Kate Weekes

James Stephens

Kate Weekes is a multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter based in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec. As a touring and recording artist, Kate has released four albums of original material influenced by her time spent in the northern parts of the world working as a dog musher, canoe and hiking guide.

Few albums arrive with a backstory rivalling that of Rideau Roots, the gorgeous, sonically sprawling, and very of-the-moment fifth album from singer-songwriter and wilderness guide Kate Weekes. In May 2022, Weekes fulfilled a long-held dream: she and a group of fellow artists paddled the famed Rideau Canal along unceded traditional lands from Kingston to Ottawa, reflecting on their settler status and the majesty of their surroundings as filmmaker Stephen Fuller captured footage for later release as music videos. Song ideas sparked by that “canoe-based musical residency” were recorded with longtime Weekes collaborator, producer and multi-instrumentalist James Stephens at Stove Studios in Chelsea, Quebec, resulting in the dynamic “contemporary original folk” that is as much Weekes’ trademark as her sparkling banjo and crystalline voice.

Time by the Moon- Kate Weekes