WED. JULY 1, 2026
The Works Street Stage
WED. JULY 1, 2026
12:15PM &
1:45PM - Gateway Big Band
3:15PM – Tommy Charles and Kaylin Kowalyshyn
4:45PM – Ann Vriend
6:00PM – Lindsey Walker
7:15PM – The Uncas
8:30PM – Funk the Matriarchy
*Special thank you to our emcee, Michelle Todd.
Gateway Big Band
12:15PM & 1:45PM
The Gateway Big Band is pleased to be able to perform for you again at The Works on Canada Day 2026!
The Band is comprised of amateur musicians from all walks of life in Edmonton who enjoy the opportunity to play big band jazz.
The Band’s director, J.F. Picard, has been at the helm of this group for many years and his professional experience and knowledge has contributed greatly to the dynamic growth in the quality and diversity of the Band’s repertoire.
The Band rehearses on Monday evenings and performs two formal concerts each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The Band also has performed many other engagements over the years at Community Facilities, Hospitals, Dance Clubs and Festivals.
The Band has continued to evolve into a top tier performance orchestra with a focus on playing contemporary jazz music, written by today’s composers and arrangers. The Band will also play traditional Big Band music from the swing era for events that require that style of music.
Many of the Band members have been in the organization for several years and provide the foundation so necessary for a Band of this nature to perform at a consistent level but they have also made room for upcoming musicians to join and develop their skills at playing challenging contemporary Big Band Jazz.
The Band looks forward to many more years performing in the Edmonton area and pleasing all the patrons who attend our performances. See the Facebook page Gateway Big Band for more.
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Kaylin Kowalyshin
3:15PM
Alberta born and raised, artist Kaylin brings a timeless feminine presence and natural grace to country and folk music with a voice that is smoky, soulful and honeyed.
Fans have described her sound as Norah Jones meets Shania Twain, blending a soulful ease with the slight twang and charm of classic country storytelling.
Since 2023, Kaylin has performed across the prairies and into Eastern Canada on theatre stages, festival lineups, and major live music venues.
She is currently working on new records that showcase more of her roots while stepping more fully into the artist she is becoming.
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Ann Vriend
4:45PM
“AV’s vocal delivery is something to behold. She doesn’t just sing at you — she speaks to you… with a gravitas in her voice, an urgency that makes each line land like gospel.” - The Sound Café
Canadian AV (Ann Vriend) is a two-time Maple Blues Award songwriting recipient; an Edmonton Music Award and Alberta Centennial Award recipient; winner of the “RnB Single Of the Year” Award at the Edmonton Music Awards; a "Keyboardist of the Year" nominee at at Maple Blues Awards; and has sold more than 30,000 albums off-the-stage in her under-the-radar yet critically acclaimed international career.
She is also the bandleader, lead singer, and arranger for the newly formed soul/roots group AV & the Inner City, who recently won an “Emerging Artist" award at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, at the end of a highly successful multi -festival summer tour.
AV has been hailed by NOW Magazine as a musician who "turns soul on its head, belting out delicate introspection in the form of fire”. Known primarily for her incredibly powerful and dynamic vocals she is actually first and foremost a songwriter, and her many awards spanning her career are almost exclusively in that category. Writes The Sound Café: AV is “someone who taps into emotional truths long before the rest of us find the words.”
AV is also one of the only independent artists in recent history to break into the Top 100 Pop Charts of commercial radio in Germany, the world’s 4th largest music market; even taking the #1 spot on one of their largest stations, Bayern 1.
To quote the Toronto Star: "Don't miss her."
Aside from the commercial sphere, AV’s music consistently receives spins on community and campus radio across Canada, and she has been the guest on such nationally favourite radio shows such as "Vinyl Cafe", and Holger Petersen's "Saturday Night Blues," and "All Nat'l Blues."
In Germany AV has performed on popular TV shows such as ZDF's “Morgenmagazin” and "The Pierre M Krause Show, as well as Arte TV; and in Australia she was a guest on ABC’s comedy show, “Spicks and Specks,” "The Inner Sleeve", and others.
AV has recorded at Sony Studios and the Hit Factory in NYC, and worked with esteemed producers such as Ray Bardani and Joe Chicarelli; and by his request she has worked with multiple number one hit songwriter Dan Hill.
