http://southcountryfair.com/

South stage
1:30: These Hips Hoop
2:15: Steve Dawson (folk/blues) http://www.stevedawson.ca/

“Anyone who can hear Dawson play and not be moved is made of stone” – Penguin Eggs Magazine
Over the past two decades, Steve Dawson has become such an indelible fixture on the Canadian musical landscape that it’s tempting to take him for granted. The music that flows out of him is so natural and authentic that it’s possible to forget all of the toil that went into producing it.
Behind the seemingly endless stream of award winning musical output (he has produced and/or played on more than 80 albums since the turn of the millennium, 7 of which have won Juno Awards), is one of the hardest working musicians this country has ever produced. Whether he’s turning heads on the concert circuit with his incendiary playing, or pulling the best possible performances out of the many artists that he works with, Dawson is always striving to take things to the next level.
A native of Vancouver, Canada, but currently residing in Nashville, where he works as a solo artist, sideman, and record producer,  Steve has forged an impressive career full of highlights and awards.
Steve’s multi-faceted career has brought him to countless international festivals, working on the stage and in the studio with an extensive cast of musicians, including John Hammond, Sonny Landreth, Van Dyke Parks, Colin James, Jim Byrnes, Jill Barber, Dave Alvin, Bob Brozman, Tim O'Brien, Fats Kaplin, The McCrary Sisters, Matt Chamberlain, Del Rey, Long John Baldry, Bruce Cockburn, Kelly Joe Phelps, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Geoff Muldaur, Scott Amendola, Danny Barnes, The Deep Dark Woods, Colin Linden, and many others.
Between producing projects for other artists, Steve has recorded music of his own that has explored blues, jazz, Hawaiian, rock, and experimental music. Starting with 2001’s award-winning acoustic “Bug Parade”, he next explored blues and Hawaiian influences in depth with “We Belong To The Gold Coast” in 2005. 2008 saw the release of 2 albums – “Telescope” which was the culmination of studies with Greg Leisz and featured music written for the pedal steel guitar, and “Waiting For The Lights To Come Up”, a collection of new songs. He followed that with 2011's acclaimed "Nightshade", which Acoustic Guitar magazine named to it’s Top-10 guitar albums of the year. Steve’s latest release is 2014’s “Rattlesnake Cage” – an exploration of acoustic and slide guitar inspired by early blues and ragtime guitarists as well as the American Primitive stylings of John Fahey and Leo Kottke.

3:13: Poet TBA
3:30: The Misery Mountain Boys (roots, blues, bluegrass, swing, funk)  http://www.miserymountainboys.com/

The Misery Mountain Boys are an honest and creative acoustic ensemble, playing a variety of eclectic roots music. With a strong emphasis on musicianship, and drawing on a diverse influence from swing, bluegrass, old-time, blues, and funk, the groups performance is high-energy and interactive, playful yet unpredictable.
The roots of the Misery Mountain Boys lie on the banks of the mighty Peace River, in small-town Northern Alberta where guitarist Steve Gevenich and mandolinist Dom Golec grew up sharing and creating music together, discovering their own sound and style for over a decade. Since 2011 the group has been based out of Edmonton, Alberta and has continuously evolved through their studies, improvisation, and plain passion for playing music together. Their second EP ‘Long Gone Cat Daddy’ is set for release in spring 2015 and is a collection of drive and emotion, coupled with a strong emphases on rhythm and groove.
- See more at: http://www.miserymountainboys.com/band_bio/#sthash.2ysYRGR5.dpuf

