Joey O’Neil

Critically acclaimed Yukon folk songbird, Joey O’Neil, is bewitching audiences across Canada with hauntingly heartfelt anecdotes from a woodland life. Offering vulnerable vocals, engaging banter, and bittersweet wordplay floating atop a bed of fingerpicked guitar, O’Neil’s clever sincerity is sure to make you laugh and cry simultaneously. With a decade of touring to her name, her live performance has been described as “gentle and intimate” by Exclaim! and “absolutely touching, even a little heartbreaking” by NEXT Magazine. O’Neil’s spirit-focused album, Phantom Vibes (2023), weaves poignant storytelling with her theremin’s ethereal howls and a mélange of folk-jazz instrumentation produced by Aaron Goldstein (Le Ren, Julianna Riolino). Her clever sincerity has earned her regular spins on CBC Afterdark, an appearance on Global New’s The Morning Show, as well as a place on !earshot’s National Folk/Roots/Blues chart. When taking a break from chopping wood and hauling water around her off-grid Klondike cabin, O’Neil has played more than 200 concerts around the country while showcasing at Folk On The Rocks, Dawson City Music Festival, Atlin Arts & Music Festival, Highlands Music Festival, Folk Music Ontario, BreakOut West, Wintersong, NXNE, and Contact East and warming stages for Basia Bulat, Jennifer Castle, and Julie Doiron. After the release of her canine-centric album, Ever Ahead (2020), O’Neil and her road-dog, Oblio, embarked on a Dog Park Tour of Canada, performing pandemic-friendly shows at 13 parks across five provinces.