Second Wave of Artists Announced!

Yellowknife – The second wave of artists for 2025’s Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 18-20, is here!

If you want a chance to bump into some of this year’s artists, then the best tickets in town are the Owl passes, formerly known as our VIP passes. The ultimate FOTR pass! They include access to the hospitality area where you can mix and mingle with the artists, receive 10 free drink tickets as well as Owl meals and snacks all day, plus the ability to skip the line at the beer garden all weekend long (capacity permitting). Buy yours now before it’s too late! Owl passes will go off sale at midnight on Sunday, May 11th. 

Click here for a link to our 2025 spotify playlist! 

Second Wave of the Lineup for 2025 Folk On The Rocks:

Amos The Kid - The release of Amos the Kid’s debut LP, Enough as it Was, followed the remarkable rise of Winnipeg’s Amos Nadlersmith from reclusive songwriter to hometown hero. Only a few years have passed since the not-quite-country musician was playing the odd diamond-in-the-rough set in a half-empty bar; now, he’s a stop-him-in-the-street performer playing for sold out crowds of hundreds and who released one of the “greatest Canadian albums you might have missed in 2023" (Exclaim!).

Aurora Fiddle Society - Aurora Fiddle Society (AFS) promotes fiddling in Yellowknife and the North Slave Region through fiddle jams, workshops and other fiddle related events. AFS brings people of all ages together to enjoy fiddle music and work cooperatively with other organizations to the benefit of fiddling.

Bella Beats - Bella Beats is a Yellowknife-based high performance dance troupe, with a focus on building connection in the community.

Carmen Braden - Carmen Braden is a creator and performer of new, beautiful and sometimes weird music. She brings her songwriting depths to the live stage in dynamic, chamber-pop shows with her full band. Drawing deeply from her latest album “A Hard Light”, Carmen gently shifts the focus away from genre-bound expectations to craft a journeying arc with moments of 90’s electro-pop, folk, jazz and country. 

Cassandra Blondin Burt - Cassandra Blondin Burt is a two-spirit Dene Author, Artist, and Traditional Medicine Maker. Their work is grounded in the exploration of healing through co-creation with earth and story. Cassandra believes that the radical act of being in-relation with our other-than-human-relations is an act of political and personal rebellion,  and a pathway for transformative collective and personal healing.

Caylie G - Caylie G (they/she) is a queer Pop-Roots artist living on Treaty Six Territory (otherwise known as Edmonton, Alberta). Caylie’s built an ethereal and nostalgic sound that speaks to the beauty and complexities of queerness and humanity. Their sad-cowboy pop navigates the valleys and swells of being a big feelings enthusiast with softness and candour. Caylie’s music is for the lovers, the criers and the heartbreak champions that have never gotten over anything in their lives.

DJTMixxy - DJTMixxy’s journey started with something simple—playing music for family gatherings, unknowingly setting the foundation for what would become a deep passion. As the one always controlling the vibes, he quickly realized that mixing music came naturally to him. Determined to take it further, he invested in his first DJ controller, practicing tirelessly to perfect his craft.

DUMAI DUNAI - Slavic dub-punk missionaries Dumai Dunai have been winning the hearts of audiences all over the world since they first burst onto the scene in 2022. With members from Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Canada, the multi-lingual seven-piece combines the deep grooves of dub with the energy of punk rock, the raw ecstasy of the blasting horns of Balkan wedding brass bands, and the joys and sorrows of Ukrainian village polyphony.

Jennifer Castle - Camelot, Canadian songwriter Jennifer Castle’s extraordinary, moving 2024 chronicle of the artist in early middle age, charts a realer, more rooted, and more metaphorical place than the fabled Camelot of the Early Middle Ages (or its myriad depictions), but it too is a space more psychic than physical. In Castle’s Camelot, the fantastic interpenetrates the mundane, and the Grail, if there is one, distills everyday experience into art and art into faith, subliming terrestrial concerns into sublime celestial prayers to Mother Nature, and to the unfolding process of perfecting imperfection in one’s own nature.

Josh Q - Inuk singer and songwriter from Iqaluit, Nunavut is venturing out with a new project as Josh Q.  Known for his contributions as a singer, songwriter, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of 2023 Socan songwriting finalist The Trade-offs, Josh will bring that raw powerful energy with similar Arctic Soul vibes.

MOOCH - MOOCH is a heavy psychedelic rock trio based in both Montreal and Yellowknife, Canada, known for blending down-tuned desert rock with the energy of 90s grunge and the expansive sounds of 70s psychedelia. The band features three lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Ben Cornel, Julian Iac, and Alex Segreti, whose layered vocal harmonies add depth to their rich, multifaceted sound. Their style resonates with fans of both classic acts like The Doors and contemporary influences such as Kikagaku Moyo and Queens of the Stone Age.

Moonbean - Ontario-based, hardware electronica duo with lush vocal melodies and flavors of acid-house, techno, disco, and a performance style that serves punk energy and messages of love. Musical inspirations; Nine Inch Nails, Peaches, Ladytron and Eurythmics. In 2024 they headlined Hillside Festival, Rainbow Trout Festival and played Pride festivals cross-Canada.

Northern Mail Service - “We get the tunes and the post on time.” Northern Mail Service is a local supergroup that weaves together heartfelt themes of place, belonging, healing and life's tenuous milestones into their homegrown tunes.  Their collaboration and infectious energy shines through, creating a rich and textured musical experience sure to leave a lasting impression. With sounds ranging from folk, country, rock and pop, they take the audience on a journey, from swaying and singing to grooving and moving.

Rock The Arts Puppets - Rock the Arts Puppets is an Ottawa based company that brings their high energy, family puppet shows all across Canada. Humans of all ages join creator Sarah Argue and her Creatureville puppet pals to laugh, be you and Be Pozzy! 

Taiga Yoga - Taiga Yoga Yellowknife yoga studio will be teaching yoga classes during their sets.

Folk on the Rocks 2025 early bird tickets are for sale at www.folkontherocks.com/tickets.

Special thanks to Folk On The Rocks’ dedicated title sponsor: Lawson Lundell. 

Further thanks to our dedicated sponsors and funders: 62 Degrees North; 100.1 True North FM (Vista Radio); Cabin Radio; Canadian North; CANNOR; Capital Suites, City of Yellowknife; DT Electric; Government of Northwest Territories; Heritage Canada and Media Tenois; NNSL; RioTinto Diavik.