4:45: Volunteer photo
5:15: Rachael Cardiello (folk/ soul    ) http://www.rachaelcardiello.com/
Rachael Cardiello was born in Tornado Alley, raised between mountains in Montana, schooled in Victoria, and now resides in Toronto where she leads a nine-piece soul band called Warm Electric Winter. A classically trained violist hooked on the harmonies of Motown and the storytelling of folk, Cardiello sings of mental institutes, cross border marriages, love affairs in attics and grief.
With her first full length album, Warm Electric Winter, Cardiello breaks away from her folk-music roots with a full band and a neon, electric sound complete with backup singers and a four piece horn section. Recorded in the Spring of 2012 in The Galaxy Smith Recording Studios of Brooklyn, New York with producer David Brandwein, it has received a five star rating from the Cincinnati Music Examiner and received airplay on stations across Canada and the USA including CBC, Seattle's KSUB and Montana's KGLT.
"Warm Electric Winter weaves genres so unbelievably easy, as you dance away in your head to a blues drenched melody you're suddenly taken away to the Pop plains where her voice lends itself to the ages. As I listened to 'Warm Electric Winter' I just couldn't get past how much Rachael's voice reminds me of two of my most favourite female vocalists Beth Gibbons (Portishead) and Kate Bush, and BTW that's a good thing." Sonic More Music, Toronto
"Cardiello wastes no time letting you know you're in new territory with Warm Electric Winter" Eugene Weekly, Oregon
Cardiello has been touring across Canada and the States for over five years as a solo and collaborating artist. While living in Victoria, Rachael formed one half of Blue Richard and the Apricots: an acoustic duo with fellow violist, singer-songwriter and cabaret phenomena Anna Atkinson. For two summers, Cardiello toured with the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra with whom she created the multi-media opera, There Once Was a Girl. Presented by Ambiguous Arts to a sold-out audience in Victoria's Metro Theater, There Once Was a Girl was the telling of "Crazy Legs" a children's book Rachael wrote in the winter of 2009. Music from her 2011 EP One for the Wind was featured in a short film called The Things I Want to Tell You which debuted in New York on September 30th, 2012. Last fall, Cardiello created the music for Calgary's Humble Wonder Theatre's shadow puppet peep show Bea: The Polyamorous Cowgirl. Other collaborations and recording projects include: Chloe Charles, Blue Sky Miners, James Burrows, Daccia Bloomfield, and David Newberry.

6:30 p.m. Desert Wind Belly Dancers (belly danceers) https://www.facebook.com/desertwindbellydancers
7 p.m.: Workshop with Wendy mcneil, Sean Rowe, Rotary Park

8:15: NQ Arbuckle (alt country/ roots) http://nqarbuckle.ca/
Drunk dudes from Huntsville or Lethbridge or St. John’s or wherever hang on every word. Everyone sings, mostly louder than the band. The word motherfucker is a compliment. Every show is an uprising, a groundswell.
Don’t let the self-deprecation or inebriation imply that NQ Arbuckle isn’t serious about the music. This band has earned multiple Juno nominations, considerable critical praise (Pitchfork, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star etc.), and a legion of rabid fans.
NQ Arbuckle has consistently created impressive, treasured albums for more than a decade. But NQ Arbuckle has never made a record like this before.
Six Shooter Records is very pleased to finally confirm the release of The Future Happens Anyway, out April 29, 2014.
NQ Abuckle are: Neville Quinlan, Mark Kesper, Peter Kesper, John Dinsmore, Jason Sniderman
· Nominated for the Juno Award “Roots and Traditional Album of the Year” for “XO K” in 2008
· Nominated for the Juno Award “Roots and Traditional Album of the Year” for “Let’s just Stay Here” with Carolyn Mark in 2009.
· Nominated for Canadian Folk Music awards Contemporary Album of the Year for “XO K” in 2008.
“An album that, by year’s end, should be on everyone’s shortlist.” – Exclaim
“Lots to dig into here, musically and lyrically.” – Toronto Star
“I hear a little Springsteen here, but let’s be clear: Quinlan is not so much interested in the wild and the innocent as he is the shuffle.” – Globe and Mail

9:30 p.m. Songwriter winner Cathy Hawley

9:45: The Dead South (folk/bluegrass/ rock )http://www.thedeadsouth.com/
The Dead South is a four-piece acoustic ensemble based in Regina, Saskatchewan. With Nate Hilts' gritty vocals and aggressive guitar strumming, Scott Pringle's soaring harmonies and mandolin chops, Colton Crawford's blazing banjo licks and steady kick drum, and Danny Kenyon's prominent cello melodies, The Dead South blends elements of folk, bluegrass, classical, and rock which results in a unique, modern, and authentic blend of boot-stompin' acoustic music.

