The Gordie Sampson Songcamp gives young Nova Scotian songwriters the opportunity to co-write and perform songs with their peers.

Songcamp is run by volunteers and participation is free. If you’d like to support our efforts to help young Nova Scotian songwriters, become a Friend of Songcamp by purchasing our compilation CD here: 

www.gordiesampsonsongcamp.com

Hello Delaware are an alternative rock band from Halifax Nova Scotia. Currently band leader and songwriter Dana Beeler is hosting the weekly podcast This is Fine: a podcast for the pandemic, which talks to musicians and music industry professionals from across Canada about the current global pandemic and how it's effecting their career and daily life.

The Rural Alberta Advantage's percussive folk songs about hometowns and heartbreak, and relentless tradition of touring have taken the trio from humble recognition amongst indie rock die-hards as "Canada's best unsigned band" to sold-out tours and devoted fans around the world with featured coverage from Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, The New York Times and Rolling Stone all taking note. The band has been nominated for two 2012 Juno Awards (Best New Group and Video of the Year for their song “Stamp”), long listed for the 2011 Polaris Award, and awarded the CBC Music Prize for Best Independent Artist in 2014.

The RAA has released three albums on Saddle Creek/Paper Bag Records: Hometowns (2009), Departing (2011) and Mended With Gold (2014). The trio of Nils Edenloff, Paul Banwatt and Robin Hatch will be hitting the road for set of road testing shows to preview the new material they’ve been working on and carve out these new songs in front of their fans in a live setting before returning home to record in between each run. The tour will swing through some of the band’s favourite venues across North America and Europe throughout 2016/2017.

Some words on The Rural Alberta Advantage:

““Regardless of your tastes, if you care about drums at all, Mended With Gold is a must-listen.” –Pitchfork

“The Rural Alberta Advantage are best seen live, where their acoustic crescendos and Nils Edenloff's Jeff Mangum-esque vocal acrobatics impress most.”  -Under The Radar

“There's something that just makes you want to root for them -- as Edenloff introduced "Tornado '87", a song about a twister that ran through Edmonton, one of the many Canadian bros in attendance shouted: "I LOVE TORNADOS!" That's making a connection.” – Coachella Festival coverage, Pitchfork

“The intensity of like “Stamp” and “Don’t Haunt This Place” lean on Banwatt’s marathon-runner stamina and fills, and it’s safe to say the band’s great melodies wouldn’t sound the same without him.” – “The 10 Best New Rhythm Sections”, Paste Magazine

“The crowd sang along to all the ‘oohs’ and danced to songs like The Deadroads and Frank, AB, even demanding an encore that would never materialize in a festival like this. Will this show rate among the weekend’s best? Too early to say, but it’s a strong contender.” – Montreal Gazette at Osheaga Festival

Newfoundland duo Fortunate Ones’ second album Hold Fast is a study in resilience and partnership and Catherine Allan and Andrew O’Brien know a lot about what it takes to make a good partnership. Their debut album, The Bliss was nominated for a JUNO Award, garnered two #1 singles on CBC Radio 2’s Top 20, won the 2016 “Rising Star” ECMA, the 2015 “Vocal Group” Canadian Folk Music Award, and four 2015 Music Newfoundland and Labrador Awards.

Over the last five years they have played over 300 shows together and have even garnered the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he singled out a track from their 2016 Christmas EP All Will Be Well, as one of his favourite listens for the holidays.

With the whirlwind that has been the band’s first 5 years it seems apt that the first track on this record, “Northern Star” calls on listeners to reflect, stay strong, and move forward.

“There’s a quickening of the blood / Inside the hammer of your heart / To know where you are going / You’ve got to find out where you are”

Catherine was moved to write the chorus of “Northern Star” after hearing stories of refugees moving to Canada, and imagining what that journey must be like… The loss of one’s home, having to uproot after trauma. The song reflects the need for some kind of compass, guidance and purpose on an uncertain path. When Andrew wrote the verses separately, not knowing the point of her inspiration, the chorus and verses aligned in a way that was surprising and exciting.

On that path to find home, we are certain to be tested, and Hold Fast is rich with songs about the trials and tribulations that one may face on the way. The title track, for example, creates a mantra of overcoming insecurities that hold us back.

“Don’t be weighed down by the past / Or fooled by the seedlings / Of that greener grass”

Hold Fast also celebrates friendship and partnership. The song “Steady As She Goes” is dedicated to all those affected by the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016, especially the first responders. Inspired by a true story, it speaks to how one person relies on another in the face of loss and insurmountable challenge.

“I still have you beside me / I still have hope inside me now / And I won’t quit riding on / No I was born to ride it out”

Fortunate Ones were supported by a remarkable array of collaborators on Hold Fast, including songwriters Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea), Tim Baker (Hey Rosetta!), and Meg Warren (Repartee). Musically, the cast here includes Jim Bryson, Good Lovelies, Alexa Dirks (Begonia), Kinley Dowling (Hey Rosetta!), and the multi-talented Ledwell who produced the album at his studio in Lake Echo, Nova Scotia.

This collective effort has yielded songs from a band whose humility and quiet dignity belies a roaring artistic heart, which has been captured beautifully on the yearning Hold Fast.

Halifax Is Burning : Interviews is a podcast that shines a spotlight on feature length conversations with musicians, artists, and interesting people from Canada's East Coast and beyond. 

Halifax Is Burning is a radio show dedicated to promoting the best in Atlantic Canadian music. Airing Tuesdays on CKDU 88.1FM in Halifax, NS at 6:30pm, the show was named Music Nova Scotia's Radio Program of the Year for the last five years and won the East Coast Music Award for Media Outlet of the Year in both 2017 and 2018. New episodes are available for stream/download at www.halifaxisburning.com

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