2023 Limestone City Blues Festival

Grab your wristband now, and get full access to 4 days of live performances - that's 2 main stage events in Springer Market Square, as well as shows in Confederation Park and clubs all over downtown Kingston. New this year, amazing local food and artisan vendors, and a licensed area!

As a founding root of all popular Western music styles, Blues music fueled the growth and evolution of modern music genres. In its 26th year, the Limestone City Blues Festival proudly continues to honour Blues, its origins, and its own evolution as it influences contemporary musicians.

This August, festival-goers will be treated to an expansive festival experience, with 2 main stage events in Springer Market Square featuring gritty, raw and unrestrained talent, as well as Confederation Park and Club performances. New this year, food and artisan vendors and a licensed area.

There’s no counting the worlds Jeremie Albino has travelled to get to where he is today, and no telling which ones he might head to next. Born and raised in the bright and booming metropolis of Toronto, his heart led him out of the city and into Prince Edward County, where country living and a decade of working on farms gave him the time and space to hone his songwriting skills. His music nods to all manner of troubadours who rambled down similar paths throughout history—he nods slyly to the legendary blues singers who inspired him, offers a soft and insightful touch with his folk songs, and stomps and swaggers through soulful rock ‘n’ roll.

Soft spoken by nature, South Florida-bred Roosevelt Collier does his hollering on the pedal steel guitar. Brought up in the "sacred steel" tradition of the House of God Church, Roosevelt built his reputation alongside his uncles and cousins in The Lee Boys, known for their spirited, soul-shaking live performances.Seated front and center, "The Dr." leaves an indelible mark on listeners, flooring audiences with his lightning-fast slide work on the pedal steel.

Durham County Poets are a “BAND” in the truest sense of the word. Each member writes and arranges and brings something unique to the table. Be it blues, soul, folk, R&B or gospel, it all weaves seamlessly together to create a truly authentic contemporary Canadiana sound. Their fourth album, Hand Me Down Blues was nominated for a JUNO AWARD and remained on the Roots Music Canada charts for a year. They are now back in the groove with OUT OF THE WOODS, featuring 11 originals and one Dylan cover, where every song tells a story and touches the heart.

"Worn-in songs and poetic melancholia of a welcome stranger, with a laconic style that lives somewhere between Blue Rodeo and Lucinda Williams." - Brad Wheeler, GLOBE & MAIL.

“Jerry Leger has that spark in him that all the great songwriters have. He's the real deal.” - RON SEXSMITH

In 2005, a nineteen year old Jerry Leger cut his first independently released album. In the sixteen years since then the singer-songwriter has recorded 10 additional albums under his own name.

Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes are the driving force behind Bywater Call, a powerhouse 7 piece southern soul, roots rock bank out of Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2017, they have been Maple Blues nominated and Independent Blues Award nominated and have made waves in the Canadian festival circuit. They have toured Europe extensively and in May and June of 2022, they were featured on the mainstage at the Netherlands’ premiere blues festival, Moulin Blues. Meghan has been referenced as one of the best blues and roots singers out there. In November 2021, Meghan was a featured performer at the Women’s Blues Review at Roy Thomson Hall.

Since the release of his first album Gravity in 2000, Rob Lutes has steadily built a collection of exquisite songs that inhabit the intersection of blues, folk, Americana, and the contemporary singer-songwriter genre. As skilled delivering a Piedmont blues classic as he is performing his own acclaimed original songs, Lutes's masterful fingerstyle guitar work and soulful voice bring an unmistakable intensity to his live performances.

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Host or Publisher Downtown Kingston! BIA