5th Annual Roots North Music Festival in Orillia

The Roots North Music Festival is proud to announce that Juno winning Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith will be one of our headline performers during the 5th annual festival taking place 

this April, 2019

Ron Sexsmith was seventeen when he started playing at a bar, the Lion's Tavern, in his hometown. He gained a reputation as "The One-Man Jukebox" for his aptitude for playing requests. Ron Sexsmith’s status as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation has never been in doubt, even from the moment he released his self-titled major-label debut album in 1995. His career arc since then has in some ways been a study in how that pure ability has been handled in the studio 

He has won acclaim not only from critics but from fellow performers like Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, and John Hiatt -- some of the same artists, ironically enough, who initially inspired Sexsmith himself to become a musician

We are proud to announce The Weather Station will be our second headline artist performing at the upcoming Roots North Music Festival.

Plain but elegant, simple but intricate… Her songs feel very much like attempts to understand and appreciate the world in spite of its bitter ills like the most basic forms of folk music, a term Lindeman readily embraces, they come with intent and aim." – Pitchfork

The Weather Station is the project of Canadian songwriter Tamara Lindeman folk music based in classic elements of songcraft – melody, tension, meaning. On the acclaimed All Of It Was Mine, and follow-up What Am I Going To Do With Everything I Know, (both for You've Changed Records) Lindeman established herself as a songwriter's songwriter, earning accolades for her delicate, carefully worded verse, filled with double meanings, complex metaphors, 

and rich details of the everyday.

Alysha Brilla is a 2018 Juno Award nominated artist, music producer and songwriter. Her music, blogs and spirituality are inspired by growing up with parents from two different cultural and religious backgrounds; an Indo-Tanzanian father and Euro-Canadian mother. Her fourth, self-produced album "Rooted" culminates the spiritual & philosophical musings with upbeat folk, jazz, and world sounds. 

Brilla has performed internationally including across Canada, Australia, Singapore, Tanzania, Chile and more. In addition to live performances of music, Brilla conducts arts education workshops in schools; promoting diversity in music and mentoring in self-expression through the arts. 

We're very excited to have Alysha join the 5th Annual Roots North Music Festival

A native of Prince Edward Island, Rose Cousins lives in Halifax Nova Scotia. She deeply values being part of multiple music communities, and is constantly fueled by collaboration. Cousins’ 2012 album We Have Made A Spark celebrated her Boston community and featured a cast of musicians Cousins had known and played music with for a decade. It won a Juno Award, 3 East Coast Music Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and made picks/best of lists in USA Today, 

NPR Music and Oprah Magazine.  

Her music has found its way into several TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy. Cousins' 2017 release, Natural Conclusion, made with Grammy award winning producer Joe Henry, is what she calls "the most honest and vulnerable thing" she has made to date. The album received a 2018 Grammy nomination and Rose was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2018 Canadian Juno Awards and Artist of the Year at the International Folk Awards.

"The simplicity of these songs is deceiving; as sparse as they feel, her voice draws you in until you realize you are at the heart of the storm." – The Guardian

Blues and Roots Radio Album and Song of the year (2018) nominee VK, featuring singer-songwriting dual Steve and Marni Van Kessel are a welcome addition to this years' Roots North Music Festival - Main Stage. A Canadian duo with a unique style and sound, VK hails from Orillia, Ontario - our festival hometown.

“The vocals are smooth and mellow, with well-crafted lyrics and musical accompaniment that take the entire Americana sound to a new and different level.” -Bob Leggett, LA Music Critic 

The songs come from a personal past — Marni immersed in vocal training and choirs, Steve as a young songwriter and guitarist, honing his skills and confidence to share his creativity. A notable mixture of old-school rock and roll and “Americana” with heart, passionate vocals, super-clean production, and superb musicianship. Think Blue Rodeo rather than Wilco; think the Hip rather than the Drive by Truckers. 

A performance not to be missed.

 In 2011 Ariana launched her CD with a live appearance on the US satellite station SiriusXM. The show was hosted by Dave Marsh, author of more than 25 books on rock and roll and known as the "dean of American rock writers", who admits to being her biggest fan. Bernie Taupin, Elton John's lyricist, publicly admitted on his radio show, "I'm staggered by how good she is...There is not much that impresses me these days but after hearing her available tracks, I can honestly say she's the single most exciting thing 

I've heard in a very long time."

Her distinctive voice and poignant songs garnered Gillis Songwriter of the Year at the 2009 Niagara Music Awards, followed by Female Vocalist and Album of the Year in 2010. She networked at music conferences, which led to that two-song performance for Dave Marsh, airplay on his radio show, 

and the ear of Bernie Taupin. 

Her voice is like an instrument in itself, stripped bare, full of passion and honesty like Ani DiFranco, Terra Lightfoot, and Patty Griffin with hints of Tom Waits, Nick Drake, and Bob Dylan.