Block Heater music festival unveils biggest lineup yet, including DJ Shub, Hannah Georgas, Chad VanGaalen

Calgary music festival Block Heater has unveiled a hot lineup for a cold February, with artists that include DJ Shub, Son Little, Chad VanGaalen, Hannah Georgas, Del Barber, Kid Koala and Justin Rutledge.

'Ultimate cure for cabin fever' includes 38 local, national and international acts

CBC News · Posted: Nov 21, 2019 3:43 PM EST | Last Updated: November 21, 2019

Electronic music pioneer DJ Shub, who is Mohawk of the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario, is part of a strong Indigenous contigent at this year's Block Heater festival in February. (Submitted by DJ Shub)

Calgary music festival Block Heater has unveiled its biggest lineup yet to warm up a cold February, with artists that include DJ Shub, Son Little, Chad VanGaalen, Hannah Georgas, Del Barber, Kid Koala and Justin Rutledge.

The fifth annual festival is put on by the Calgary Folk Music Festival from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22. This year, it's at expanded locations in Inglewood — the organization's own Festival Hall, the Ironwood Stage and Grill, Gorilla Whale restaurant/lounge — as well as in the East Village at the King Eddy, Studio Bell and the Central Library.

Folk fest artistic director Kerry Clarke said the lineup for Block Heater 2020 will be the biggest yet, with 38 local, national and international acts in concerts and jams as well as a panel discussion and film.

"It's the ultimate cure for cabin fever," the festival said in a release.

The indie-ambient rock group nêhiyawak, based in Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory. From left, guitarist Matthew Cardinal, guitarist Kris Harper and drummer Marek Tyler. (Levi Manchak)

This year, there's a strong contingent of Indigenous artists, including:

The Godfather of PowWowStep, electronic music pioneer DJ Shub, who is Mohawk of the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario. A former member of A Tribe Called Red, DJ Shub was nominated for a 2018 Juno for his debut solo EP PowWowStep.
Poet and spoken word artist Shane Koyczan, who was born in Penticton, B.C., to a mother is of French descent and First Nations father.
Indie-rock Cree band nêhiyawak — pronounced neh-HEE-o-wuk — who hail from Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory.

Other Block Heater performers include pop-rock singer Hannah Georgas, who has been repeatedly nominated for Juno awards repeatedly. (Hannah Georgas/Facebook)

Block Heater also has a special Black Future Month focus with performances by AfrotroniX, Son Little, Cécile Doo-Kingué, Élage Diouf, Sunny War, Lynn Olagundoye and Karimah.

Here's the entire lineup for this year's festival: