FRIDAY JULY 31ST
JEAN-FRANCOIS BERTHIAUME & LOUIS-SIMON LEMIEUX (QC)
Percussionist, caller, step-dancer, researcher et collector, Jean-François Berthiaume possesses precious baggage, rich and varied. After more than 30 years in service to traditional dance, he has become known as one of the beacon callers of his generation. His work as a teacher and choreographer has been seen across Quebec, Canada, in the United-States as well as in Europe.
His passion, his instincts, his energy et his charm make him an authentic artisan of tradition. He can be heard as part of many groups, most notably Réveillons!, the Frères Berthiaume, and Le Grand Char allégorique.
Louis-Simon Lemieux is a talented Québécois multi-instrumentalist; he is a master violinist, harmonica-player, guitarist, foot-tapper and singer. Having started his musical career at at the youngest of ages, his known amongst his peers for his know-how and his authenticity, which has led him to producing regularly with many groups from the traditional music scene of Quebec, namely Le Rêve du Diable, Les Chauffeurs à Pieds, Galant tu perds ton temps, Réveillons!, Le Grand Char Allégorique, as well as in a duo with his father Daniel Lemieux.
He has over 20 album credits to his name, and has been seen on stage locally and internationally. He is also a well-respected sound technician in the world of trad music and has his own recording studio, le Studio des Trois Lits.
MAUKIN (PEI)
Fueled by bold musical imagination, Maukin is a sturdy new folk collective from Prince Edward Island. Their rich compositions and melodies, shaped from the cultural clay of their home province by Rowen Gallant (fiddle) and Nick vanOuwerkerk (Pipes/Whistles), draw from their collective Irish, Scottish and Acadian heritages and are brought to life through genre-defying arrangements and accompaniment by Jesse Périard (Guitar) and Caleb Gallant (Bodhran/Percussion).
Previously touring and recording as the highly acclaimed trio Ten Strings and a Goatskin, Périard and the brothers Gallant have joined forces with award-winning piper and whistle player vanOuwerkerk to once again explore the hinterlands and frontiers of Atlantic Canada’s folk traditions.
JOURDAN THIBODEAUX TRIO (USA)
Presenting three of the greatest young players in the Cajun/Creole musical tradition today: Jourdan Thibodeaux, Blake Miller and Joel Savoy.
Jourdan Thibodeaux is the guy you picture when someone says the word “authentic.” Straight from the blackjack boggy woods of Cypress Island, Louisiana, Jourdan is one of only a small number of young people speaking Cajun French today. His musical ability and his crafty songwriting which is at once classic and progressive has afforded him a band comprised of some of the finest artists in Acadiana today.
Joining him is Blake Miller, who has distinguished himself in the field of Cajun music on both fiddle and accordion, and he has played in a succession of the genre’s top bands, including the Pine Leaf Boys, Cedric Watson and Bijoux Creole, the Red Stick Ramblers, the Revelers, and now fronts his own group, the Old-Fashioned Aces.
Completing the trio on guitar is Joel Savoy, the son of Cajun music royalty Marc and Ann Savoy, and founder of the Louisiana-based label, Valcour Records. Joel is a Grammy-winning recording engineer and record producer as well as a ten-time Grammy nominee and fiddle virtuoso.
SATURDAY AUGUST 1ST
CAJUN COUNTRY REVIVAL (USA)
The Cajun Country Revival makes music full of spontaneity and joy. Together, they play Cajun dance hall music from the prairies of southwest Louisiana where generations young and old alike come together to celebrate their vibrant culture by dancing, socializing and having a good time. Jesse Lége is the real deal. Growing up in a rural, pre-electricity home in Gueydan, Louisiana, Jesse spoke Cajun French and learned music from relatives, neighbors, and the family's much-loved battery-powered radio. Today he is one of the most admired Cajun accordionists and vocalists in the world.
Sharing the stage with Jesse for the last 25 years is fiddler Joel Savoy. Since his early teens Joel has been dedicated to honoring, preserving and living the legacy that is Cajun culture, instigating and supporting traditional music and events such as the Courir de Mardi Gras and boucheries. A two-time GRAMMY Award-winning producer and engineer, he’s worked and played with just about every musician out of SWLA, but is most often found onstage with his parents and brother in the Savoy Family Cajun Band or Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rodailleurs.
Joining Jesse and Joel onstage as often as possible are two of their “favorite musicians in the world," Sammy Lind and Nadine Landry of the internationally acclaimed Foghorn Stringband. A highly-respected old-time fiddler, Sammy Lind plays only a few fiddle duets with Joel in this group, offering instead that classic Cajun rhythm guitar drive, while bandmate Nadine Landry (Québec) challenges Jesse for the most powerful vocals as she keeps them all together with her double bass.
