Maggie’s Wake Canada’s Celtic Treasure Release New Single “Pigeon River” from Album “Lifelines’

Submitted By

Cashbox Canada

Fri Nov 06, 2026

Maggie's Wake is a Canadian mod-trad, female-fronted folk group creating an exciting splash in the root’s music scene serving up an electrifying fusion of Folk-Celtic tradition with roots swagger. Expect driving jigs and reels, whistles, double fiddle, flashes of country twang not to mention Cajun/global roots twists that’s pure joy from start to finish.

United in their passion for fiery tunes, heartfelt story/songs and soaring vocals, these 2025 CFMA winners embrace their wide-ranging influences and have built a refreshing new sound. The acclaimed band features award winning songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tara Dunphy (The Rizdales, Luther Wright and the Wrongs) and award winning violinist/fiddler/songwriter & composer Lindsay Schindler (Rant Maggie Rant, Trent Severn), backed by powerhouses Andrew Kosty on bass and Ken Palmer on guitar.

Catching up with Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler Cashbox asked where the inspiration and songs came from, answering in unison they shared their mutual thoughts, “we both have a lot of Celtic Roots, with Scottish backgrounds and a close connection to the East Coast. The trads songs are in our blood, and we love to create more of the same style in our original songwriting.”

Dale Watson, the Texas honky tonk legend, says "You can't grow if you rip your roots out of the ground" and Maggie's Wake have taken that to heart. They are honouring tradition while forging their own path in roots music.

During a visit to a Portland gallery, a painting of a hand with deeply etched lifelines in the palm stopped the band in its tracks. The defining image endured and sparked an album celebrating the constellation of lifelines – from the emotional, creative, to the physical – that shape, connect, and sustain us.

Across 14 original, new songs, Lifelines brings together some of this country’s finest folk musicians and production talent, creating a recording that honours Maggie’s Wake’s traditional Celtic and Canadian roots while pushing their sound and musical storytelling ever forward. Joining the band are celebrated singer-songwriter and multiple JUNO Award winner David Francey, renowned percussionist Cheryl Prashker, and guests Blair Heddle, Dean Harrison, and Larry Smith. Legendary Canadian producer, engineer, and musician Paul Mills returns to the studio to produce and mix the recording alongside engineer/mixer Adam Plant.

The album represents an exciting next chapter for Maggie’s Wake, building on the band’s multiple award-winning debut, and expanding their musical footprint and evolving sound.

Check out the single “Pigeon River” on YouTube here:

“Pigeon River” is where Maggie’s Wake says, “fiddles fly and the twang runs wild in this Celtic-country barnburner where love, betrayal and revenge collide with Shakespearean fury.”

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/search/maggies%20wake

The powerhouse quartet came together only in late 2022 and quickly took Ontario by storm — selling out dates on their very first "Spirit of the Season" Holiday tour in 2023. Since then, they've showcased at major music conferences across Canada, the US and UK, have whirlwind 2026 & 2027 tours on the books, won the 2025 CFMA for 'New Artist of the Year', launched a Holiday EP, were just signed by UK’s Strada Music International with a 10-day UK tour coming up in 2027, and now the release of LIFELINES which is sure to garner attention with their current fans as well as new ones.

Their work is 100% original, penned by Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, and their first single, Bridget O’Brien, won the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Songwriting Award.

Tara and Lindsay have a musical mission they tell Cashbox; “we want to share the stories about the songs. We find our performances are just as much about the background of the songs as they are about our performances. It is our commitment to keep the traditions, the music and the history alive for the next generation, just as much as the olde audiences who know these tunes by heart.”

Authentic. Original. Inspired. Maggie’s Wake not only honours the trad music from where they draw their inspiration, but the continue to create more traditions from their own original music.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• 2026 Signed by Strada Music International – UK
• 2026 Your Roots Are Showing Official Showcase Artists – Belfast Ireland
• 2026 Manitoba Showcase Official Showcase Artists
• 2025 “Close to Home” Holiday EP Release
• 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award - New Artist of the Year
• 2025 Forest City London Music Award - World Music Group of the Year
• 2025 Folk Music Ontario Official Showcase Artists (Ottawa ON)
• 2025 Folk Alliance Region Midwest - Official Showcase Artists (Lisle IL)
• 2024 Official Showcase Artists - Folk Alliance International conference (Kansas City MO)
• 2024 Official Showcase Artists - North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance conference (Portland ME)
• 2024 North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance Songwriting Award
• 2023 Forest City London Music Award - Folk/Roots Group of the Year