biography

Samways performs acoustic music with lyrics drawn from early Canadian poetry. Original folk inspired jazz, the music is composed and accompanied by guitarist Nathan Hiltz. The group features Toronto singers Shannon Butcher, Jessica Lalonde and Melissa Lauren – all successful musicians in their own rights, and a magical blend of textures together. The addition of Neil Macintosh on drums, Chris Banks on bass, and Mark Fewer on violin makes the live show irresistibly toe-tapping in its percussive and grooving nature. 
In a time of re-examining history, Samways pays homage to and acknowledges the suffering and triumphs of pre-confederation Canada. Featuring great Canadian poets like Bliss Carmen, Susannah Moodie, and E.J. Pratt, the sound is a marriage of old prose with new musical idioms.
Though a fairly “young” band, Samways has already claimed a space in the Ontario music scene, and beloved to their home city of Toronto. The band was awarded a Toronto Arts Council recording grant and is looking forward to releasing their debut studio album in 2021. They have performed for the Markham Jazz Festival, The Toronto Reference Library, and for Music Together, an online series coordinated by Arts and Crafts and the Ontario Heritage Fund.