Like a sporadic option on a menu, Soup’ du Jour performs a variety of music styles both in English and in French.

There is no shortage of talent and charisma in this dynamic duo who rejoice in offering an amusing performance that will surely delight the diverse tastes of their audience.

Tout comme une option occasionnelle figurant sur un menu, Soup’ du Jour interprète une variété de styles de musique en français et en anglais.

Il n’y a pas de pénurie de talent et de charisme dans ce duo dynamique qui réussit à offrir une prestation amusante qui plaira sûrement aux goûts divers de son public.

Four folky, bluegrassy gals jamming and laughing in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Sooky Couch Girls began playing music together in July of 2023 after connecting at the Ship Pub’s bluegrass brunch. Composed of Sarah Hansen (vocals, guitar, harmonium, ukulele), Emily Hunt (upright bass, vocals), Lauren Smee (fiddle, vocals), and Meghan McCarthy (vocals, guitar), this acoustic quartet plays a combination of original songs and covers with a side order of sass. Their style is a unique combination of bluegrass, folk, country and gospel, and their mission is to have as much fun as possible while sharing their love of music with audiences and with each other.

Soundbone Folksong Choir (SFC) is a non-auditioned choral group for adults who share a love of the traditional and contemporary folk songs of Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond. 

The SFC was founded in 2020 and is directed by traditional musician/music educator Jean Hewson.  It is a project of Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation; an organization that fosters the preservation and performance of the traditional folk arts of Newfoundland and Labrador. (soundbone.ca)

The choir has two ten-week sessions a year with each session culminating in a final concert. Since its inception, the SFC has had the opportunity to work with many of Newfoundland and Labrador’s best-known traditional and folk musicians including Anita Best, Brian Cherwick, Ian Foster, Sandy Morris, Dave Panting, and Christina Smith.

This summer the choir is participating in the International Choral Festival taking place in St. John’s called Harbour Voices, and is also delighted to make its very first appearance at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival.

Blending folk-pop sensibility with country and Irish-Newfoundland roots, Sherry affirms her place as one of Atlantic Canada’s best-loved singer-songwriters. Once named “St. John’s answer to Lucinda Williams” and compared to John Prine for “reeling you in with her heartfelt stories and a hint of humour,” Sherry’s rich vocal style is described as “absolutely unforgettable” (Exclaim!). Her 2018 release, Wreckhouse, included the celebrated single “Stop the Trains,” about her father’s 1950s railway encounter with the infamous Wreckhouse winds. The song has quickly become a part of the Newfoundland canon of legendary songs. Her show captures her adventurous and open-hearted spirit and her songs transport you to places and experiences that make you feel like you’re on the journey with her. 

“Sherry has certainly honed her skill as a master storyteller. Her dry wit and self-depreciation creates a comfortable space for the audience to relax and engage. She’s very disarming and the songwriting is great. The crowd loved it and everyone stuck around for a chance to chat with her after the set. It’s that kind of show. David Francey-esque.” Bryan Power- Victory Pool Music

Sherry will be accompanied by violinist and fiddler Maria Cherwick, whose career spans from symphony orchestras, to touring internationally with her Ukrainian speed-folk band, The Kubasonics. Originally from the Canadian Prairies, Maria’s studies and career eventually brought her to St. John’s Newfoundland, where she is currently based. Maria holds a Bachelor of Music from Brandon University and a Masters of Music from Memorial University of Newfoundland.  Twice named MusicNL “Side Musician of the Year” as well as “Celtic/Traditional Artist of the Year”, Maria maintains a busy performing schedule, dividing her time between several country, folk and bluegrass bands, and is highly sought after as a session musician. 

Sherry and Maria have performed extensively together, and  have created a show which weaves together story telling, songs and fiddle tunes.