VISHTÈN (PEI)
For over two decades, Vishtèn has been a driving force in Acadian music, blending deep-rooted traditions with contemporary innovation. Hailing from Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands, the group has earned international acclaim, performing at renowned festivals worldwide and receiving a Juno nomination, multiple ECMA and Music PEI Awards, and the SPACQ’s Édith Butler Prize.
In 2022, Vishtèn faced an immeasurable loss with the passing of co-founder Pastelle LeBlanc. In response, bandmates Emmanuelle LeBlanc and Pascal Miousse launched Vishtèn Connexions, a project dedicated to completing and sharing Pastelle’s unfinished compositions. This endeavor honored her musical vision while embracing collaboration, growth, and new artistic possibilities.
Now entering a new chapter, Vishtèn is thrilled to welcome back pianist, dancer and singer Megan Bergeron. A lifelong friend of the band, Megan grew up alongside Emmanuelle and Pastelle, and was part of Vishtèn’s early days, appearing on their debut album. Her deep roots in Acadian tradition, combined with her rhythmic and expressive playing, bring new energy to the band's signature sound
Guided by resilience and the spirit of expansion, Vishtèn continues to evolve while remaining deeply connected to their heritage. Their electrifying blend of traditional French songs, powerful instrumentals, and driving rhythms continues to captivate audiences worldwide. With thousands of performances across North America, Europe, and Australia, Vishtèn’s music transcends borders, carrying Acadian culture forward with passion, innovation, and an unbreakable sense of community.
CHAMPAGNE WEATHER (NS)
In a world that seems to spin faster every day, Champagne Weather makes time stand still. With a blend of songwriting and sound sculpture, the band artfully connects folk/roots to modern minimalism. Every song is a shimmering blanket of sound with flashes of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Appalachian fiddle and Maritime folksong. Their music wraps around the audience, creating transformative musical moments.
Champagne Weather is new music from James Hill and Anne Janelle. Separately and together, Hill and Janelle have won a Canadian Folk Music Award and garnered both JUNO and ECMA nominations. They have performed widely at venues and festivals across Canada as well as internationally from New York to London to Tokyo. With Champagne Weather, the duo explores musical territory that reflects the full breadth of their musical lives and loves. The result is both healing and haunting: strange and beautiful music for strange and beautiful times.
SUNDAY AUGUST 2ND
GORDIE MACKEEMAN AND HIS RHYTHM BOYS (PEI)
There’s no other band around like Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys.
Led by fiddling wiz Gordie “Crazylegs” MacKeeman, the roots quartet features all-star pickers and singers, with everything from down-home country to reckless rockabilly to intricate bluegrass. Now the boys are back with their latest release, Dreamland.
Crowds all over the world stare in awe as Gordie plays with joyful abandonment. They create new fans at festivals such as Denmark’s Tonder Festival and the U.K.’s Glastonbury, to Merlefest in North Carolina and the Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia. Onlookers report Gordie and the Boys to be festival highlights time and time again. This is mostly due to the elastic legged band leader nicknamed “Crazylegs” as he demonstrates his unique blend of Canadian clogging and step dancing.
Since their inception, they have collected a mantle-full of awards and recognitions. Their latest album “Dreamland”, produced by Nashville’s R. S. Field, has captured the versatility the group has to offer while showcasing their expansive talents.
While their records are tremendous; it’s their exhilarating live show that keeps people coming back time and time again and leaving with the same wonder and amazement.
JULIE AUBÉ (NB)
Sometimes musician, sometimes poet, et also often both at once, Julie Aubé is a multi-disciplinary artist from Memramcook, New-Brunswick. Well established in the Canadian music scene, she is best known as a part of the band Les Hay Babies.
It was in 2017 that she undertook her solo journey as a singer-songwriter that she revealed her captivating folk-rock-country vintage feel with the full-length album Joie de vivre, winner of the Music NB Solo Recording of the Year Award. She struck again in 2022 with Contentement, a work written in the spirit of contentment, as her way of saying “thank you” for what is lived, what one has. The album won Recording of the Year at the Music NB Awards, and earned nominations at ADISQ and the ECMAs.
With her lively voice et her pen with a penchant for songs written in her language “chiac”, Julie Aubé sings from the gut, a powerful song, to describe her gratitude, her relationship with her native region, and love, of course.
ROUTE 11 FIDDLERS
Every year, on the Sunday of the festival weekend, we gather up the incredible violinists that have assembled at Festival Route 11 for Fiddle Church.
These world-class musicians from near and far compare playing styles, share favourite tunes, and demonstrate the vast cultural significance of the humble, but complex, fiddle.
