazz and blues by uncovering a huge collection of ‘78 records that belonged to his grandfather. Then, as a teen, his curiosity for the sound and history anchored his love for the genres and it’s only grown stronger since.

McNally has become known for his diversity as a multi-instrumentalist. He plays guitar, harmonica, mandolin, violin and banjo, all in many different styles. Whether performing solo or with his band, his music is grounded in the legacy of the generations of players that came before him. All the while he continues to push the boundaries of his own signature sound.

Aug 17 (Mon) @ 5:00PM

Sam the Living

You’re baking cookies when the oven timer goes off. You reach in too fast, the oven mitt slipping short of your wrist, and burn yourself on the rack. The tray tilts, the cookies fall, and your favourite baking dish shatters on the kitchen floor. Andy Shauf – or maybe Paul Simon or Ray LaMontagne – is playing in the background, and despite the sting, you can’t help but laugh at how bitter a moment can be. Sam the Living lives inside that feeling. The self-proclaimed sad prince of the prairies, based between Edmonton and Toronto, Sam is an eclectic singer-songwriter who turns small domestic disasters and dissociative episodes into thoughtful, affecting songs. Blending seventies soft rock with contemporary indie folk, his ethereal, brooding voice carries stories of almost-love, hunger, heartache, and absurd reflection, lifted by rich harmonies that would earn the approval of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As melancholic as it is playful, Sam’s music invites listeners to sit with the mess, hum through the sting, and notice how even the smallest wounds can open us to the tenderest truths.  

In his latest release, The Heel, Sam explores the cost of ambition, the wear and tear of pursuing a career in the arts, and the resentment that can surface – both toward himself and others. Borrowing a term used for villainous characters in professional wrestling, he casts himself as “the Heel” within his own musical universe, exploring the negativity and angst that often accompany a songwriter on the road to success. The songs draw from a wide range of influences, with moments that echo both The Band and Big Thief within a single recording. Despite this intentional diversity, a throughline of sharp, unguarded vulnerability ties the collection together, resulting in a body of work that feels both evocative and deeply contemplative. 

Aug 18 (Tue) @ 5:00PM

Holidays in Canada

Holidays in Canada is the Americana-folk collaboration of Jeff Stuart and Lindsay Pratt. Combining lush harmonies, heartfelt songwriting, and a playful stage presence, the duo brings together two deep musical histories. Lindsay is a Western Canadian Music Award-winning singer-songwriter (Party Jacket, Twin Peaks), while Jeff is the longtime frontman of Alberta’s celebrated indie-folk band The Hearts. Together, they weave rich narratives and dreamy melodies into a seamless, captivating live experience that resonates long after the last note.

Aug 19 (Wed) @ 5:00PM

Mbira Renaissance Band

The Mbira Renaissance Band is one of Edmonton’s most exciting acts this year! The band’s first full length album was released in January of this year, reaching number one on the CKUA radio charts in its first week and earning 2 nominations in the 2026 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Centered around the soulful sounds of the mbira, a traditional instrument from Zimbabwe, their music offers a fresh, energetic and spellbinding experience. Seamlessly moving between re-interpretations of traditional repertoires and original compositions, their sound features, cyclical arrangements, polyrhythm, layered vocals and improvisation.

Known for bringing an audience to its feet, the band’s fusion approach flirts with a range of genres including reggae, jazz, rock and jit, reminding fans of greats such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso, Bhundu Boys and Thomas Mapfumo.

The Mbira Renaissance Band recently toured Zimbabwe, has performed in the US and across Canada including at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, the Canmore Folk Music Festival, Calgary Stampede and the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival. This year, their spring and summer tour will see them once again share their infectious music with communities across North America, visiting cities from San Diego to Toronto.

Aug 20 (Thu) @ 9:00PM

Haidee

Haidee is an award-winning Filipino-Canadian pop artist, producer, and vocal arranger whose music blends powerhouse vocals, lush harmonies, and emotionally honest songwriting. Creating cinematic pop inspired by identity, love, ambition, and belonging, she transforms deeply personal stories into immersive live performances that are both intimate and powerful.

Aug 20 (Thu) @ 10:00PM

Paul and the Feels

Paul & the Feels are a modern soul band with a 70s heart–holding nothing back, all-in from
the count-in.

Fronted by singer-songwriter Paul Fuellbrandt, the Feels mine hope from the grit of the daily
grind.

Every track hits with honesty and weight, driven by a working man’s soul band. Wherever
they find you, Paul & the Feels will meet you–and move you

Aug 21 (Fri) @ 9:00PM

Electric Religious

Electric Religious got his moniker from a Hendrix quote: “When I get up on stage, that’s my whole life. That’s my religion… I am electric religion.” His sound straddles pop, rock, and funk––a genre playfully coined as “Métis Disco,” recently earning a 2026 WCMA Pop Artist of the Year nomination.

Aug 21 (Fri) @ 10:00PM

Lindon Carter

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Lindon Carter has been playing in bands and making music for most of his life. Known primarily as the lead singer of the band Carter & the Capitals, Lindon has begun to explore a much different, experimental and melancholic sound with his new solo project.

Aug 22 (Sat) @ 9:00PM

First Gen

First Gen comprises musicians with diverse backgrounds and education in jazz. While the band has
undergone numerous transformations over the years, its essence remains rooted in representing a generation of first-generation children of immigrant parents. First Gen exists to disrupt the status quo of local Albertan music, platforming a generation of Asian Canadians who feel underrepresented within Canada’s post-colonial art scene.

During his formative years, Scott, who raps under Gr8Skawt, encountered challenges navigating the music scene as a child of immigrant parents. The struggles inspired Scott to create the music he was passionate about. First Gen resonates with the concept of a collective of individuals who grew up with immigrant parents, supporting each other within the industry.

Since 2024, First Gen hosted shows in various venues across the city, collaborating with establishments such as the Starlight, Rec Room, The Aviary, and Rocky Mountain Ice House. Embracing a spirit of community, First Gen primarily focused on collaborations with local artists in Edmonton, including Haidee, Jillian Treidler, Just Moe, and Ten02, all close friends of the band. Through these partnerships, they aim to celebrate communities fostered through art and shed light on the hard work that often goes unnoticed in the music industry.

The band’s music, primarily penned by the group’s 2 front men, Scott (Gr8Skawt) and Patrick (Astro Stye) and composed by JD Speelman, David Le, Dylan Campbell, Nick Lai, and Amanda Dang, who share the societal struggles faced by first-generation children of immigrants and the realities of their everyday lives. Drawing inspiration from hip-hop luminaries such as 88rising, MF DOOM, Nujabes, Dumbfoundead, and Denzel Curry, combined with the band members’ diverse jazz backgrounds, each performance delivers high-octane improvisatory hip-hop. First Gen invites audiences to explore the intersections of their heritage, family narratives, and the pop culture that has shaped their identities

Aug 22 (Sat) @ 10:00PM