 11 p.m.: The Good Ol Goats (alt folk ) http://goodolgoats.com/
Starting their journey in a music room in high school, The Good Ol’ Goats have fine-tuned their initial discovery of folk into a matured alternative style that leaves you wanting more.
With the revival of folk in today’s music scene, a new generation of fans is eager to discover what folk has to offer. The Good Ol’ Goats have stepped in, leaving the typical folk stereotype behind and have reached a level this generation is excited about hearing. The Goats maturing sound boasts instrumental additions such as the dobro and the trumpet, and lyrics that focus on people and their emotions. You can hear the range and passion in their array of songs with pieces that have haunting harmonies and achingly beautiful lyrics and others that will have your feet stomping and hand clapping.
This six piece alternate folk band has grown so much over the last year, they have gained and lost members and have transformed their sound time and time again. Nonetheless their purpose stays the same: to create music that embodies their own feelings towards music, a feeling of family and community. With life stories involving coming of age in a basement jamming with a bass, holidays surrounded by family gathered around a guitar, Pink Floyd CDs and school choirs, music is in these young men and women’s blood and bones.

12:30: Derina Harvey band (rock/ celtic ) http://www.derinaharvey.com/
Led by the fearless (and often funny) front-woman Derina Harvey, this five-piece Celtic-rock group offers a fresh take on traditional tunes and intersperse that offering with their own original jigs & reels. Their infectious rhythmic undertow is layered with rock guitar, dizzying fiddle motifs, and topped by Derina’s powerful voice. These transplanted east-coasters have earned a reputation as a party-band, leaving many an audience out-of-breath and hollering from the dance floor!
The band has proven to be a crowd-pleaser wherever they go. 2014 has seen the group travel across the country, entertaining crowds at pubs and festivals from Alberta to Newfoundland, where they took the main stage of George Street Festival in St. John's this past summer. Most recently, they shared the stage with Newfoundland YouTube sensation Donnie Dumphy (a comedian/novelty act most prominently featured on the Rick Mercer Report on CBC).
The band continues to build on a growing fan base by promoting their self-titled debut album (released in 2013). The record has garnered radio airplay in multiple regions in Canada (CKUA in Edmonton; K-Rock and Radio Newfoundland in St. John's, NL; CBC, Canada-wide). Work on their second album has already begun, due out by summer of 2015.

East
noon: Rotary Park (bluegrass) https://www.facebook.com/rotaryparkmusic

Alex Ginella - Vocals/Guitar/Fiddle/Harmonica
Colton Daigle - Vocals/Mandolin/Percussion
Liam Testa - Vocals/Guitar
Matt Coldwell - Vocals/Double Bass
Tanner Day - Vocals/Banjo

Rotary Park is a Calgary based band playing a special brand of harmony driven, Canadian folk-bluegrass fusion. Known for their high energy and diverse live performances this quintet has proven to be the perfect fit for any type of event. The combination of ambient folk music, powerful vocal harmonies and banjo ripping bluegrass brings a unique type of Canadian music to the table. One thing is sure, they will have your hands clapping and feet stomping! Rotary Park has made a name for themselves playing many different festivals, corporate functions and packed venues throughout Canada since 2011. With the release of their second full length album and another tour across Canada in 2015, the future is looking brighter than ever for this fine group of gentlemen.

1:05: Jenny Ritter (folk) http://www.jennyrittermusic.ca
Jenny Ritter's songs are aimed straight at the heart. While Bright Mainland is technically her debut solo album, it represents the culmination of many years spent deeply involved in music. Her childhood was spent steeped in music and dance, with a ballerina mother, and opera singer father. They lived deep in the woods of Vancouver Island, and when not ranging through the forest with big dogs, Jenny usually had her nose in a book. After high school, she hit the road with bands on tour across Canada and the US, and basically never came back. First playing accordion for the band Nicely, Nicely and then as guitarist and one of the main songwriters for the critically acclaimed roots country band The Gruff.

