Speak Music Be Kind Festival 2021 Goes Virtual

The second edition of Speak Music Be Kind Festival 2021 will be virtual this year. The festival features award-winning artists on the Canadian music scene, including quite a few world music acts.Speak Music Be Kind Festival 2021 will present pre-recorded videos February 5-6, 2021. The festival is free with options for artist tip jars and donations to Black Lives Matter Canada.

Performers include Al Qahwa ensemble that performs original and traditional songs from Syria, Egypt and Iraq; three-time JUNO Award nominated Alysha Brilla,who blends global roots sounds with expansive lyrical themes and meditative undertones; Communism, which features party music with psychedelic projections; Vancouver’s Desirée Dawson, who won the CBC Searchlight contest in 2016; Emilyn Stam and John David Williams,whose latest album Honeywood intertwines the sounds of clarinet, violin, and accordions showcasing original compositions and traditional tunes for European folk dances (“Bal Folk”). Honeywood is nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award.

JV’s Boogaloo Squad showcases a soulful sound featuring Visentin’s massive Hammond B3 organ skills; Mama’s Broke is a powerful Montreal-based folk duo using fiddle, banjo, and mandolin; award-winning roots songstress Mimi O’Bonsawin, deeply influenced by her French Canadian and Abenaki roots; Nick Sherman tells stories of the remote north with hardcore, and gospel-informed folk-rock sound; The JUNO-nominated women-led ensemble OKAN fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms.  

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021

(all times are EST)

7:00 pm Emilyn Stam & John David Williams

8:00 pm Desirée Dawson

9:00 pm Communism

10:00 pm Nick Sherman

11:00 pm Alysha Brilla

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2021

7:00 pm Al Qahwa

8:00 pm Mama’s Broke

9:00 pm JV’s Boogaloo Squad

10:00 pm Mimi O’Bonsawin

11:00 pm OKAN

Watch at www.speakmusicbekindfest.com