Hailing from Whiteway, Trinity Bay, Shana Brown picked up the button accordion at age 7 and it has been her main instrument ever since. Equally comfortable playing gigs with her brother Dillon or laying down award winning performances shredding Bach compositions, Shana is constantly exploring new styles and pushing the boundaries of the instrument.
The Fiddlers Greene are Marlo and Sadie Greene- two sisters from St. John’s who have been playing fiddle for 9 years. They love to play and perform many different styles of traditional music, particularly Newfoundland traditional and Bluegrass. This will be their third performance at the NL Folk Festival, but you can hear them throughout the year at all ages trad sessions around St.John’s or at the Bluegrass Brunch at the Ship. They also perform at the annual Young Folk at the Hall. The Fiddlers Greene are very excited to be back playing at their favourite event of the summer!
Paul Maher is a 16 year old lead guitarist, singer/song writer who loves to perform. His music is heavily influenced by such artists as Gord Downie, Tom Petty and local artist Nick Earle. While his main instrument of focus is the acoustic he has been captivating audiences with his electric guitar and mandolin skills. Paul takes advantage of our local open mic night’s and currently performs at O’Reilly’s on Tuesday nights at 730 till 830 and Bridie Molloys on Thursday night at 730 till 830. Though New to the music scene he has already headlined at local festivals and even took home 3rd place in the 2023 Newfound Talent Contest. Paul loves any chance he can get to perform, he considers himself an up and coming artist. The next generation in NL music.
Laura Davis, Anna Corcoran, Luke Mercer, Jake Greening, Samuel Penney
Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz – A German word that is the name of a law for the delegation of monitoring beef labeling.
Comprised of three young musicians keeping traditional Newfoundland music alive, the Salt Beef Junkies are a popular hit with tourists and locals alike. Consisting of Luke Mercer on accordion, guitar, harmonica and vocals, Ty Simms on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals, and Alex Mercer on bodhran, the boys tend to draw a crowd with their toe tapping tunes.
Performing as a group since 2019, they have played numerous venues, festivals, and events across the province, and were featured in an episode of HGTV’s “Rock Solid Builds”. In February, they released their debut CD entitled “Somewhere in Between”.
As part of their volunteer activities, the Salt Beef Junkies regularly play at various seniors’ homes across the St. John’s metro area, veteran’s support groups, and fundraisers in support of various causes. For their volunteer activities, they were awarded the Quinn Rockstar Award for youth that demonstrate leadership and volunteerism in their community.
All three boys have been mentored by well-known Newfoundland musicians and it shows in their lively upbeat performances.
A familiar face at local traditional music sessions, Luke Mercer has played at numerous events
throughout the province including the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Young Folk at the Hall,
Eastport Accordion Festival, and the George Street Festival. Luke was proud to be the opening act for a
sold-out High Kings show at Holy Heart Theatre and had the opportunity to write and perform a song
with his band the Salt Beef Junkies on the Season Two premiere of the HGTV show “Rock Solid Builds”.
Luke sings and plays a wide range of instruments including accordion, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin
and is proud to volunteer at local seniors’ homes and various fundraising events.
A grade eight student at Paradise Intermediate, Luke is always excited to play music and loves bringing
smiles to people’s faces.
Ellie MacLachlan, Olivia Neary, Brett Crane, Allison Walsh, Charlie Meades
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – This word is actually the name of a village in North Wales. This UK town with the most letters in it’s name translates to “Saint Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio of the red cave”.
Maia has been enjoying music since a very young age and you can often find her playing her violin in traditional music sessions at the Rooms or the St. John’s Farmers Market or on violin with CALOS symphony orchestra or singing with The Shallaway youth choir. In addition to other notable accomplishments, Maia was awarded 2022 Youth of the Year by the City of St. John’s.
Makeda is a fiddle player from St. John’s, NL. She’s been playing since the age of 3 years old, and has spent time learning both classical and traditional music.
