Alianait Arts Festival offers sneak peek of 2016 lineup

A sneak peek of Nunavut's Alianait Arts Festival 2016 lineup shows an eclectic mix of national and international artists playing a range of rock, pop, folkand blues.

The annual festival from June 29 to July 3 takes place in Iqaluit, and brings together musicians, performing artists and children'sentertainers forNunavut's largest festival.

"I'm so excited for these artists to come to Alianait," said one of the festival's organizers,Jessie Fraser.

"[It's] agreat variety of musicians and artists, with such talent and from so many different regions," Fraser added.

Vancouver based duothe Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer top the list with their raw blues sound, punctuated with gritty guitars and haunting harmonics. What sets these guys apart is their energetic performances that will have you tapping your toes.

The festival lineup also includes theTwin Flames, well known toNunavutaudiences with theirInuttitutand English folk-pop-rock pieces.The duo includes singer songwriters Chelsey June and Nunavik's Jaaji.

"We've been trying to get toNunavut for the past year as a band," Jaaji said.

Alianait would not be complete without a healthy dose of eclectic inspired music from the East Coast. Prince Edward Island's Eastern Belles (Catherine MacLellan, Ashley Condon, Meaghan Blanchard) hit the spot with their distinctly melodic voices that come together in sweet harmonies.

"None of us have been to Nunavut and it's going to be a great opportunity to explore the music scene up North," added Blanchard.

Hometown favourite's Mary and Joey, winners of the 2016 Qilaut Songwriting competition for their song Inunguqpung, will be performing at the festival. The Pangnirtung duo have captured the hearts of music lovers across Nunavut with their acoustic duets in Inuktitut and English.

"Alianait prides itself in offering our emerging artists opportunities to perform alongside musicians from all over the world," said Alianait's executive director Heather Daley.

Greenland's Simon Lynge returns to the Alianait stage this yearwith his blend of melodic rock, pop and folk music. Originally from Greenland, Simon Lynge's performance with the Arctic Connections Collaboration made him a crowd-favouriteat the Alianait Festival in 2012.