Living Our Traditions

Good morning! Two beautiful sunny days in a row here in the oldest city in North America and only three more sleeps until Friends of the Festival!

We are rounding off our Meet the Artist reels today with beloved folk duo and touring Artists, #RubeandRake!

Rube & Rake, a.k.a. Josh Sandu and Andrew Laite, are based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The award-winning folk duo has released three albums, most recently Good Time After Bad in 2025. Their songs explore the nature of home, the passage of time, and the friction between aspirations and duty. In performance, the pair’s easygoing humour and empathetic musicality create an intimate and engaging listener experience.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see #RubeandRake and other A-mazing performers we have lined up to help us out at this special night of Folk music.

See the full list of performers AND get your tickets now for #FriendsoftheFestival at the link in bio. If you can’t make the concert, you can donate at the link as well. Thank you all so much for your support!

#n|folk #meettheartist @rubeandrake

@lovedowntownstjohns @thesjcc @590vocm @cbcnl @newfoundlandlabrador @newfoundlandquarterly @coast1011 @ntvnewsnl @the_telegram @productofnfld @themuseyyt

Four more sleeps, peeps! We’re back with another wonderful Friend of the Festival, who we can’t wait to see onstage this coming Sunday evening at The St. John’s Convention Centre - #ShermanDowney!

With his unique brand of radio-friendly folk and a natural ability for storytelling, Sherman has solidified himself as one of Newfoundland & Labrador’s most treasured artists. His music has charmed listeners throughout Canada and beyond with MusicNL Awards for “Artist of the Year’, “Album of the Year” and “Solo Artist of the Year”. He’s also been twice recognized as Newfoundland and Labrador’s “ Songwriter of the Year”.

Big thanks to Sherman and all of the Artists for donating their time and talent to ensure we can keep going with the festival and programming we all love!

Get your tickets now for this beautiful, eclectic night of folk and traditional music at the link in bio! Please note that this is a 19+ event. The show starts at 7 P.M. and doors open at 6 P.M. Come early for limited table seating.

We hope to see you at Friends of the Festival! If you cannot make it and want to help, please donate at the link in bio. We thank you all so much for your support!

#nlfolk #meettheartist

@lovedowntownstjohns @thesjcc @590vocm @cbcnl @the_telegram @downhomemagazine @newfoundlandlabrador @cityofstjohn @sherman_downey @vowr800 @themuseyyt

Thanks Patrick Moran for supporting the upcoming ‘Friends of the Festival’ fundraising concert!

Tickets and donation information on www.nlfolk.com

Good morning! There are only 5 more sleeps until #FriendsoftheFestival - our fundraiser to get the NL Folk Arts Society back on its feet. We aim to bring you a Folk Festival this year and more of the folk programs you love!

We are back today to feature another one of our A-mazing performers you can catch at the St. John’s Convention Centre this coming Sunday, June 7!

Zaynab Wilson is a soulful singer, drummer, strummer, improvisor, and composer whose roots run deep in rhythm, community, and creative freedom. Raised in a family and community steelpan band, and performing since age six, her musical mosaic is steeped in a celebration of her Afro-Caribbean heritage.

As a drummer, Zaynab has a Bachelor of Music from Humber College and has performed and toured with various Canadian and international artists like Lorraine Klaasen, Alysha Brilla, Jason Wilson, Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick and Pee Wee Ellis, at notable festivals such as Woodford Folk Festival (Australia), Hillside Festival (Canada) and Celtic Connections (Scotland). Since the debut of her original music project in 2018, Zaynab has toured in Canada, the US, and Australia. Her recent EP, A Way Home, earned a 2025 MusicNL R&B Artist of the Year award and praise from Caribbean Beat magazine for its heartfelt take on diaspora, heritage, and home. For 2026, Zaynab received her Bachelor of Music Education from Memorial University and is working on her first full-length album with the support of the Canada Council of the Arts.

We are so grateful to Zaynab and all the performers for stepping up to help us. You can help too by buying your tickets to the show or donating at the link in bio. We hope to see you there!

#nlfolk #meettheartist

@lovedowntownstjohns @thesjcc @zaynabwilsonmusic @cbcnl @destinationstjohns @govnlsocial @590vocm @ntvnewsnl @nlliveevents @coast1011 @975krock

Only 6 more sleeps until Friends of the Festival! Are you counting down to this incredible night of music with us? We are back with another A-mazing featured performer who is no stranger to the NL Folk Festival!

#DavePanting is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer
With a career spanning five decades. He is a winner of three lifetime achievement awards.
[Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, ECMAs, Music NL].

Dave was a member of influential Newfoundland folk rock band Figgy Duff and a driving artistic force behind the award winning NL / Maritime band Rawlins Cross, for whom he wrote most of the material.

A veteran of national and international touring, Dave has played with The Irish Descendants,
Colleen Power, The Annual Feast Of Cohen, The Forgotten Bouzouki, The Panting Brothers,
Cotillion and many more.

