Festival Express

Rosali Middleman just released her fourth record under the name Rosali , and it's her second with Omaha-based backing band David Nance Group. The whole crew will be at Birds Hill Park to perform from Bite Down , but before coming up, Middleman joins UMFM PD Michael Elves to discuss making the record, growing up in a large musical family, her various projects and much more.

Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie earned a Polaris Prize shortlist spot for her The Ballad of the Runaway Girl in 2018, but her brand new record is drawing in new listeners with reworkings of classic rock and pop translated into Inuktitut. Elisapie will be playing the main stage at Winnipeg Folk Festival at 6pm on Friday July 12th.

Originally from the Texas panhandle and now calling Nashville home, singer-songwriter Mali Velasquez discusses relocating, moving from choir to singing solo and working on her debut album, I'm Green , with UMFM PD Michael Elves in advance of her appearance at the 2024 Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Originally from Uganda and now calling Austin, Texas home, Jon Muq 's story is a singular one and he shares it with UMFM PD Michael Elves in advance of his appearance at the 2024 Winnipeg Folk Festival. The pair discuss Michael Jackson, cruise lines, Muq's debut Flying Away and more.

UK collective Ibibio Sound Machine draw on singer / frontperson Eno Williams Nigerian heritage, and while their first four records were sung in the Ibibio language of her homeland, the group's latest album, Pull The Rope, finds Williams incorporating English lyrics for the first time. She discusses what led to this, the sound their producer brought to the mix and more with UMFM PD Michael Elves in...

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Helena Deland was recently longlisted for the Polaris Prize for her latest album, Goodnight Summerland . She discusses making that album - a tribute to her mother - with UMFM PD Michael Elves. Photo courtesy Lawrence Fafard.

While she now splits her time between Vancouver Island and Nashville, Winnipegger Ruth Moody has a special place in her heart for the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She talks about working on her new album Wanderer with UMFM PD Michael Elves, reflects on Folk Fests' past and what to expect when she kicks off the mainstage on Thursday July 11th. Photo courtesy Jacqueline Justice.

Raised in Wetaskiwin, nêhiyaw singer-songwriter Wyatt C. Louis now calls Moh'kinstsís / Calgary their home and recently released their debut album Chandler on Royal Mountain Records earlier this year. Louis speaks with UMFM PD Michael Elves on the heels of a very special National Indigenous Peoples Day for them, about what role place plays in their songwriting, working with other songwriters on co...

Minneapolis singer-songwriter FINICK came to Birds Hill Park in 2023 as party of the Young Performers Program and will return to the Winnipeg Folk Festival this summer. After finishing school for the year, she came up to Winnipeg to record a live session and interview at UMFM with PD Michael Elves where she discussed making her debut record, Where Could We Go?, working on new material and her expe...

Local bluegrass quintet The Stanley County Cut-Ups have a busy workshop schedule at the 2024 Winnipeg Folk Festival and will be part of the Grand Finale as well. Banjo / dobro player Tim Osmond discusses the group's formation, releasing a song on a postcard, playing workshops and more with UMFM PD Michael Elves.

Singer-songwriter Leith Ross is an Ottawa transplant who now calls Winnipeg their home. Speaking with UMFM PD Michael Elves, Ross discusses moving cities as well as from the internet to the studio with their debut record To Learn , reflections on playing the 2022 Winnipeg Folk Festival and more in advance of their return to Birds Hill Park for 2024. Photo courtesy Adam Kelly.

The Messthetics were formed by Fugazi members Brendan Canty and Joe Lally alongside guitarist Anthony Pirog. Blending post-rock, jazz and more into a heady brew, the trio enlisted the talents of saxophonist James Brandon Lewis for their latest album on the venerable Impulse! imprint. UMFM PD Michael Elves speaks to Pirog about having a sound that allows them to play a diverse range of festivals, w...

No stranger to the Winnipeg Folk Festival as she's been attending since she was in the womb, Madeleine Roger discusses making her new album with Bonny Light Horseman's Josh Kaufman and why she looked outside the city and her circle to make the record. Photo courtesy Laina Brown.

While they're both from Oregon, Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler and Camille Wind Weatherford met and formed The Lostines in New Orleans. Their debut record, Meet The Lostines is an introduction to the pair who split and shared songwriting duties and who discuss their influences and making the record with friends in their adopted city. Photo courtesy Kait De Angelis.

Touring on the strength of her brand new record, Strange Medicine , Montreal's Kaia Kater discusses making that record after learning new compositional skills developed taking film-score courses in the pandemic, enlisting friends and idols to join her and more topics with UMFM's Michael Elves in advance of her appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Photo courtesy Janice Reid.

Known for his experimental rock outfit, Ghostkeeper, Alberta artist Shane Ghostkeeper's most recent release is Songs For My People , a country album. On this episode of Festival Express he talks about growing up in the genre and finally making something for the aunties and uncles in his life, what his songwriting process is like and more with UMFM's Michael Elves before his appearance at the Winni...

While he got his start playing in punk act Single Mothers when he was in university, Evan Redsky has since gone out on his own and made his name as a singer-songwriter with the release of 2022's Oblivion, the follow-up to his debut EP, Danny Wolfe . Redsky spoke to UMFM's Michael Elves about finding his own voice and more in advance of playing the Winnipeg Folk Festival .

Legendary singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III released Lifetime Achievement in his seventies, after a half-century of music making. He reflects on that album and more with UMFM's Michael Elves in advance of his appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Born on the edges of Mexico City, multicultural band BuenRostro create a diverse range of sounds - drawn from their membership - into a danceable and infectious blend. Singer Lupita Buenrostro joins UMFM's Michael Elves to talk about what role place, climate and activism play in their music prior to performing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival .

Beer For Breakfast's Broose Tulloch talks to Dylan MacDonald, who's been performing under the Field Guide moniker since the release of his Full Time EP and whose most recent album is a "Tape Redux" version of his self-titled album.

Evan Pang - who records under the name Aysanabee - released Watin in 2022 to tremendous critical acclaim. Recently longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, Pang talks about making the album with UMFM's Michael Elves before his appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Milwaukee, WI blues artist Carl "Buffalo" Nichols discusses how he transitioned from the likes of Limp Bizkit riffs to Charley Patton samples for his forthcoming album The Fatalist and why he's trying to free the blues from being stuck in amber with UMFM PD Michael Elves.

Beer For Breakfast's Broose Tulloch talks to Toronto's Julian Taylor about the soul-folk sound he has crafted over decades of music making and on multiple albums including the award-nominated The Ridge .

Irish singer-song­writer Susan O’Neill — who has recorded a col­lab­o­ra­tive album with Mick Flan­nery called 'In The Game' and her own solo EP Now You See It talks to UMFM PD Michael Elves in advance of her appear­ance at the Win­nipeg Folk Fes­ti­val .

Pastoral MIDI 's Alex Braun talks to "Southern Gothic" blues singer Adia Victoria in advance of her appearance at the 2023 Winnipeg Folk Festival.