By Guest Contributor

Breakout West

Feb 10, 2015 | 7:14 AM

SaskMusic and Creative Saskatchewan are pleased to present six Saskatchewan artists in Kansas City Missouri, February 19-23, 2015 for Folk Alliance International.

Joining together under the banner of BreakOut West, Manitoba Music, Music Alberta, Music BC and SaskMusic artists will perform in private showcases to the thousands of international music industry professionals who will be attending the festival and conference. Folk Alliance International provides the opportunity to share ideas, network, and celebrate traditional music and dance.

Selected artists this year are Danny Olliver, Keiffer Mclean, Megan Nash, Nick Faye, Scott Richmond and Tyler Gilbert. All showcases take place at the Westin Hotel in downtown Kansas City. In addition to performing, the artists will attend the Folk Alliance conference and keynote sessions, participate in the industry tradeshow, and be able to take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the weekend with talent buyers, festival bookers, radio programmers, record labels and many others from around the world, all oriented on the folk, roots and world music industries.

With SaskMusic fresh off of export opportunities in Montreal (Mundial and M for Montreal, November 2014), Germany (Reeperbahn Festival, September 2014), the Americana Music Conference (Nashville, September 2014) and others, we are excited to present this excellent opportunity for our artists. We will be in Kansas City to assist our artists with promotion of their showcases, manage our presence in the Folk Alliance trade show, and network with delegates from around the world, following up on connections we have cultivated at previous events. In addition to assisting our artists while in Kansas City, SaskMusic is working with the artists in advance of the event to ensure they are well prepared for the opportunities it will present. 

Full BreakOut West showcase schedule.
For more information, contact SaskMusic at 1-800-347-0676 or 306-347-0676, or kaelen@saskmusic.org.

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About Folk Alliance International

Since 1989, Folk Alliance® has served as the headquarters for Folk Music and Dance. With over 2800 members worldwide and an annual conference that is one of the five largest music conferences in North America, Folk Alliance continues to grow and mature while providing a unique range of member services to their community. Over the years, their community has grown to include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work in the folk world. Folk Alliance has five regional affiliates that provide the grass roots efforts in their respective markets. Folk Alliance International exists to foster and promote traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music and dance and related performing arts (www.folkalliance.org). 

About Creative Saskatchewan

Creative Saskatchewan is dedicated to the growth and commercial viability of Saskatchewan’s creative industries; visual arts and craft, publishing, music and sound recording, live performing arts, and screen-based media. Creative Saskatchewan’s funding programs are designed to introduce Saskatchewan’s creative products to the global marketplace. The agency facilitates the expansion of a business environment advantageous to the growth of the creative industry and to the growth of new employment, investment and production opportunities in Saskatchewan, and encourages and supports innovation, invention and excellence in the creative industry by stimulating creative production and new models of collaboration. For more information, visit www.creativesask.ca.

About SaskMusic

SaskMusic is a non-profit association that stimulates growth and development in the commercial music industry of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada through leadership, promotion, training, advocacy and partnership. We offer programming including career consultations, workshops, marketing, artist listings, export assistance, networking opportunities and much more. We represent the four components of our industry: creative, interpretive, technical and administrative. Our artists and music professionals hail from across Saskatchewan, and produce music in every genre you can imagine. We are a source of information and resources for both the public, and the music industry.

About the Saskatchewan Artists

Danny Olliver is a singer/songwriter from Regina SK. Since 2008, Danny has worked to establish himself as a vocalist, songwriter and premier guitar player. Danny blends his guitar playing with a unique vocal styling that complements both soft-spoken falsetto hooks and soaring vocal crescendos. His latest release is an 8-track EP, “Bad Omen Walking”. Along with producer Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Danny had the pleasure of working alongside notable Canadian musicians to complete the album. Bad Omen Walking is both an introspective and approachable addition to the folk/rock genre. 

Despite his relatively young age, Keiffer Mclean has made a prodigious progression as a solo folk artist. Hailing from Regina SK, Keiffer began writing songs in his mid-teens and has since developed into a songwriting virtuoso who has made appearances at several high-profile festivals, including the Cathedral Village Arts Festival, Regina Folk Festival, Gateway Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival and JUNOfest. His debut release, a seven-song self-titled EP, garnered him nominations in the “Young Performer of the Year” category at the 2013 and 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Megan Nash is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Palmer SK. She combines an honest portrayal of her human experience with a powerful voice to create a moving performance. There’s injury and an open, perversely inviting sadness…her songs have groove and northern darkness. Megan has toured the majority of Canada; her country (music) background is evident in her style, but her songs are heavily influenced by artists such as Neko Case and Stevie Nicks. She will be releasing her second album in spring 2015. (Photo: Morgan Kolish)

Nick Faye & The Deputies are a band from the deepest depths of the dusty derelict Canadian prairie. They enjoy comparing their music to “The Drew Carey Show”. Their new full-length album, “Worry,” explores the complexities that mental illnesses introduce to an individual attempting to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle. This past summer, Faye toured across Canada from coast-to-coast to promote the album. Over the past two years, the group has been selected to perform at numerous high-profile events including CMW, NXNE, CCMA, JUNOfest, and the Gateway Festival. They will be appearing at Folk Alliance as a duo. 

Scott Richmond is a Regina SK-based musician and singer/songwriter. His 2014 debut release, “Come What May,” reached the Top 20 on multiple folk and roots charts across Canada, was named the top country/roots album of 2014 in the Winnipeg Free Press, and earned him a showcase at BreakOut West 2014. Recorded in Nashville, the album features collaborations with such luminaries as Colin Linden, Kris Wilkinson, and Kim Morrison. As Richmond’s blend of folk, country, and rock and roll continues to reach to new listeners through his dynamic full-band and solo performances, he continues to write new and exciting music, set for release later this year. 

 As far as accolades go, Calgary-born, Saskatchewan-based singer/songwriter Tyler Gilbert has been nothing short of an indie sensation since releasing his 2011 album “Tyler’s World” and its full-length follow up “OK Murphy” (2013). He’s done national tours all over his native country; performed at countless major festivals, including All Folk’d Up, Winnipeg Fringe Festival, CCMAs, and Canadian Western Agribition; done tours of the U.S. Midwest; and performed live on Global TV and CTV while his music hit the playlists of top stations all across Canada. He is endorsed by Steve Clayton USA picks and Shubb Capos.