You can always count on Dave for his roots music, with original and traditional songs and instrumentals, playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bouzouki.

Dave will be sharing the stage with Figgy Duff bandmates #PamelaMorgan and #KellyRussell!

Don’t miss out on Friends of the Festival! Get your tickets now at the link in bio. If you cannot attend, please consider donating at the link. We hope to see you there. Thanks so much for your support! #nlfolk #meettheartist

@lovedowntownstjohns @cityofstjohns @thesjcc @destinationstjohns @cbcnl @the_telegram @newfoundlandquarterly @947ozfm @coast1011 @590vocm

Our beautiful friends @theonceband took some time away during last nights game (we’re sorry Andrew) to remind you of the upcoming ‘Friends of the Festival’ Fundraising Concert June 7th at the St. John’s Convention Centre.

For tickets or to make a donation please visit www.nlfolk.com.

Nine more sleeps until Friends of the Festival! We are stoked to hear these legendary longtime collaborators. #AnitaBest and #SandyMorris released Some Songs in 2018, a 16 track album decades in the making. Thanks to them for their support and dedication to help the NL Folk Arts Society.

Anita Best, a native of Merasheen, Newfoundland, began her singing career in the 1970s with the trad-rock band Figgy Duff. Since then, her voice has been featured in festivals and concerts across Canada, the United States, the UK, and France.

Although she has worked as a folklorist, broadcaster, teacher, and community animator, she is best known as a collector and interpreter of traditional Newfoundland songs and stories. Anita performs primarily as a solo artist or in collaboration with Sandy Morris and Pamela Morgan.

She has contributed to films and numerous musical recordings, but is especially recognized for The Colour of Amber and Amber Christmas in collaboration with Pamela Morgan, Crosshanded, The Tin Table: Tales and Ballads from Newfoundland and Some Songs. She has also collected songs for, and co-authored several books. Anita has received several prestigious awards and honours for her work.

For over sixty years, Sandy Morris has
been a staple of the Newfoundland
music scene, boasting countless album,
radio, TV, and film credits and gracing
the stage with the province’s most
talented musicians and then some.
A founding member of the Wonderful
Grand Band and composer for the series Land & Sea, he is familiar to television audiences as well as to live audiences throughout the province.

We hope to see you at Friends of the Festival! Tickets are on sale now at the link in bio. If you can’t make the show, please donate if you can. You can also do this at the link. Big thanks to those of you who bought tickets and donated so far! Onward and upward!

#nlfolk #meettheartist

@thesjcc @590vocm @lovedowntownstjohns
@destinationstjohns @947ozfm @ntvnewsnl @cbcnl @nlliveeventlistings @newfoundlandlabrador @vowr800 @themuseyyt

Just 10 more sleeps until Friends of the Festival! We are back with another featured Artist! Meet renowned Fiddler #KellyRussell. 🎻

A professional musician since 1975, Kelly has been a member of landmark groups Figgy Duff and The Wonderful Grand Band, to name just two. Working closely for many years with legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, Kelly has inherited considerable status as one of Newfoundland’s leading traditional music scholars and performers.

Kelly has appeared on countless stages in many countries worldwide. His record label, Pigeon Inlet Productions (est. 1979), has released over 30 full-length recordings, He has published music books including “Kelly Russell’s Collection - The Fiddle Music of Newfoundland & Labrador”. This material has since been digitized and is available online at kellyrussell.ca.

He has taught fiddle to many students, and has also been active in the art of storytelling and recitation.

Accolades include: NL Arts Council Award for Music (1987), Tourism Industry Association Certificate of Recognition (1991 & 1997), Marius Barbeau Award (1997), City of St. John’s Legend Award (1999), “Tradition Bearer” designation from the Department of Tourism (2010), Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), The Order of Canada (2015), Honorary Doctorate from MUN (2021). Plus lifetime achievement awards from ECMA and the NL Folk Arts Society. He is currently renovating 2 houses in Western Bay (his real job). 

Kelly will be performing alongside fellow Figgy Duff band mates #PamelaMorgan and #DavePanting. We are super excited to hear them onstage at the St. John’s Convention Centre on June 7!

Don’t delay! Grab your tickets now at the link in bio! We are so thankful to Kelly and all the Artists who are donating their time and talents to help us out. If you can’t make the show, please click on the link in bio to donate if you can. Thanks in advance for supporting the NL Folk Arts Society!
🎻🪕🪈🪗🎤🎼

#nlfolk #meettheartist

@lovedowntownstjohns @thesjcc @ntvnewsnl @cbcnl @newfoundlandlabrador @newfoundlandquarterly @themuseyyt @vowr800 @cityofstjohns @590vocm @the_telegram @downhomemagazine @kellyrussellnl

Thanks to NTV and Amanda Mews for chatting with Interim Board President Jean Hewson about the upcoming Friends of the Festival fundraising concert and other ways you can help.

More details at www.nlfolk.com