Alex Cuba Archives | Folk Roots Radio

Folk Roots Radio Episode 533: We’re All About The Music! (Moving Forward Edition)

Aug 15 2020

We’re going all about the music again on Episode 533 of Folk Roots Radio as we check out more of the latest new releases with more wonderful Covid lockdown tunes thrown into the mix. Join us for new music from Lynn Miles, Marin Patenaude, William Prince, Rachael Sage, Emilyn Stam & John David Williams, Alex Cuba, Countermeasure, Ian Foster & Nancy Hynes, Jayme Stone, Fred Lessman & the Backroad Warriors (feat. Brett Levick), Tommy Byrd and Greg Tressel alongside tributes to Canada’s Queen of the Blues Salome Bey, renowned Chicago based singer-songwriter Michael Peter Smith, and Fleetwood Mac founding member and fine blues guitarist Peter Green, who all sadly left us recently. Check out the full playlist below.

Sultans of String Christmas Caravan - Folk Roots Radio Interview

Nov 26 2017

Canadian world folk supergroup the Sultans of String have just released their first holiday album, “Christmas Caravan”. Turning the notion of holiday music completely on its head, the new album, recorded and co-produced with JUNO Award winning engineer John ‘Beetle’ Bailey, features Quebecois fiddle tunes and collaborations with a traditional Turkish string ensemble, and jumps from a classic Andrews Sisters holiday sound, to a Himalayan sleigh ride, African roots music, Gypsy-jazz, rumba flamenco, ska, and the grandeur of the symphony. You name it, its in there. To help celebrate the season, the band brought in an all star cast of guest musicians including six times Grammy winning Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains), Ruben Blades & Luba Mason, platinum-selling jazz vocalist Nikki Yanofsky, Alex Cuba, Benoit Bourque of Quebec’s Bottine Souriante, African-American a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, Cameroon’s Richard Bona, Rebecca Campbell (Emmylou Harris, Alanis Morissette), singer Mary Fahl from NYC’s October Project, a recording collective of Turkish Roma violinists in Istanbul, Sudanese-Canadian singer Waleed Abdulhamid, Nashville-based JUNO Award winning country singer Crystal Shawanda, sitar virtuoso Anwar Khurshid, and hang drum player David Charrier from France. We caught up with Sultans of String fiddle maestro, Chris McKhool, at home in Toronto, to learn more about the new album. The Sultans of String will be touring the album across Canada in the run up to the holidays, including a visit to the Registry Theatre in Kitchener ON (December 1), the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto (December 2) and Aeolian Hall in London (December 3). Check out all the dates and visit the Sultans of String online at sultansofstring.com. Music: Sultans of String, “Turkish Greensleeves”, “Himalayan Sleigh Ride” and “Hallelujah” from “Christmas Caravan” (2017, Self).

Episode 268: Kingsville Folk Music Festival Preview

Aug 06 2016

This episode of Folk Roots Radio is all about this year’s Kingsville Folk Music Festival which takes place the weekend of August 12-14 in beautiful Lakeside Park in Kingsville on the shore of Lake Erie. We feature interviews with artistic directors John & Michele Law, Leamington singer-songwriter Dale Butler and publicist Michelle Fortier, alongside music from some of the artists we’re excited to see in Kingsville this time around. Check out the full line-up HERE. For more information about the festival and to get tickets, visit kingsvillefolkfest.org.

May 06 2016

This episode features an interview with John & Michele Law who joined us to chat about the line up for the 3rd Annual Kingsville Folk Music Festival, which takes place from August 12-14, in the beautiful confines of Lakeside Park in Kingsville on the shores of Lake Erie It’s a great festival and already gaining a great reputation for bringing fabulous folk, roots, blues and world music down into South-western Ontario. There’s also a lot of new music on this episode. I hope you’ll check it out.

May 04 2016

The performers for the 3rd Annual Kingsville Folk Music Festival, which takes place from August 12-14, have just been announced. This year, the festival, which takes place in the beautiful confines of Lakeside Park in Kingsville on the shore of Lake Erie, features Buffy Sainte-Marie, fresh from success at the Juno Awards with her Polaris Music Prize winning album “Power in the Blood”. Joining Buffy at this year’s festival are Alex Cuba, Quique Escamilla, Irish Mythen, Garnet Rogers, Alysha Brilla, Qristina & Quinn Bachand, Bill Bourne, The Boxcar Boys, Jason Dennie & Rochelle Clark, Tony Gouveia, Maneli Jamal, Connie Kaldor, Kaia Kater, The Laws, Rob Lutes, Danielle Miraglia, The O’Pears, Amanda Rheaume, Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane, Union Duke, Luther Wright, Dale Butler, Francine Leclair, Whoa Nellie! Vera & Johnny, Tribute to Willie P. Bennett and children’s performers: Jangles The Magical Clown, Butterfingers and Magoo alongside Todd Crowley’s Musical Petting Zoo. Artistic Directors John & Michele Law joined us to chat about this year’s festival. Weekend passes at Kingsville are still under $100 which sounds like a great deal and Children 16 and under are admitted FREE! Regular priced weekend – senior – student and single day passes are now available online HERE. For more information visit kingsvillefolkfest.org. Music: Buffy Sainte-Marie “Power In The Blood” from “Power In The Blood” (2015, True North Records).

Hillside Inside 2015

Nov 26 2014

Hillside Inside takes place on the weekend of February 6-8 2015 across Downtown Guelph. The musical portion of the Hillside Festival’s younger sibling kicks off on Friday February 6 with a cabaret style show featuring Oliver Mtukudzi with special guest Alex Cuba at the River Run Centre at 7:30 p.m. Later that night at 10 p.m., Kid Koala will take to the stage at St. George’s Church (Mitchell Hall) with bizZarh. Saturday February 7 features two shows, Owen Pallett with special guest Jennifer Castle in the Sanctuary at St. George’s Church at 3 p.m. and The New Pornographers with special guests Operators in St. George’s Church (Mitchell Hall) at 9:15 p.m. The festival concludes on Sunday February 8 with Stars and special guests Hey Rosetta! at the River Run Centre at 7:30 p.m. Details of community events taking place during the festival are yet to be announced.