On the bill

Secondhand Dreamcar, an explosive soul/roots/blues band from Edmonton, is a true superband – a consummate constellation of Canadian music veterans who have worked on some of the finest jazz, funk, folk, soul, and blues projects ever created in Alberta. Collectively, they craft a distinct, funky, and lyrically-driven sound that journalist and programmer Peter North called the most exciting thing to come out of the city since k.d. lang and the Reclines.

A CKUA Radio favourite, Secondhand Dreamcar’s debut album Answer The Call was its 6th most played album of 2024, and in 2025 the band became instant Alberta festival favourites, tearing up the stages at Edmonton’s and Calgary’s International Blues Festivals, and the Edmonton Folk Festival, among others. The Dreamcar has started off 2026 right, receiving three Canadian Blues Music Awards nominations and JUNO and WCMA nominations for Blues Album of the Year.  Their second album, Get Ready, will be released on September 25th.

Hailed by The Globe and Mail as "an Americana wunderkind to watch out for," Joe Nolan is proving that praise well-deserved with his new album, produced by Grammy Award-winner Tyler Chester.

Luv in the New World was recorded live off the floor in Los Angeles with an all-star lineup, including Jay Bellerose on drums (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson) and Sebastian Steinberg on bass (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucinda Williams).

A virtuoso guitarist, elusive poet, and musical chameleon, Nolan was raised in the rural community of Sturgeon County, Alberta. Caught between two small northern towns, he found his place in this world at an early age, growing up alongside the North Saskatchewan River. Nolan has always lived on the outskirts and can be a hard one to pin down. Breaking genres and defying labels, he defines his sound as "These are my caravan diaries," claiming to go "wherever the muse takes me." He has garnered many accolades upon his shelf, including last year’s Canadian Folk Music Award nod for his 2023 release Lost Verses. However, he’d rather let those awards collect dust than bask in the limelight.

Known for his scrappy solo shows and arresting stage presence, Nolan’s songs are sometimes fragile and fractured, yet winningly wistful. In the next moment, he'll throw on his weathered newsboy cap and crank out a grit-soaked howl, paying homage to the Delta Blues. For a solo act, Nolan is a mountain, and audiences are his lifeblood.

He continues to dazzle fans across North America and Europe, performing around 150 shows a year. Wherever he goes, you’ll likely find him accompanied by his 2003 Dodge Caravan, named Rocco, and his trusty parlor guitar—small in size but mighty in sound.

His lyrics draw a harrow over the human condition, revealing secrets that only those daring enough to cross into uncharted territory could uncover. Nolan wears the highway on his sleeve, and if you look just far enough, you might catch a glimpse of him, barrelling down the one, in big sky country.

 The Prince of Sturgeon County is on his way!