Maggie’s Wake Celebrates Lifelines: A New Chapter in Canadian Folk-Celtic Music

Canadian folk-Celtic group Maggie’s Wake is preparing to open another chapter with Lifelines, its second album and a collection built around the connections that shape a life.

Across 14 original songs, the Ontario band explores memory, relationships and the people who guide, connect and sustain us. Musically, Lifelines remains rooted in the combination that has quickly established Maggie’s Wake within Canada’s folk community: Canadian roots, Celtic traditions, country influences, driving jigs and reels, fiddle, whistles and rich vocal harmonies.
The new album arrives during an important period for the group. Maggie’s Wake recently signed with UK-based Strada Music International, adding an international dimension to a career that has grown remarkably quickly since the band came together in late 2022.

Maggie’s Wake Builds on an Award-Winning Beginning

Finding the Connections on Lifelines

The title Lifelines grew from an image that stayed with the band after a visit to an art gallery. A painting of a hand, with deeply etched lifelines across its palm, helped inspire an album celebrating the connections between people — emotional, creative and physical.

That idea runs throughout the record.

Rather than simply returning to the sound of their debut, Maggie’s Wake has expanded its musical circle. The album brings together the band’s folk and Celtic foundation with an accomplished group of Canadian musicians and collaborators.

Celebrated Canadian singer-songwriter and multiple JUNO Award winner David Francey appears on the project, as does percussionist Cheryl Prashker. Guests also include Blair Reddle, Dean Harrison and Larry Smith.

Canadian producer, engineer and musician Paul Mills returned to produce and mix the record, working alongside engineer and mixer Adam Plant.

The Musicians Behind Maggie’s Wake

At the heart of Maggie’s Wake are Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, both award-winning songwriters and multi-instrumentalists.

They are joined by Andrew Kosty on bass and Kenneth Palmer on guitar. Together, the musicians draw on folk traditions while giving the material enough freedom to move into country, roots and other influences.

The group’s catalogue is substantial for a band formed only a few years ago. According to its current press material, Maggie’s Wake has already created more than 100 original songs, primarily written by Dunphy and Schindler.

That combination of traditional musicianship and original songwriting has helped the group move quickly beyond its Ontario beginnings.

An Award-Winning Beginning

Maggie’s Wake formed in late 2022 and soon began building an audience through performances, showcases and touring.

Its self-titled debut brought significant recognition. At the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Awards, Maggie’s Wake received New Artist of the Year. The group has also received recognition from the Forest City London Music Awards and Folk Music Ontario, while its showcase appearances have taken the musicians to industry events across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Those accomplishments make Lifelines particularly interesting. The first album introduced Maggie’s Wake; the second provides an opportunity to hear what happens when a young band begins building on that early momentum.

A New International Chapter

The band’s recent signing with Strada Music International could help extend that momentum beyond Canada.

Maggie’s Wake has already appeared at international music conferences and showcases. The new partnership arrives as the band prepares to introduce Lifelines, giving its second album a broader platform than the group had when its debut appeared.

For a Canadian folk group only a few years into its journey, that progression is notable.

Yet the appeal of Maggie’s Wake remains grounded in something much older: songs shared between musicians, traditional instruments, strong storytelling and the communal energy of folk music.

Lifelines Comes to Hugh’s Room Live

Toronto audiences will have an opportunity to experience the new music when Maggie’s Wake celebrates Lifelines at Hugh’s Room Live on October 25, 2026.

The performance takes place at Hugh’s Room Live’s Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview Avenue, Toronto. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with the concert beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The setting feels appropriate. A record built around connection and musical traditions will be introduced in one of Toronto’s established listening rooms, where storytelling and musicianship can remain at the centre of the evening.