In ten years, the Gruff made four albums, went on dozens of tours and played at bakers dozens of festivals. They easily won devotees wherever they went, but eventually the quartet parted ways. After a move to the mainland, she began to dig in and take a real love of Vancouver into her own hands. She formed the Kingsgate Chorus, a rock n' roll cover choir; she formed the scandinavian trad trio Marmota; she sang on friends' albums; and then she had to start a second choir when her first one got out of hand.

Eventually all this led Ritter back to her own songs, and she found that her post-Gruff journey had delivered to her brain an album's worth of material that felt like it belonged together. She enlisted longtime friend Adrian Dolan (the Bills) to produce the record and put together a crack band including Lucas Goetz (the Deep Dark Woods) on drums and pedal steel. The recording took place on Mayne Island, BC and also features other musical friends including David Newberry, Ryan Boeur (Fish & Bird), Meg Iredale (O'Mally), as well as members of Marmota and the Kingsgate Chorus.

2:10-Workshop Tom Waits For No One with  Linda McRae, Ben Rogers, Blue Moon Marquee, Scott Duncan and Rachael Cardiello

3:40 p.m.: Ben Rogers and Bloodred Yonder (Folk) http://benrogersmusic.com/

Ben Rogers is a folk artist and classic storyteller with a voice like smoke damaged velvet soaked in Tennessee whiskey. Trusty old acoustic guitar in hand and boots stomping out a steady rhythm, Ben can hypnotize audiences with his timeless tales of murder, betrayal, war, justice, love and the human condition, just like a modern day folk troubadour should and does.
Rogers was raised, and is based in Vancouver, Canada, and though it’s a far cry from the back country roads of the southern US, he embodies the values and musicality of traditional folk, Americana and country, ala Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and George Jones, with a little Roger Miller and Tom Waits thrown in. That said, Ben is an individual as a performer, and possesses a careful balance of mystique, mischief and gentle kindness that emanates through all aspects of him. “The man’s dark charisma is something you need to experience live to fully appreciate,” writes The Georgia Straight, who recently included him in their Best of Bands 2013. There’s a bright side to Ben as well; his sense of humor in writing and performance is as infectious as his songs. As American Roots UK writes: “He could turn out to be one of the best singer/songwriters of a generation.”
Rogers recorded his self-produced debut Lost Stories: Volume 1, in both Vancouver (Neighborhood Studios) and Los Angeles (Sunset Sound), releasing it in January 2013 to critical acclaim. He set off through western Canada upon the release, and continues to tour from west to east across Canada and as far south as California. Ben has also toured the UK in recent years; he completed a 26-date tour in 2011, though lately his music has made him one of the most in demand artist in his hometown area.
Ben has had the pleasure to share the stage and studio with the likes of Frank Turner, The Sojourners, Luke Doucet, Tim Hus, C.R. Avery, Mark Berube, Roger Manning (Beck, Jellyfish), and Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson. Ben has performed across Canada at Burnaby Blues & Roots Fest, Kispiox Festival, In The House Festival, Tree Frog Festival, Canadian Music Week, Bluebird North, Evolve Festival, and most recently trekked down to the 2014 Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City. No matter where he goes, Ben Rogers quickly becomes a fan favorite, and is following a certain path towards folk hero status, sooner or later!

