Discovering “new” talent remains one of the biggest incentives to attend festivals, and Delhi 2 Dublin, at the Clearwater Festival, brought that point home again.

A largely percussive group, the energy and musicianship these five guys bring to the stage is inspiring. Technically, these Canadians play rock and Bhangra (broadly, UK versions of Punjabi folk music), on fiddle, keyboard and various percussive instruments. If that sounds too “world music” for you, please recall that Eric Clapton’s re-interpretations of Robert Johnson didn’t sound exactly like American music. At Folk Alliance, I learned that Canadian innovation often outstrips what we’re doing south of the border, and we should learn something from these artists, including Delhi 2 Dublin. They rock!

– Suzanne Cadgene