Maria Dunn

Edmonton's own Maria Dunn has been singing and playing accordion and guitar with local folk groups for the past five years. In 1992, she formed The Invisible Jug Band with singer and guitarist Dawn Anderson. Together they perform a blend of traditional and contemporary folk music.

Since 1995, she's also been a member of the Celtic band 'Miosg na Stumps. Naturally, her songs are part of the repertoire of both ensembles and range from Celtic-influenced melodies telling ancestral stories to country-tinged compositions based on contemporary themes-not a surprising combination considering she was raised on '60s Scottish folk revival records, as well as on the likes of Gordon Lightfoot and Johnny Cash. Her current influences still reflect that dichotomy and are as much influenced by artists such as Altan and Andy M. Stewart as by Ranch Romance and Lucinda Williams.

In the last few years, Maria took part in songwriting events such as The City Media Club's Songwriter Series in 1995, the Sonic Sisters concert in 1996 and the 1997 Old Strathcona Singer-Songwriter contest. Along with making music herself, Maria is an avid fan and promoter of folk roots music through her weekly program Barely Awake Roots on CJSR FM88.