Winterfolk Blues and Roots Festival Announcement

TORONTO – Monday, January 13, 2014 – The Winterfolk XII Blues & Roots Festival is proud to announce a stellar lineup for the 12th annual edition of the festival taking place February 14-16, 2014. A variety of music styles will fill five stages in various venues at Broadview and Danforth in Toronto, where the festival will present four paid events plus many free concerts, community stages and workshops. Featured artists include: roots and blues luminaries Ron Hynes, Jason Fowler, Lynn Miles, Tony Quarrington, Rick Taylor, Danny Marks, Jack de Keyzer, Marianne Girard, and all the way from Nashville, Mean Mary. Local rising stars Ginger St. James, Grainne, Random Order and Maneli Jamal will perform along with many other fresh and familiar faces. For more information please visit www.winterfolk.com

Winterfolk celebrates 12 years and will once again feature many of Canada’s top blues, roots and folk artists. Festival organizers are especially excited about six-time East Coast Music Award winner, Genie Award winner and a past JUNO, CCMA and Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee Ron Hynes and finger-picking guitar ace Jason Fowler, who will join more than 100 artists set to entertain the thousands of expected festival-goers. Many artists this year are returning acts from previous years. This includes: award-winning folk sweetheart Lynn Myles; dirty ‘30s finger-picker Mr. Rick (of Mr. Rick and the Biscuits); blues aficionados Danny Marks, Jack de Keyzer and Rick Taylor; powerhouse roots/pop artist Grainne; JAZZ FM radio personality and songstress Laura Fernandez, dynamic Cajun group Swamperella; ‘60s-inspired folk duo Sue & Dwight; and folk favourite Marianne Girard, among others.

Winterfolk prides itself on helping to boost the careers of newcomers and this year is no exception. Audiences will be stunned by the extreme talent and high energy of Nashville- based artist, Mean Mary, who is new-to-the-festival and will showcase her multi-instrumental brilliance on banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Other emerging artists include: naughty but nice country singer Ginger St. James; guitar genius Maneli Jamal; clever and quirky songbird

Sarah Beatty; indie space-pop darling JoJo Worthington; the heartrendingly real Dinah Thorpe; singer/storyteller Shawna Caspi; all alongside raucous bands like Whiskey Epiphany, fourth-wave ska-influenced Random Order and Spanish/Gypsy/Asian rock ‘n’ roll group Urban Gypsy.

Added to this incredible lineup are some very special ticketed events such as community presenter Pete Otis’ Honouring Our Own series, which will pay tribute to one of the unsung heroes of the Canadian music scene, Tony Quarrington. Guest players include TV star, poet and folkie Don Francks and veteran keys/accordion dynamo Denis Keldie.