Canadian powerhouses confirmed for Riddu Riđđu
The Trade-Offs from Nunavut and Jeremy Ducher from eastern Canada are confirmed for Riddu Riđđu 2024!
Echoing the depths of the northern tundra in Nunavut, swaddled in soul, blues and rock – the inimitable The Trade-Offs! The band delivers arctic soul and blues with lyrics about universal themes such as light and darkness, closeness and isolation, in a mixture of Inuktitut and the English language. The Trade-Offs are frequent guests at stages all over Canada, and has also made inroads abroad, most recently in Reykjavik at Iceland airwaves in 2023.
Frontman Josh Qaumariaq does not only possess a deep, raspy voice, he is also quite the guitar hero. The grand voice and the virtuoso guitar playing effortlessly blends with Jeff Maruice's soulful soundscapes into a greater whole, leaving audiences thrilled. Prepare to fall in love with Nunavut’s arctic soul!
Award-winning Canadian composer Jeremy Dutcher will also return to the Riddu festival in 2024 after his first appearance at the festival in 2019, and our festival audience can look forward to an event of stupendous beauty.
Jeremy Dutcher is a tenor, composer, activist, ethnomusicologist, and member of the Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) of Eastern Canada. Using his Wolastoqiyik First Nation roots in his music, Dutcher’s music is a seamless, hauntingly beautiful blend of genres and cultures, wholly unique in form.
Dutcher received international recognition for his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawá (2018), won the Polaris Music Prize in 2018 and the "Indigenous Music Album of the Year" at the JUNO Awards in 2019.
The music, perhaps best described as a melange of neoclassical, jazz and pop, has led to collaborations with iconic artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Beverly Glenn Copeland.
Dutcher's work has taken him to the world's largest concert halls, NPR's Tiny Desk and the judges’ table at Canada's Drag Race.
Riddu Riđđu are incredibly happy to present both The Trade-Offs and Jeremy Dutcher at this year's festival, and Riddu Riđđu festival leader Sajje Solbakk is thrilled to announce them
“When The Trade-Offs enter Riddu Lávdi, our audience are in for a treat! The band's frontman Josh Qaumariaq's strong voice and command of the stage are worth the experience alone, and backed by a full band, the stage is set for a powerhouse from Nunavut! Dutcher delivers a tense artistic universe with powerful vocals where the Wolastoq First Nation roots are expressed in both melody and lyrics. He is visiting the festival on the back of brand new album Motewolonuwok - and we are really looking forward to the summer’s concert!”