Mat Hughes and Kailey Jane Hawkins

July 31 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

When he returned to the east coast after a spell on BC’s Sunshine Coast, Halifax-based singer-songwriter Mat Hughes started writing and performing homespun songs on his keyboard in an attic-turned studio and makeshift music venue. Almost three years and three EPs later, he’s since upgraded from DIY house shows to playing sets across the country. Mat’s intricate yet unpretentious songwriting tunes classical technique to a modern pitch with percussive, piano-driven melodies that can turn any crowd into an audience of attentive listeners. His sharp, candid lyricism ranges from the playfully slapstick to the knife-edge of existential pathos in topics like eco-anxiety, self-estrangement, and feeling homesick for a place you’ve never been, or merely passed through.

Kailey Jane Hawkins is a local Singer / Songwriter and is known for her deep love of folk and acoustic music. Kailey first discovered her passion for music growing up in the North — as a child singing along to iconic Canadian artists like Fred Penner and Sharon, Lois & Bram. Now based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Kailey began sharing music 9 years ago and performs both covers of popular artists as well as her own originals. She loves the vibrant music community in Grey /Bruce and is a long-time Summerfolk volunteer: emceeing stages, performing as a “tweener”, hosting Summerfolk’s former radio show Georgian Bay Roots, and this year is thrilled to be included as a Summerfolk performer for the festival’s 50th anniversary.