Fiver, aka musician, poet, researcher Simone Schmidt (playing now with full band, the FIVER TROIS!) has been speaking truth to country music in Canada for nearly 20 years, avoiding the traps and tropes of the mainstream while making progressive music. It’s an honour to have them at Heartwood. Their new album Cleaning House is out on You’ve Changed records.
Contact: www.fiverfiverfiver.com
Owen Sound’s Cowdust play alternative country music, melding ragged originals with electrified versions of older country tunes. The band plays amped up country rock originals and versions of classic country and bluegrass tunes, with energy that can’t be faked. Their lyrics mine love, loss, and meaning-making. In 2026 Cowdust released Trash and Tribute, a rowdy EP of country covers.
Bandcamp: https://ownsoundrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/trash-and-tribute
Instagram: @cowdustmusic.Â