AV's last tour before the pandemic was a six-night opening slot for UK star Lisa Stansfield, where each night Stansfield's crowds were captivated into complete silence before the end of AV's first song. In the course of those 6 concerts she sold nearly $20,000 worth of merchandise, and had many sold-out shows booked for her 2020 tours-- but then we all know what happened in 2020 in the world.
So, during the COVID19 pandemic AV launched what came to be a weekly event called “Porch Concerts”; where for nearly 60 Sundays of the 2 main years of the pandemic she and other musical guests performed free concerts on her front porch, with people coming from all over her hometown of Edmonton to take it in.
The porch concerts also saw participation both musically and logistically by the often-ignored members of her difficult and notorious inner-city neighbourhood of McCauley, which has suffered increasingly during the opioid crisis, and is the muse of much of her songwriting, in which she delves into the historical, cultural, and colonial reasons behind a great deal of this suffering, and which has led AV down a path of self-discovery, as much as it was a discovery of her neighbours and their own biographical stories.
A true writer— or perhaps what she suggests could be “chronic overthinking”— AV has always written songs about confusion, searching, and questioning -- of herself, and the culture around her. The outcome is what she half-seriously, half-jokingly calls “existentialist gospel"; drawing from classic soul artists who have delivered stunning recordings which are both contagiously fun AND socially thought provoking; such as Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, and, especially, Aretha Franklin-- all the way up the line to Sharon Jones, Tracy Chapman, Cee Lo Green, John Legend, and Bruno Mars; while lyrically AV drew from her parents’ vinyl ‘70s folk/pop collection which included artists such as Cat Stevens, Leonard Cohen, and Paul Simon. The one thing all these all had in common is there were artists who often questioned the society of their times.
In addition to working hard as the bandleader and producer of new “AV & the Inner City” material AV will be recording and releasing new material of her own in the coming months.
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Lindsey Walker
6:00PM
Lindsey Walker is an award-winning Edmonton-based powerhouse musician best known for her commanding vocal presence and vulnerable charming stage banter. Lindsey’s haunting yet arousing vocals draw on the doom-pop sensibilities of Kimbra; the rocking charisma of Heart; and the meticulous orchestration of St. Vincent. With the award-winning album, “this desolate bliss.” under her belt, Lindsey’s latest release, “Something Real”, is a trio of moody, anthemic tracks that’ll make you want to grab your lover and run full-tilt into the darkness. When she’s not wooing audiences with her live performance, Lindsey is a sound designer and composer with multiple theatre credits to her name, working for many established theatre companies in Alberta. Lindsey’s also a very, very funny lady who entertains audiences as a founding member of the sketch comedy troupe Sketchy Broads and a principal player on the improv soap opera Die-Nasty!
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The Uncas
7:15PM
The Uncas have spent 25 years carving out their own corner of the alt-country landscape, with equal parts grit, harmony and controlled chaos.
Built on five distinct voices, instrument-swapping musicianship and a fearless, anything-can-happen live show, the Edmonton-based band moves effortlessly between heartfelt melodies and full-throttle cowpunk energy. One minute it’s tight, musical storytelling steeped in roots tradition; the next, it’s a raucous, genre-bending explosion of emotion.
After years of touring coast-to-coast and building a loyal following, The Uncas return in 2026 with their first new recording in more than a decade – 'Horseshoe Theory: Simple Uncanomics,' which shows their chemistry and creative spark are as strong as ever.
The Uncas don’t just play shows… they make moments, and they aren’t to be missed.
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Funk the Matriarchy
8:30PM
Funk the Matriarchy - is a female-fronted band dedicated to amplifying the voices of women in funk, soul, and R&B. With a unique blend of infectious grooves and powerful performances, the band engages audiences while addressing gender inequality in the music industry and beyond. Their setlist features both iconic female anthems and lesser-known tracks from underrepresented artists, honoring the pioneers who shaped these genres while elevating voices that are often overlooked.
Since their debut on International Women’s Day 2024 at the Yardbird Suite, Funk the Matriarchy has electrified audiences at major events, including The Fringe Theatre Festival and Kaleido Family Arts Festival. Through music and storytelling, the band fosters inclusivity, encourages empowerment, and sparks conversation around gender equality—all while delivering a high-energy, unforgettable experience.
Funk the Matriarchy promises to get you movin’, groovin’and funkin’ it to the man!
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