Winter Swamp Music! Lookout Tower hails from memories of days gone by and of moments yet to come. Storytellers inspired by the cultural landscape of Cape Breton and woven from the yarn of hard times – their songs are the culmination of musical paths not commonly crossed. Defying genres with a no holds barred approach, vintage soul meets modern Americana, where old-time harmonies and bluesy influences are dashed with Acadian roots, creating their original Winter Swamp Sound – a sonic palette of soulful ballads, rousing blues rock and hypnotic funk. Their albums have been nominated for multiple ECMAs.

Singer-songwriter Mike McKenna Jr. is an award-winning artist from Cape Breton Island. With a raspy and soulful voice, his warm indie folk and Americana tones decorate powerful original and traditional songs laden with captivating storytelling. Born in Glace Bay and raised along the Mira River, Mike’s songwriting aesthetic points heavily to his roots growing up in small-town industrial Cape Breton. Over the course of 4 studio albums, including his latest record ‘Smokey Mountain High’, he brings us the nostalgia of his home through profoundly-written narrative, poetry, protest, and true stories about life and death in Nova Scotia’s coastal, working-class communities.