*Crowd at Block Heater 2026. Photo by Daman Singh.*

Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater was just what we needed to soothe our souls during this unusually warm February. Here are our festival highlights while we eagerly anticipate the full festival experience this summer.

Friday, February 6

THE WAR AND TREATY

There seemed to be a theme in this year’s Block Heater that The War and Treaty perfectly encapsulated as the opening musical act of Friday night — following Kyle Young Pine and Friends’ performance of the Jingle Dress Dance — which is: that it’s all about love. The married duo Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter Jr. leaned into the unseasonable warmth in Calgary that weekend, mirroring it with their performance that radiated just as much affection and tenderness.

Their set had myself and the rest of the crowd either clapping our hands to the beat, hands raised to songs like “Hi Ho” and “Five More Minutes” to being in awe as the couple sang to each other during “Blank Page.” Although by the time their set started, the sun had set, the ATB Main Stage tent was alive with a glow of excitement and radiance, reflecting the magic that had just unfolded on stage. — Dianne Miranda

JOCE REYOME

Opening their set, Joce Reyome confidently declares that they think that they’re the funniest person in the room and that people are going to believe that by the end of it. Between perfectly delivered dad jokes (such as: “How does a cat like its steak? Rawr”) and their effortless crowd work, the charm lands immediately and I can’t help but to agree. This four-piece band, playing together for the first time, delivered one of my standout sets of this year’s Block Heater.

Reyome, 2025 International Blues Challenge (solo/duo) first placer, with their raspy, expressive, soulful vocals cut through the Horizon Heating Stage with grit and boldness, all while balancing serenading the crowd with heartfelt lyrics and humour (and not to mention animal and bird calls they sampled like the impressive hawk/eagle screech). I’m truly excited for the new album they have coming out this year, adding to my rotating collection of favourite Canadian music. — Dianne Miranda

PIQSIQ

It’s hard to explain how wonderful it is to witness a culture lost to time and colonization, you have to see it for yourself, but I’ll try. Juno-nominated indigenous duo PIQSIQ took the crowd Horizon Heating Stage and put us in a trance. If you haven’t heard inuit throat singing live yet, you’re really missing out on a performance of your lifetime. Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay blend throat singing with electronic loopers and beats to create this soothing dream of sound.
For the first timers in the audience (like yours truly), the duo shared the cultural significance of their performance. Inuit throat singing is deeply intimate, traditionally a game between two women singing face-to-face imitating sounds from nature, reflecting their relationship with the land, with the goal of outlasting the other. Now, it’s witnessing a revival in the form of resistance, The duo doesn’t see it as a game anymore, PIQSIQ sees it as a responsibility and has made it their practice. Truly an exceptional act to end off our Friday night with. — *Daman Singh*

*Photo by Dianne Miranda.*

Saturday, February 7

THE POINT.

If I could only use one word to describe the Austin-based The Point.'s Canada debut early afternoon, it would be: funky. There’s a certain chemistry present between the three-piece band — guitarist and vocalist Jack Montesinos, drummer Nico Léophonete and keyboardist Joe Roddy — that with just a glance, they know exactly which riff to launch into. Their grooves strike such a harmonious balance between precision and playfulness, creating an infectious energy that’s impossible not to groove along with. Their set made me feel like I was a fly on the wall during a jam session buzzing around as their genre-defying sounds sent vibrations through the ATB Main Stage tent, playing songs from their album Maldito Animal.
— Dianne Miranda

BURNSTICK

Burnstick’s set truly filled my bucket with so much love that I carried through the rest of day three, and even now writing this festival review. What one can feel watching Burnstick’s set at the Upper Barracks is the amount of over-pouring love husband and wife Jason Burnstick and Nadia Gaudet have for each other and what they do that is so evident in the mastery of their instrumentation including a Weissenborn guitar and unifying harmonies.

The 2021 Juno nominated Indigenous duo shared with the crowd so many sweet key moments from their relationships such as how they first met, their wedding ceremony, and life stories such as those about Burnstick’s mother and how these magical moments have played a role in who they are now and the music they make. Together, the Upper Barracks stage was transformed into this sacred space of deep connection, reminding all those in the audience that love, which is not to be taken for granted, can be one of the most powerful instruments on any stage. — Dianne Miranda

FIELD GUIDE

Walking into Field Guide’s set, I wasn’t initially sure if I was at the right place because of how much the crowd was laughing with and cheering on his stories about finding some of the city’s hidden gems. At the same time, he wonderfully sets up this incredible sense of solemnity and intimacy that just settles over the room the moment he starts playing, opening his set with several new songs. His writing is deeply and devastatingly personal to the point that it feels like an open door, with his arm outstretched, welcoming in all those that want to feel.

A favourite song of mine from the set was one that is in the new album coming out in the fall about moving slowly and enjoying your day. As heads sway and feet tap slowly, the room seems to breathe together, allowing the audience space to linger in the feeling a little longer for another beautiful year of Block Heater. — Dianne Miranda

CEDRIC BURNSIDE

Cedric Burnside opened Block Heater’s final showcase with sheer brilliance. With just his guitar and his voice of an angel, he started serenading the crowd. The smiles in the crowd were matched with the biggest smile on Burnside’s face, his joy transpired in his words. A few songs in, Burnside brought on his band and oh boy, was that a moment. The smiles in the room quickly became dancing bodies as the trance-like state his solo section left me in was shook away by the Burnside blues. His set was such a brilliant opening to the sets to follow and honestly, such a major highlight of the festival lineup. — Daman Singh

FRUIT BATS

The mainstage crowd was packed at the front waiting to see Eric Johnson—frontman of the Fruit Bats. While it was just him solo this night, it was nothing short of wonderful. Playing stripped down versions of songs like “Lingering Love” and “From the bottom of it,” Johnson had the crowd in awe. One look around and all you would see were big smiles and dreamy eyes. Just a guitar and an harmonica to back his angelic vocals, Johnson’s set was a masterclass to the fact that you don’t need a big band to captivate an audience. Whether it was your first introduction to Fruit Bats’ discography or you’ve been a long time fan, this set was blissful to a T. — Daman Singh

SEAN BEAVER

As someone who is trying to delve more into techno/electronic music as part of my musical journey, sean beaver has been such a treat to watch. The moment he started a set, naturally came a dance floor. Watching this high energy set of hypnotic rhythms unfold as they pull more and more people to the front of the Horizon Heating Stage was equally grounding and exhilarating, marking it a powerful close to my first Block Heater experience. — Dianne Miranda

JEREMIE ALBINO

Think you had enough blues? Well it’s not enough until you have seen Jeremie Albino. The ATB Mainstage’s final act of the festival was everything you’d been waiting for. Opening with “Rolling down the 405,” Albino rolled the audience into his groovy charm with some of the loudest screams I’d heard that night. It was sheer excellence, Albino gave his all to the audience in this performance—his expression, his dancing around the stage, and his gritty rockstar voice. His set was the perfect send of to an amazing curation of acts. — Daman Singh

Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater Broke Through The February Blues