River Poets

River Poets

River Poets is a folk-rock musical duo featuring brothers, Jo and Cabel Johnson. They have been writing, recording and performing their original catalogue of Canadian-inspired songs since 2019.

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Growing up near the outskirts of The Pas, Manitoba in the rural community of Rall’s Island, the Johnson brothers felt the lure of music at an early age. With mom’s guitar and Dad’s banjo always within reach, it didn’t take long for a lifelong love of music to take hold. Music provided–and continues to provide–family, friends and strangers moments to get lost in and be a part of together.

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Now based out of Leduc, Alberta, River Poets draw their inspiration from the Canadian landscape and its people. From the Pacific coast along to the Rocky Mountains, feeding into the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers. Ripping north to the tundra and permafrost of the Territories, the Northwest wind bringing us back past prairie highways of beaming canola, tawny wheat and broken-blue flax. The Great Lakes. The resonant and varied history of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, Pre-Confederation Canada in New France and Old York. And the rich, vibrant Atlantic Canadian provinces with salt-on-the-air, golden-era boats in the water and bright red mud lining its fertile soil.

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In the last few years, River Poets has had the privilege of opening for George Canyon, Nuela Charles and Dan Davidson during the 2020 Regional Canada Day Celebrations Concert Series, Richard Inman at the inaugural Beaver Fever Music Festival in 2022, Quote the Raven at Station on Jasper, Juno Award winning artist Sass Jordan at the 2023 Ravenwood Music Festival, and most recently Rum Ragged at the Aviary in Edmonton.