A rocking good time is in store for concertgoers at this year’s ROOTSandBLUES Festival.
Headliners for the July 24-26 event include Canadian rockers Blue Rodeo, who closed out the one-day 2023 festival before the event was shut down due to the Bush Creek East wildfire.
“Bringing back Blue Rodeo for a full performance has been three years in the making. It was just a matter of when,” said artistic director Kevin Tobin in an April 8 news release announcing the 2026 ROOTSandBLUES Festival lineup so far.
Also headlining the 34th iteration of the popular Salmon Arm event are Saskatchewan revival rockers The Sheepdogs, and Icelandic indie/folk rock band Of Monsters and Men.
More than 10 years have passed since The Sheepdogs last played ROOTSandBLUES, and 15 years since the the band beat out 15 other competitors to win Rolling Stone’s “Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star” contest, which let readers select an unsigned musical act to be on the magazine’s cover.
The four-time Juno Award-winning group has expanded its sound to “enhance their trademark beef-and-boogie twin-axe riffs, hooks, shuffles and long-haired aesthetic.”
“We identify strongly with rock ‘n roll, but there’s definitely some branching out,” said Ewan Currie, The Sheepdogs’ singer, guitarist, songwriter and occasional clarinetist in the ROOTSandBLUES announcement.
“A mature and evolving sound is a testament to The Sheepdogs’ never-ending desire to follow their muse, become increasingly prolific and deliver thrilling evenings of thundering, organic rock with unpretentious, high-calibre musicianship where soulful Americana grooves fit comfortably alongside banjo-picking and protest songs — and, most importantly, it makes for a fantastic time.”
Of Monsters and Men stormed the international charts with their debut single “Little Talks.”
“The majestic Of Monsters and Men are no longer simply the purveyors of early-2010s indie-folk exuberance,” reads the announcement. “They are a band comfortable in contrast, balancing the celebratory rush of ‘Little Talks’ with the emotional complexity of their newer work, delighting fans with their versatility. That balance is complete: reflective without being distant, expansive without losing intimacy, a superb band that reminds audiences why live music matters: the chance to be both hushed into stillness and swept into euphoria.”
Celebrating their 40th anniversary, Blue Rodeo has proven to be one of Canada’s most enduring and important bands, winning 12 Juno Awards (of 31 nominations), and two CCMA Awards.
“Since their formation in Toronto – Blue Rodeo has sold more than four million albums, played thousands of shows, been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, been named to the Order of Canada and been honoured with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.”
Other performers currently in the 2026 ROOTSandBLUES lineup include: Amani Burnhum, Chambers DesLauriers feat. Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers, Corey Harris and Cedric Watson: True Blues, Darla Daniels, DUG, Fontine, Leaf Rapids, Locarno, the LowDown Brass Band, Mitsune, MonkeyJunk, Oh Pray Tell, Sinkane, Supalung, The Blackburn Brothers, The Blue Mules, The Free Label, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Too Many Zooz, Uncle Strut, Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz, Wild Rivers, Yagody and Secondhand Dreamcar.
For tickets and more information, visit rootsandblues.ca.
Read more: Salmon Arm Folk Music Society looks to engage outside of ROOTSandBLUES Festival