Yukon Music on the Fringe!

Cryptozoologists is a Whitehorse band made up of Zach McCann-Armitage, Dawson Beaulieau, Fabian Brook, and Ben Craymer. The music is from-the-garage raw and gritty, but also sincere, distinct, and literary. Since starting in 2016, the band has released 2 albums and a recent limited tape, and performed at Breakout West, Dawson City Music Festival, and Flourish Festival. Some stylistic touchstones for the band’s sound are the Clash, the Pixies, Silver Jews, and Destroyer.

New Feeling has written that the band’s music marries “sardonic cultural critique and existential wandering” with “folky esoterica,” and Vancouver Sun has written that the band makes “really quirky, accomplished garage No Wave that deserves a far larger audience.”

Alex MacNeil and the Revenants
From Nova Scotia’s rugged coastline to the untamed wilds of Dawson City, Yukon, Alex MacNeil has left an indelible mark on Canada’s DIY rock scene from coast to coast. Former frontman of Alexander & The Great Ones and sideman to acclaimed acts like Willie Stratton and Braden Lam, Alex now ventures into uncharted territory with his new band, Alex MacNeil and The Revenants. This four-piece powerhouse exudes Yukon powerpop charm.

Get ready for “FAR OUT MAN,” the upcoming five-song EP that merges 60s psychedelic pop nostalgia with punk sensibilities. Alex’s wry lyrics and contagious melodies find a deadly compliment in The Revenants – Jess Van De Broek on keys, Matt Sarty on drums, and Dane Armstrong on bass. Brace yourselves, Southern Canada! This northern indie powerpop machine aims to capture your hearts and get your record players spinning.

Ellorie McKnight
Ellorie McKnight is a bilingual singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Whitehorse, Yukon. Her songs are shaped by delicate vocals, ambiguous lyrics, and a nostalgic old timey-ness which invites wonder and dreaming. The midnight sun, vast northern landscapes, systems thinking and a wild heart inspire her songwriting. Ellorie released her first solo EP in 2021, titled ‘for the heart’s sake’. Her newest 6-song EP Equinox was released in May 2024, recorded in-studio as a live show with full band.

 

Diyet and the Love Soldiers
Hailing from the Yukon, Diyet & The Love Soldiers are alternative country, folk, roots and traditional with catchy melodies and stories deeply rooted in Diyet’s Indigenous world view and northern life.

Diyet sings in both English and her traditional language, Southern Tutchone, and plays bass. Backed by Love Soldiers, husband and collaborator, Robert van Lieshout (acoustic guitar, drums & percussion) and Juno Award winning producer, Bob Hamilton (electric guitar, pedal steel & mandolin); this multi instrumental trio from the Yukon has a sound that can fill a big stage or capture an intimate room.

During the last decade Diyet has performed at major folk, jazz, world and multi-disciplinary festivals and theatres in Canada, toured in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and Greenland. She will have her first tour to Japan in spring 2025. TV appearances include APTN Indigenous Day 2019 Live, CTV Atlantic Morning, CBC New Years Eve 2020 National Broadcast and Against the Grain Theatre’s Messiah/Complex.

Continuing to live with feet firmly planted in two worlds, Diyet’s adventurous and sometimes chaotic life is on full display in her music. She often says, “yesterday, fishing for our dinner on the ice, the next day, on the stage singing for you!”

Bria Rose N’ Thorns
On the wings of the north wind, Bria Rose N’ Thorns (BRNT) shake the room with soulful energy. Each song telling a story from the eyes of a young Tahltan/Cree woman finding her hope and way in the world around her. Their folk rock sound is complete with rasp and a deep alto flavour that bridges heart and grit. BRNT is the sweet and salty ensemble that boasts positivity, playfulness, and power through a rural lens. Their debut EP, Sprout, released May 31st 2024.

 

Elijah Bekk
Elijah Bekk is a singer, guitarist, pianist, bassist, drummer, songwriter, and more, living with a non- freezing cold injury, meaning negative temperatures can cause his arms to swell and limit his use of them. Though the icy climate of the Yukon can exacerbate this condition, Bekk still calls the territory home, originally hailing from the community of Faro, and now based in Whitehorse. Bekk’s Yukon roots run deep in his music, with the folk tendencies of the territory saddling up next to elements of soft rock and R&B.