Drumlin (band)


Drumlin is a Canadian contemporary folk/pop band. Siblings Dal, Anya, Kassia and Liam Gilbert have been playing together for over a decade. They are multi-instrumental songwriters and celebrators of Nova Scotia's heritage music. This young classically trained band first gained national recognition working with song fragments from folklorist Helen Creighton's collection. Drumlin's music has classical Irish overtones and a modern pop flavour.

Band members

Drumlin has released two albums, Mackerel Skies and Paper Flowers.
The songs on Mackerel Skies, released in 2008, are Nova Scotia heritage songs. Folklorist Helen Creighton collected these songs, decades ago, from people living in Nova Scotia’s harsh and rugged coastal fishing communities. The songs were brought over the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of years ago by immigrants. They were passed down from generation to generation orally, and took on a style unique to the Canadian Maritimes. Isolation, adventure, and hardship shaped the songs and altered the lyrics, and often only fragments of the songs were left to collect.
Drumlin’s 2011 release Paper Flowers is composed almost entirely of Drumlin’s own songs, speaking of romance, hope, loss, adventure, and connection. It contains a single Nova Scotia heritage song called "Dearie".
Both of Drumlin's albums have been dedicated to their late brother Nathan Gilbert.

Awards and Honours

They have been nominated for an East Coast Music Award as well as a Canadian Folk Music Award.