2023 Roots North Music Festival April 20th - 23rd

Tommy Youngsteen is a Toronto-based classic rock supergroup featuring members and alumni from Juno-winning bands The Sam Roberts Band, Stars, The Arkells, The Trews, July Talk, and The Serena Ryder Band. They pay tribute to the legendary music of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and many more.

Over the last ten years its members have logged well over 5000 shows with their respective groups, from Canada all the way to Japan, and have shared the bill and opened for artists such as Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC & Coldplay, just to name a few. As well as made appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Conan O'Brien Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

With the announcement of Tommy Youngsteen, we are excited to introduce an adjustment to the mainstage auditorium space on Friday April 21. To accommodate the band’s high-powered ensemble and the inevitable eruption of dancing from Tommy Youngsteen’s performance, the St Paul’s auditorium will have a dance floor available with a smaller seating section - 300 of the usual 400 seats will still be available. When Tommy Younsteen hits the stage, their rhythm and energy will get you moving, twisting and twirling!

Acclaimed Canadian pianist and singer Michael Kaeshammer has invested a lot – countless hours at the keyboard, hundreds of recordings, thousands of live performances, millions of miles in the air and on the road – all in pursuit of a mastery of 12 notes across 88 keys. 

Over the course of decades as a professional performer, Kaeshammer has developed a style that weaves threads of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride, and even pop into a signature and sought-after sonic tapestry. However, despite all the achievements and accolades – multiple JUNO Awards, the shows on iconic stages with international stars and symphony orchestras, the strings of stellar reviews from major media outlets – Michael Kaeshammer isn’t resting on any laurels; these are merely temporary stops on his journey, and as always, he’s solely focused on reaching the next one,

and then the one after that.

Two time Maple Blues Award Nominees for Best New Group/Artist and two-time Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best New Blues, Ronnie Douglas’s music has been featured nationally in Blues Radio Programs and on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) Rez Bluez Series. 

Since forming the group in the mid nineties, notable festival performances include the Great Canadian Blues Festival, the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Southside Shuffle, and the Orillia Spring Blues Festival.

The group features longtime musicians Dave Hewitt on Drums, Rick Greensides on Guitar & Vocals, Timmay Kehoe on Bass and Ronnie Douglas on Guitar & Vocals. Blues that’s reverential to classic blues styles with elements of soul and funk!

There is something truly extraordinary about Juno award nominee, Kellie Loder. It can be found in their poignant and timely lyrics set against magical melodies. It can also be found in the singer/songwriter’s electrifying live shows, inspiring profound emotion in listeners. 

Kellie Loder is most recognizable as first runner up on the 2022 season of Canada’s Got Talent. Also included in their quickly growing list of accolades are recent 2022 ECMA nominations for Songwriter of the Year as well as Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year. They were named the 2021 Ron Hynes Songwriter of the Year at the Music NL Awards this past December and received a 2021 ECMA win for their groundbreaking music video and song, “Molded Like A Monster”. Their 2019 single “Fearless”, received high praise and was chosen as the soundtrack behind CBC’s 2021 Tokyo Olympics coverage as well as the soundtrack behind an IMAX Trailer for Superpower Dogs, narrated by Chris Evans. Anyone who has heard Loder or watched them perform knows one thing is certain: they’re a compelling talent about to explode on the world stage.

Meredith Moon has spent the last decade travelling her home of Canada, and the world, by

multiple means, finding inspiration for her unique style of songs which are crafted in a true

storyteller's fashion. She has been described as a 'gem' among the Old-Time music scene for

her unusual expression of the genre, combining influences of folk-punk with traditional

Appalachian sound.

Besides playing traditional tunes often 'non-traditionally', Meredith presents a powerful voice and highly contemporary clawhammer banjo style. She is a multi-instrumentalist, incorporating

finger-style guitar, piano and lap dulcimer, among other instruments, into her performances.

Along with an endorsement from Gold Tone Music Group and a recent recording deal with True

North Records/Linus Entertainment, Meredith Moon has been a regular in the folk music and

folk festival circuit for over a decade. In the last eight years, she has herself booked and toured

Canada several times, along with Mexico, Central America, the UK and Europe. She released

"Forest Far Away" in May of 2018, and will be releasing her second full-length album,

“Constellations”, in early 2023.