The Night Warblers are an eclectic indie folk trio from the Canadian prairies, where they live courtesy of Treaty No. 6. 

In the post-pandemic age, and with their children out of toddlerhood, these three re-emerging musicians began writing songs as meditations on motherhood, grief, and the politics of care; on power and inequality; and on questions of home, identity, family, and belonging.

As lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Susan Isaac says, “Writing a song is a funny thing: it usually tends to come out of deeply personal experiences I struggle to talk about, and yet on some level, there is always a desire to share it. It is a powerfully addictive thing to create deeply personal music that rings true for others.”

The band’s first releases include I Didn’t Think to Tell Him, a ballad of loss and enduring love following the death of a parent; Infinite Colours, a folk-country love song celebrating gender diversity; and Like a Child, a folk-rock cri de coeur originally begun in the 1970s by Susan’s singer-songwriter mother, Carol Isaac, and recently completed by the band.

Marked by a wayward approach to genre, The Night Warblers’ sound is comprised of three-part harmonies and a range of vocal styles by Susan Isaac (lead vocals, guitar, fiddle, piano), Jessica Nelson (lead vocals, mandolin, accordion, harmonica, percussion), and Keavy Martin (backing vocals, bodhrán). The band also specializes in creative covers revealing the strange shadow sides of songs that inspire them.

Driven by experimentation, collaboration, and play, The Night Warblers make prairie folk music for the 21st century.



“Holy wow! What a voice, what a performance.... She had a commanding stage presence and a control of dynamics that actually made my jaw drop making me grin like an idiot.... if you have not heard of her, get on that, because she was absolutely phenomenal!” The AU Review (Australia), selected as best 15 acts to see of 150 act international festival.

International touring artist Ann Vriend (AV), has not yet been home for 30 consecutive days this year, having performed in seven different countries since January, 2016. Her 2014 critically acclaimed, retro-soul album For The People In The Mean Time has kept her extremely busy. It was nominated for Pop Album of the Year at the Toronto Independent Music Awards (despite Vriend's residence in Edmonton), and songs from the album did well on Australian radio; getting into rotation on ABC and Triple J, where “A Need So Wide” made the nomination list for the Top 100 Songs of 2015. Accolades in Canada included song placements in commercials and short films, plus Vriend and her band “The Rooster Davis Group” won two blues awards – Best Self Produced Album, and Northern Alberta Regional Winners of the Memphis Blues Challenge 2016, were semi-finalists in the 2016 Memphis Blues Challenge, and spent June and July playing the Albertan blues and roots festival circuit.

Even with that frenzied schedule Vriend found time to get into the studio. Having recently signed with Toronto’s Aporia Records, she will release a new single “Anybody’s Different” on September 16, 2016. It will be the first of many soul/pop songs that will lead to an EP release in February, 2017 followed by a full album release. The songs are produced by Tino Zolfo – a soul bassist himself, back in the day – and like Vriend’s last collection of tunes, they have a retro ‘70s soul sound to them, while simultaneously belonging comfortably on any playlist alongside contemporary soul/pop artists such as Bruno Mars, Pharrell Williams, Amy Winehouse, Meghan Trainor or Adele.

“Anybody’s Different” is a powerful, epic, minor key soul/pop song, sonically reminiscent of Adele’s “Skyfall,” though faster-paced. Lyrically, it addresses current, globally relevant news regarding political division, the refugee crisis, gun violence, religious extremism. All this is achieved within a three-minute song, making strong use of rhyme, repetition, and simple, image-invoking words.

Vriend says she wrote the song “About as fast as it took to play it from start to finish.” But not until she’d first thrown out a lot of half-finished songs on the topic, that she wasn’t happy with. She found it a challenge though, to write about something so topical and politically charged without sounding “preachy, judgemental, or overly simplistic.” She continues, “All these issues have complicated histories, and I don’t pretend to be the one person on the planet who has figured out 10 easy steps to achieving world peace or something. Obviously if it was that easy it would have been done by now. But that doesn’t mean that I am not deeply saddened and angered by the devastating side effects of power struggles and greed, and how easily people are manipulated and sacrificed for that.”

