NORTH OF HERE
Calling Edmonton, AB home, North of Here is an Americana/folk group made up of Luke Jansen (vocals, banjo, bass), Ian St. Arnaud (vocals, mandolin), and Will Holowaychuk (vocals, percussion). The band came together through a high school music class friendship that grew into a full-time project. There is both history and new life in North of Here’s folk sound. Shaped by their grandparents’ worn-out Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen records, they also cite contemporaries such as The Barr Brothers and The Milk Carton Kids as influences on their songwriting. Hidden behind the sunny disposition of acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin, are lyrics with weight and self-reflective depth.
In Summer 2017, the group released two singles, "Without Windows" and "Milk & Honey". Supporting prominent Canadian artists such as Aidan Knight, Craig Cardiff, and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, and appearing at the Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Canmore Folk Music Festivals, North of Here found their footing in the Western Canadian folk community.