The Dead South in Ottawa

The Dead South are a Canadian folk and bluegrass band formed in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2012. Their acoustic string sound and darkly comic storytelling are heard on songs including “In Hell I’ll Be in Good Company” and “Banjo Odyssey,” both from the album Good Company, and on later records such as Illusion & Doubt and Sugar & Joy. The Dead South played the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2016. Six years later, the quartet brought its banjo, cello, guitar and mandolin-led setup to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado; that performance was released as Live at Red Rocks.

Amigo the Devil is the dark-folk project of American singer-songwriter Danny Kiranos. His banjo-led songs pair folk and country forms with macabre narratives and black humor; key recordings include “Hell and You,” “Cocaine and Abel” and “Another Man’s Grave,” along with the albums Everything Is Fine, Born Against and Yours Until the War Is Over. Amigo the Devil has toured with Murder by Death and has performed both solo, accompanying himself on banjo or acoustic guitar, and with a backing band in clubs and theatres. In 2024, songs from Yours Until the War Is Over became the basis of the headline run titled Yours Until the Tour Is Over.