Jaiden Riley is a Calgary based Métis musician. (Justin Chan / Provided)

BreakOut West is a major Canadian music gathering taking place in Victoria this October. The event offers local and visiting musicians from Western Canada the opportunity to showcase their talent through live performances, expand their industry connections, and advance their careers through professional development, while highlighting the strength and diversity of Victoria’s music community.

Among the artists performing at BreakOut West in Victoria this fall are Calgary-based Métis musician Jaiden Riley and Victoria-based band The Bankes Brothers, who are both navigating the challenges of building a career in an evolving music industry.

Riley, who was born and raised in Calgary, began performing professionally about three and a half years ago. Her music draws inspiration from artists including Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. Riley will both perform independently or as Jaiden Riley & The Crybabies, a collaborative backing band whose members contribute creatively to Riley's songs and live performances.

“So sonically, it's country, honky-tonk, roots music. There's quite a bit of bluegrass influence in there as well. … I'm also a yodeller. So we often say that my music is punctuated by a cheeky yodel or two whenever I can slip it in there.”

Riley said her Métis identity is also an important part of their music, particularly through the influence of fiddle music and stories from her family.

“I always say that I feel that it's really important for me to say that, you know, my music is inherently Indigenous and Métis, because I am. … I grew up listening actually to a lot of powwow music, and so I don't, of course, I don't sing powwow music as a part of my show. But powwow music fiddle was always, you know, sort of around. But that's something I've connected more with in my adult life and in my musical life. … But I think that country music has a really prevalent space in Métis life and culture. The fiddle, of course, is an integral part of country music and also of Métis music. … And I have some songs that I perform that speak to my Indigeneity and my Indigenous experience, songs that come from conversations with my mom and with my kookum.”

While Riley said being based in Calgary has provided opportunities, expanding beyond the city and province can be more difficult.

“I think I definitely notice those challenges, and there is a lot of driving. … I will say that I have been privileged in the fact that I'm a country music singer in Calgary, Alberta, and so I've been very lucky here. … But trying to reach beyond this city and then let alone this province, there are definitely barriers there, and trying to get even your name out there, you know, oftentimes people are moved by live music, so you gotta show up. … I will say though that then the other flip side of that, the double-edged sword is that it's a very saturated market. There is a lot of country singers over here.”

The Bankes Brothers are based in Victoria B.C. (Provided)

The Bankes Brothers, meanwhile, are based in Victoria after growing up between Sydney B.C. and Tokyo. Brothers Nelson and Morgan Bankes perform alongside their bandmates Gray, Carson and Sasha, combining indie and alternative rock with folk influences.

Nelson said the band's sound has evolved as they have become more comfortable allowing their songs to develop naturally.

“Even the songs initially were always sorta more folk songs that we turned into indie rock songs, and then now we've just kinda leaned into just letting the songs be what they are.”

For the band, finding a place in the current music industry can be difficult when their sound does not fit neatly into one genre. Morgan explains.

“That is an interesting question, because the one thing that's hard for us is we kind of, because we're not really indie rock, but we are indie rock, but we're not, puts us in a weird box when it comes to radio play and it comes to streaming. Like we kinda slot in at random.”

Streaming has also created a much larger pool of music for audiences to choose from. Nelson said that accessibility creates pressure for musicians to continually improve.

“It kinda keeps you honest though and on the bright side of that, you know, there's so many really, really good artists and performers and they're at everybody's fingertips. So there's a kind of responsibility that you have to kind of continue to work and put out your best stuff and put your best foot forward all the time.”

Social media has added another challenge, with artists increasingly expected to maintain an online presence alongside their music. Riley said musicians are now expected to blur the line between making music and creating content.

“I think the pressure to be not just a musician online, but almost to toe the line between musician and content creator has never been greater. And there are elements of it that I enjoy, that I'm like, "This is really fun for me," but I also have a lot of social media and internet fatigue on a daily basis. But the pressure never goes away.”

Riley said taking a break from social media can also affect an artist's reach.

“So then I walked away from it, and then when I came back to posting regularly, I had no engagement.”

For The Bankes Brothers, taking a break from social media similarly led to unexpected reactions from their audience.

“You know, it's crazy how much that can just steer the whole narrative. … And we kinda took a break from social media. And suddenly I had people coming out of the woodwork being like, "Hey, like, is everything okay in the band?" Like, "Are you guys like, what's going on?" You know? And it's just so funny that it's how the narrative is interpreted when you just are like, "I'm just too tired to post on Instagram today,"” said Nelson.

Morgan said social media has made it easier for artists to reach audiences, but has also made the competition much larger.

“It is like the great leveller, you know? It totally levels the playing field. But then on the downside, then the playing field is so much bigger than it was like 15 years ago, you know what I mean?”

Riley said the pressure from social media can make it difficult to balance the demands of online promotion with the reasons artists make music in the first place.

“It's also just algorithms. Like, it's just so messy and confusing and is not what art and music is at its core. … But it's, like, the frequency and the impetus on that as being all-important, that I think about, and that is hard for me sometimes.”

Despite those challenges, Riley said artists have to adapt to the changing industry.

“But the unfortunate fact and truth is you have to be able to be flexible and move with the times, and this is what the times are asking of us now as artists. So if I have to add musician, and add content creator as a subsection of that on my resume to be able to chase my dreams, then I will absolutely do that.”

Touring remains one of the most effective ways for artists to connect with audiences beyond their local communities. The Bankes Brothers have embraced this approach, travelling across the country to bring their performances to audiences in cities from coast to coast.

“It's a 1999 Chevy 3500 passenger van, and the back seats are chopped out, and it's cool. That's how we get around. … Yeah, we went coast to coast. We drove to Halifax at one point.”

For both artists, Breakout West offers an opportunity to reach beyond their existing audiences and connect with people working in the music industry. Riley said the event provides direct access to industry professionals and artists from across Western Canada.

“So we get direct access to decision-makers, artist managers, festival representatives, things like that, and we get to actually sit down and talk to them, which is really cool. … The fact that we do then also get to showcase our music with so many artists that are not just the silos of the cities and the provinces that we came from is also really special.”

The Bankes Brothers said Breakout West will put Victoria's growing music scene in the spotlight.

“There's more and more bands and stuff coming out of Victoria. … And it's kinda like Victoria's sort of now being highlighted, and I think that's really cool for the industry to come down and see it.”

You can catch both The Bankes Brothers and Jaiden Riley & The Crybabies performing at BreakOut West later this fall, alongside 30 other acts

BreakOut West runs in Victoria from September 30th to October 4th, featuring live performances, industry events and the Western Canadian Music Awards. For the full schedule and ticket information, visit BreakOutWest.ca.

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