Aerialists

Aerialists is a JUNO nominated neo-folk quintet. Their music combines a love for folk tradition with a deep desire to experiment with form. With one album under their belt, the band has already made a name for themselves with a distinctive hybrid approach to traditional music; their songs carry historical weight without ever being stale or tired. Aerialists was formed when Adam Iredale-Gray (guitar), Elise Boeur (fiddle) & Màiri Chaimbeul (harp) were studying at Berklee College of Music. Each player had a unique musical background - Boeur had completed an intensive study in folk music at a Norwegian college, Chaimbeul had established herself as an acclaimed Scottish harpist steeped in the Gaelic tradition, and Iredale-Gray had spent years touring North America with acclaimed folk band Fish & Bird. The project became their musical meeting point - where each was able to synthesize their influences into an entirely unique whole. The three are the core of Aerialists, and are joined live by a rhythm section that features some of Canada’s most talented instrumentalists. In 2017, Aerialists released Group Manoeuvre, an album that combined prog-trad compositions and re-imaginings of traditional material. This deft balancing act of new and old garnered the record both a JUNO Award nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year. Folk Radio UK praised it’s “dazzling display of stellar musicianship” while Spill Magazine noted the music’s “gorgeous interludes, fierce harmonics, and biting rock riffs”. Following its release, the band toured in the UK with high-profile shows at Celtic Connections in Glasgow and the renowned Muzieklub ‘t Ey in Belgium. Canadian performances include Vancouver Folk Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Hillside Festival, and many more. Aerialists are ethereal yet precise, technical yet visceral, and every song feels like a new beginning. With a second album Dear Sienna slated for release in early 2020, the band adds vocals in English, Swedish, and Gaelic, winning over audiences with their graceful musicianship and restless experimentation. “Seriously accomplished musicians, brimming with energy” - CBC "A veritable (prog-trad) folk super-group whose next moves promise to be extraordinary" -Folk Radio UK "Entire worlds seem travelled... there is a sense of urgency, lightheartedness, menace, and stillness" - Spill Magazine