Bio

Sechile Sedari

Edmonton, AB/Yellowknife, NWT

Two voices, two guitars, decades of making music and centuries of cultural history merge in this new sibling songwriters project – hence the name Sechile Sedare, which translates to ‘my younger brother, my older sister’ in the Dene language. For 20 years, Leela Gilday has crafted confessional, raw and intimate northern stories about her people and land. Her rich vocals and bold, joyful songs dance across rhythmic beats that recall traditional drumming. Brother Jay Gilday’s voice is a raw and gorgeous Canadian north siren that threads the colours of his own ancestral traditions: Dene spirituals, Irish ballads, Canadian folk and rock. Jay and Leela co-wrote and co-created a new contemporary roots repertoire that harnesses their talents as insightful, genuine storytellers. Their voices blend in perfect harmony, hitting notes of nostalgia, hope, humour and reflection. The songs, birthed during lockdown in 2021 and a Banff Centre residency, are stories about their family history, connection to the land and water, and the twists and turns of fate.

-Kerry Clarke

Bio

MOONRIIVR
Toronto, ON

MOONRIIVR’s story began in the spring of 2020 with indie-folk mainstays The Wooden Sky lead singer and in-demand producer and engineer Gavin Gardiner’s visit to his pal “Champagne” James Robertson family farm. After years contributing his signature lead low twang/cinematic guitar sounds with Lindi Ortega, New Country Rehab, Elvis Bossa Nova and Dwayne Gretzky, Robertson was similarly adrift during those strange early pandemic days. This was their opportunity to collaborate after circling around each other in the Toronto music scene. They joined forces with bassist Ben Whitely (The Weather Station, Basia Bulat, Julia Jacklin) and percussionist extraordinaire Lyle Molzan (Kathleen Edwards, Corb Lund), to build a captivating journey into a distinctively out-of-time sonic universe. Created on an old analogue tape machine, the songs feature reverberating slide guitars, wonky string synths and nimble percussive environments. Thematically diverse songs range from reflections on everyday pleasures to meditations on world politics and climate change. With a refreshing, magical creative process, MOONRIIVR draws from decades past while transcending the era boundaries, which they loving dub ‘Buddy Holly meets Krautrock.’