Explore a rich musical landscape deeply rooted in a diverse culture that continues to thrive and evolve

Dartmouth folklorist and music producer Dylan Jewers is on a quest to track down Nova Scotian musicians who look to the past for inspiration, and whose music bridges the gap between the past and the present. Drawing inspiration from renowned Nova Scotia folklorist Helen Creighton, Jewers heads out on the road to connect with and record musicians and tradition-bearers in the Mi’kmaq, Black, Acadian, and Celtic communities throughout the province. Like Creighton before him, Jewers takes on the role of facilitator, allowing the people he meets with to tell their own stories in their own way—stripped down, raw, and authentic!

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Our travels take us across Nova Scotia

Featuring acts that share a passion for their history and their music.

Nicole Deveau

Whether she’s on stage, in the studio, or at a kitchen party, Chéticamp musician Nicole Deveau shares the traditional music she grew up with, along with her own compositions. Nicole believes that her ancestors built a great foundation for Acadian culture, and music is the ideal way of sharing its values.

Zamani

Zamani is an 18-year-old award-winning quadruple threat (writer, producer, arranger, vocalist) from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who is impacting the East Coast music scene. Hailing from a musical family, Zamani’s unique style reflects a variety of eclectic musical influences.

Morgan Toney

Morgan Toney is a Mi’kmaq fiddler and singer who brings together the fiery fiddling of Cape Breton Island and the old songs of the Mi’kmaq with brilliance and heart.

Jah’Mila

With deep roots in Jamaica and a home base in Halifax, Jah’Mila is an authentic, powerful voice of reggae in Nova Scotia. Combining smooth vocals, sharp songwriting, and her signature passion and positivity, Jah’Mila’s music celebrates reggae’s rich history, and reinforces its role as a voice of the oppressed.

Michael R. Denny

Michael R. Denny is Mi’kmaq from the Eskasoni Mi’kmaq Nation on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. A father, husband, and renowned traditional singer, Michael R. has traveled and shared his music all over Atlantic Canada and beyond. In 2016, he released his debut album Traditionally Yours: Mi’kmaq Drums, Young and Old, which was the first of its kind!

Jolita Stevens

Jolita started the Escasoni Women’s Drum Group in 2019. She began drumming on her road to recovery and found that it helped her find her voice, and wanted that for other women in her community. The Group has organized events for missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls, men and boys.

Graham Marshall

Graham Marshall and the Sons of Membertou have performed all over the world, always carrying with them their original goal of finding identity and sharing Mi’kmaq songs and culture with others.

P’tit Belliveau

Jonah Richard Guimond, known professionally as P’tit Belliveau, is a folk and country musician from the Acadian region of Clare. He is most noted for his 2020 album Greatest Hits Vol. 1, which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.

Joel Plaskett

Joel Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop.

Helen Creighton’s Legacy

Helen Creighton (1899-1989) is one of Canada’s best-known folklorists—a pioneer researcher, collector, and author whose career spanned sixty years, and whose reputation in the field is international.