Rockin’ the country Dauphin festival continues to grow beyond its core By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:37 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2026

Rock has rolled into the spotlight at Dauphin’s Countryfest in recent years.

The annual country music festival opens tomorrow with a rock ’n’ roll-centric lineup featuring Kingston, Ont., singer JJ Wilde (who will also perform at the Rockin’ Thunder concert at Princess Auto Stadium on July 4), alongside local outfits Lëddwyn and the Haileys.

This is the second year the event, which takes place at the Selo Ukraina grounds 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, has kicked off with a showcase that expands on its core genre.

“We introduced it last year and it went over really well so we kept the tradition moving along into this year, and likely will continue it for next year too,” says Countryfest marketing co-ordinator Kamryn Winters via email.

Thursday’s 9 p.m. slot at one of Manitoba’s biggest summer music festivals is a major opportunity for Lëddwyn, an Interlake foursome made up of Zen Finnson, Thorin Johannesson, Brandon Ford and Erik Isfeld.

“We’ll be the only band playing at that time, so that’s a big audience for us,” says bassist Isfeld.

The high school and guitar-lesson friends have been gigging together since 2023 as Lëddwyn — a stylized version of Ledwyn, the name of a tiny historic settlement near Arborg.

The group has released one EP, Mask of Sanity, so far and is set to share the stage with Econoline Crush at the Bankside Music Festival in Letellier later this summer.

Inspired by ’90s rock and grunge, the band counts Alice in Chains, Audioslave and Pearl Jam among its influences. It’s a sound that might not seem like a Countryfest fit at first blush.

“I don’t think rock and country are that far away,” Isfeld says. “A lot of the ideas in the music come from similar emotions and there’s been a trend with more rock artists getting appearances at country festivals and vice versa.”

Audiences can expect a mix of originals and covers from Lëddwyn tomorrow night: “We want all these new folks to be able to gauge us against songs they already know, but we hope they’ll enjoy our originals just as much,” Isfeld says.

That has been a winning approach for the Haileys.

“Last year, we did a Joan Jett tribute set and our own originals and both had a great response,” says guitarist and vocalist Hailey Legary.

The Haileys are a Winnipeg alt-rock group with poppy songwriting and catchy harmonies. This will be the third time Legary and her bandmates, Hailey Hunter and Haley Matiation, have performed at Countryfest.

While the kickoff party is a newer addition, rock bands are often featured on smaller stages throughout the weekend at the long-running festival.

“Good music is good music. I don’t think artists mind playing for a different audience; that’s how you expand your fanbase,” Legary says.

The Haileys are excited to share the opening-night bill with other local acts, as well as fellow female rocker Wilde, who was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2025 Junos.

“It really opens things up for local bands because otherwise we wouldn’t have the opportunity to be such direct support for an artist like JJ Wilde,” Legary says.

The Haileys have released a new single, Paper Cut, and are setting off on a western Canadian tour that returns to Dauphin next month.

---

Countryfest lineup

Thursday

Wet Towels

Red Lemon

Revolving Doors

The Haileys

Lëddwyn

JJ Wilde

Friday

Sean Taylor Band

Jade Turner

Owen Riegling

Hunter Brothers

Tyler Hubbard

Saturday

Alli Walker

Noeline Hofmann

Hailey Benedict

Cameron Whitcomb

Jelly Roll

Sunday

The Martin Boys

Blackhawk

Thelma and James

Brett Kissel

Nate Smith

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com