On Shout for More, her fifth full-length album, Sherry Ryan charts a new chapter in her life with a luminous collection of songs that glows like stained glass. Blending folk-pop sensibility with country and Irish-Newfoundland roots, Sherry affirms her place as one of Atlantic Canada’s best-loved singer-songwriters. Her pure voice adorns lush arrangements—closely crafted with producer Mark Neary—like a floral crown, carrying the soul of each song straight into the listener’s heart, whether she is looking to the future, glancing back at the past, or taking stock of what falls in between.

Born and raised in Middle Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, Sherry’s career has been storied, with acclaim and accolades from the ECMA, MusicNL, Exclaim!, CBC and audiences nation-wide. Once named “St. John’s answer to Lucinda Williams” and compared to John Prine for “reeling you in with her heartfelt stories and a hint of humour,” Sherry’s rich vocal style is described as “so good—so distinct—it’s absolutely unforgettable” (Exclaim!). Sherry’s 2018 release, Wreckhouse, included the celebrated single “Stop the Trains,” voted Best Song in the Province (The Overcast), and featured in festival-favourite film An Audience of Chairs.

Though trains, roads, and travel frequently cross into her Americana-infused songs, Shout for More proves Sherry is far from road-weary. With fresh energy and new stories to tell, Sherry Ryan is poised to win hearts and get boots tapping.

Silver Wolf Band is a four-piece Indigenous folk pop rock band from Happy Valley Goose Bay, Labrador. Lively, engaging and self-assured performances of honest and sincere lyrical music is what has made Silver Wolf Band one of the most in-demand music groups from Labrador. Their music is shaped and informed by family, community, love, and their home land itself. Their first full length album Pockets Filled With Rocks saw them nominated for Rock Artist of the Year (Music NL, 2018) and First Light Indigenous Artist/Group of the Year (Music NL, 2019). Their most recent album Storms & Prayers (2020) saw them nominated for Group of the Year (Music NL, 2020) and won them Indigenous Artist of the Year (Music NL, 2020) and Indigenous Artist of the Year (ECMA 2021). Silver Wolf Band is Jamie Jackman (guitar, vocals), Matthew Barrett (piano, keyboards), Justin Jackman (drums, percussion), and Brandon Pardy (bass guitar). The band is coming off a successful tour of the Province in support of Storms & Prayers which included 4 sold-out shows in Corner Brook, St. John’s, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Wesleyville.

I am a farmer, spoon carver and green woodworker from Co. Limerick, Ireland. I use locally sourced fresh hardwoods like birch and cherry to carve wooden spoons and treen using just simple hand tools.

A contemporary roots duo featuring sibling songwriters Leela Gilday and Jay Gilday.

Sechile Sedare (pronounced ‘seh-chee-leh’ ‘seh-dahr-eh’) means ‘my younger brother, my older sister’ in the Dene language. This musical collaboration sees Jay and Leela co-write and co-create new repertoire together, harnessing their talents as deeply insightful and genuine storytellers.

Their voices blend in perfect harmony, hitting notes of nostalgia, hope, humour and reflection. The songs, created during lockdown in 2021 and during a residency at the Banff Centre, share stories about their family history, their connection to the land and water, and the twists and turns of fate.

Sechile Sedare will be touring communities across Canada this spring and summer and plan to release a debut album in 2023.

JAY GILDAY BIO
A vagabond turned mailman, Jay Gilday has searched for himself in the depths of Folk, blues, traditional, rock and most recently soul music. The quest continues as Jay takes his experiences as a half Dene, half Canadian-Irish youth traveling the roads of Canada, the daily roller-coaster of work, family, and performance and weaves them into song. Jay’s live performance is executed with a trained voice and a passion to drive it backed up by a heavy hitting guitar, finger-style or flat-picked, your choice!

LEELA GILDAY BIO
Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, she writes about the people and the land that created her. The power in her voice conveys the depth of her feelings of love and life in a rugged environment and vibrant culture, as if it comes straight from that earth. Leela’s family is from Délįne on the shore of Great Bear Lake and her rich vocals dance across the rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming as smoothly as a bass line onstage the largest venues in the country. And she has played them all.