Artist Spotlight: Helena Deland

by Kim Wiesner

So, the Winnipeg Folk Fest is such a highlight for us here. How was your first one?

It was amazing. I totally understand. I think it’s a highlight for everyone. We had been playing a few festivals earlier in the past two weeks. And to be honest, I was feeling really low energy, drained, the traveling, playing, the being in crowds. I’m not so much of a like festival-goer type. And then I ended up being in festivals a lot. But then I got to the Winnipeg Folk Fest, and it was just the most like, you know, kind of generative, energy-giving, sweet, soft experience. And, I’m just gonna say it on the record. I don’t think I’ve been treated that well. You know what I mean? The organization here is so efficient, and everything is thought out. And as soon as you meet something as an artist, it’s like you’re like, you just have to rub the magic bottle, and the genie appears and here’s a beautiful meal and your transportation. 

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Interview: Nuclear Man

At the Goodwill Social Club, January 29, 2024

 by Seraphine Crowe

“A newly arrived punch to the ear, brought to you by a congregation of Real Hardcore Guys.”

Back in the arctic throws of January, I interviewed Nuclear Man, a recent addition to the local Hardcore punk music scene. The group played for the first time in October 2023, establishing an electrifying presence and releasing their debut EP shortly after. Since then, the group has supported local Hardcore punk acts and played with touring bands. Earlier in the spring, they were booked to play in Toronto and Montreal, demonstrating a devotion to leaving their mark- and maybe a few broken microphones. 

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Space Jam: Living Hour

The jam space. Instruments everywhere, cute carpet and sound pannels on the wall with gauzy curtains

by Steph Kolodka

Living Hour is a Winnipeg-based indie band that has been around for almost a decade, and with the group having been in various jam spaces over the years, it was a pleasure to see their current setup in a beautiful living room in the heart of Osborne, filled with natural sunlight. Living Hour consists of members Sam Sarty, Gilad Carroll, Adam Soloway, and Brett Ticzon. It was through his links in the music scene that Carroll found Sam Sarty, who became the singer for Living Hour. Other members of the band, Adam Soloway and Brett Ticzon, were long-time friends with Carroll and visit the space regularly to write songs and jam.

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Artist Interview: BELLA WHITE

Bella White sings into mic while playing electric acoustic guitar at Winnipeg Folk Fest.

by Mike Thiessen

“You’re all so attentive!” Bella White exclaimed to her quietly captivated audience halfway through her Sunday afternoon concert at Folk Fest’s Spruce Hollow stage. It’s hard not to be  – White’s viscerally relatable lyricism and sweet and powerful vocals doused in a healthy amount of classic old-time country twang get at listeners in a way that not much else does. 

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Artist Interview: Cadence Weapon

*Article and photo from last year*

Words by Isabella Soares
Photo by Myles Tiessen

It has been quite a year for Edmonton-born hip hop superstar Cadence Weapon. Following the deluxe edition release of his latest studio album, Parallel Words, he is not only heading back to live events, but also promoting his memoir, Bedroom Rapper. Stylus Magazine had the chance to catch up with Weapon ahead of his performance at the Big Blue @ Night stage at the 2022 Winnipeg Folk Festival. 

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Interview :: Taylor Janzen

Supplied photo

by Myles Tiessen

The music video for “Designated Driver,” one of the leading singles from Taylor Janzen’s debut LP, I Live In Patterns, sees Janzen behind the wheel driving an old 60s-era motorcar. Artistically shot using a conspicuous green screen, Janzen traverses various landscapes, supermarkets, and cattle pastures, driving with no clear destination. As the chorus builds and melodies intensify, so too does the speed of her travels. Like a bullet through a desolate purgatory with nothing to arrest her motion, Janzen cycles and flips through the pain and regret in her mind. “I swear to God I’m trying/ Not to ruin our plans/ I made myself a martyr with the holes in my hands,” she sings. 

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