Finally, Vriend decided to base the song on her own observations as a world traveller, and her personal experiences with so many people from different cultures, races, religions, sexual orientations, etc. The song simply covers the many ways in which we are all fundamentally the same, and asks a few poignant questions such as, “Was there a time when killing was wrong, no matter what Book you read, no matter what side you were on?” It is a song that reminds us all that human rights are exactly that, stating, “I don’t believe you if you say anybody’s different.”

"Impossible World" – the NEW full album by Wilfred N & the Grown Men is out NOW!! We're very excited about this. The album turned out great, and we are so eager for you to hear it!  

"Impossible World is an extended work in melody and sound, threading together the past and the present with reflections on what the future might hold. The 17 tracks have an overall positive vibe with feelings of a dark reality lurking in the shadows." ~ Wilfred


NEW Wilfred N & the Grown Men!!  Please visit www.wilfredkozub.com for all the songs and details!!! 
Today, January 20th 2017, we are releasing our brand new album, "Passing Through Time".  8 vital songs – 36 minutes! I'll have some of the songs up on my SoundCloud and pretty soon they will ALL be up. Meanwhile, please check my new website at www.wilfredkozub.com where you can hear all the songs in order (because order matters to a guy like me)and also get all the lyrics, full credits, AND backstories on all the songs. Pictures and videos, too. Thanks for liking us!!! (. . . um . . . you DO like us . . . don't you??)  chrs, your pal Wilfred

Here's a little extra something. We're working on a low key, lo fi version of Thunder on the Tundra (working title Thunder 2020) that will make the scene at some point before 2020 . . . not sure when, but it's a gooder.


Hey!!  . . . I made a lyrics video for our new tune, "Nobody Has To Know," and you can view it on YouTube here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yab2dUwo6J0

It's a little like old news now, but in Spring, 2014 . . . Wilfred N & the Grown Men put out a new Spring Single!!! The A-song is "Nobody Has To Know". The B-side isn't any the lesser . . . just waaaay different. It's called "Playing In The Mud". Release date?? April 22, 2014. We think you're going to like this!!!  The Spring Single Thingy comes hot on the heels of  Wilfred N & the Grown Men's 2013 EP/album – “I’m In Love With The City”. This was quite a different project for us (Everything's a different project for us these days!! Who cares? . . . WE DO!!!) . . . a bit more of an experimental adventure, for sure.  Find songs from the new album up on Soundcloud NOW!!  Here are a couple early reviews
If you want to purchase it, go to our Bandcamp at http://wilfrednthegrownmen.bandcamp.com/    . . . also available on CDBaby.com at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/wilfrednthegrownmen and iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/im-in-love-with-the-city/id635172646 plus all the other digital download sites.

Ok. Here is some info about me, Wilfred. Music is a big thing in my life . . . I’ve been tuning into radio since I was a little kid (on a crystal set – rocket radio!) and I grew up with access to a large record collection (vinyl and, later . . . everything else that followed).  I was lucky to be a teen during a very musically fertile time – when the Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and tonnes of other greats were creating fresh music for my fresh ears. To this day, I like it when an artist has his own sound but doesn't sound 'all the same' , , , and this is what I try to do.  Most of my own music is written for records by my group, Wilfred N & the Grown Men. I also love making experimental music. I always try to make something that's different, that turns me on, and hopefully it will turn you on, too. In my parallel life as a visual artist – the same goes for my paintings. You can see some of my art here:  www.wilfredkozub.tumblr.com Please keep coming back to my Soundcloud – I’ll do my best to keep posting music that is interesting and alive. Thanks for tuning in!! 
 chrs,  your pal, Wilf

Sonny Mac is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician who's unique style and vision, while based in classic country music, is varied and eclectic. Inspired by the nostalgic singing cowboys of the past, Sonny Mac writes songs that - while at times being tongue in cheek - are always honest and real. Sonny Mac’s music can make you laugh, shout and cheer, or at other times put a tear in your eye. Whichever way you take it, at a Sonny Mac show you’re gonna have a toe tappin’ foot stompin’ good time!

Followers of Ann Vriend