4:45: Muerte Pan Alley ( blues) http://www.muerte-pan.com/
Clunk & Sputter. That is the title of Muerte Pan Alley's debut CD set to be released in November of 2014. It is also the sound of well-worn, powerful machinery. They may be the first power trio in the roots music genre. We'll let the musicologists and shut-in music critics argue over that one, but let's get to the back story.
Guitarist Bob Keelaghan and drummer Jason Woolley are half the team that delivered Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir's first two CDs (St. Hubert and Fighting and Onions). AMGC remains a cult favourite among fans of blues and country music steeped in tradition, but seasoned with irreverence and rambunctiousness. In Muerte Pan Alley, Keelaghan and Woolley are joined by Rob Oxoby:  virtuoso bassist, former member of San Francisco's psychobilly legends The Mutilators, and go-to sideman when Cousin Harley is in Calgary.  Their paths initially crossed during the short-lived Hollow Brethren that also featured psych-folk singer-songwriter Clinton St. John.
While there are noticeable similarities to AMGC, Muerte Pan Alley take the music further out, conjuring images of  juke joints and out-of-body-experiences in the stratosphere. They dig in the same dirt, mining early 20th century blues and country for fuel, but they take it a few miles down the road, visiting hypnotic, electric-blues trances, gypsy jazz, and the ragged edge of underground rock.
Sure, Muerte Pan Alley's musicianship is enviable. Don't get hung up on it, though. Envy is one of the deadly sins.  Keelaghan earned himself a reputation as an all-too-modest, underground guitar hero. He shows his six-string range with hyperkinetic slide, high-speed gypsy scales, Delta finger picking, and fiddle tunes simulated on the guitar. He tackles the banjo with aplomb. He even plays the thing too. Woolley bashes out skillful, tribal, trash can rhythms that add a sonic menace to the proceedings. All the while, he never loses his rock steady rhythmic foundation centering the tunes. Oxoby's range of textures bring extra depth to the songs. At one moment he's driving an eighth note punk-a-billy backbeat by not merely slapping, but punishing the strings of his upright bass. A few tracks later he bows the strings with cinematic sensitivity. Audiences at their inaugural shows were taken aback that three people could generate that much sound.

5:50: Blue Moon Marquee  (blues) http://www.bluemoonmarquee.com/

Blue Moon Marquee is a Screamin' and Hollerin' Gypsy blues band that stem from the Alta. Dusty Hoodoos and the Rocky Mountains. A.W. Cardinal (vocals/guitar) and Jasmine Colette (vocals, bass, drums) primarily write and perform original compositions. Influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. Artists such as Lonnie Johnson, Blind Willie Jonson, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Bill Jennings, Big Bill Broonzy, Django Riendhart to name a few.
After living and performing in Montreal and New York City, and being immersed in the jazz and blues scene cutting his teeth, A.W. Cardinal decided it was time to head home the Rocky Mountains and bought a Greyhound ticket as long as he is tall; back to the great Canadian west to record the Album "Stainless Steel Heart." There, In the winter of 2012, A.W. met with Jasmine Colette, a Hoodoo Lady who has toured the bulk of North America over the last six years as a bassist, singer and a hoop dancer, performing with the likes of Paul Pigat, Bill Bourne, Andrew Loog Oldham, Tanya Tagaq, David Gogo, Simon Kendall, Madagascar Slim and Wyckam Porteous. Within two weeks they had recorded an album and ever since then Blue Moon Marquee was formed. BMM tours regularly all around Canada. Check the tour schedule for their up and coming performances.
Blue Moon Marquee have perfected a live style of playing, a duo that sounds like a full band. Jasmine Collete (the rhythm section) not only masters the stand up bass but also keeps the swing with her feet by playing a kick drum with one foot, a snare and high hat with the other. "A.W. is a large man, with sharp eyes often hidden under the shadow of a faded black hat and Guitar, with a singing voice as "thick and as black as coal smoke that barrels out like a Raging bull." Blue Moon Marquee's chemistry transcends the music itself and the way Colette’s angelic tones lift Wesley’s beaten down "Bukowski-esque mystique" is something that will surely stay in your head for a while and make a lasting impression. To date Blue Moon Marquee has released one full length album of their original compositions called "Stainless steel heart" 2013 and released their second full length called "Lonesome Ghosts" June 6th, 2014. And a n online E.P. "Last Dollar" was recorded live off the floor at mcgill Studios in Montreal. Q.C.
 Don't get the impression this is a festival of self-indulgent soloing. It's not. What we have here are concise songs.  Sometimes the musicianship is understated, subtle alt-country ("No More Truth"). At other times it hits you over the head with its complexity ("Dance of the Yallites/Yalla"). Sometimes it delves into blues hypnosis ("Nicks & Cuts", "Post Tornado" ). But more often than not, it stomps big holes in the floorboards ("Rich Man's Grave", "All I Wants", "Unknown Please").

Lotos Land

Check sandwich board at Lotos Land stage for additional programming and spoken word open mic schedule.