The Whiskey Jerks

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The Whiskey Jerks are a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan roots ensemble led by accordionist, vocalist, and songwriter Gillian Snider. Built around accordion, violin, clarinet, guitar, upright bass, drums, and blended vocals, the band has carved out a lively and highly individual sound that draws from klezmer, country-blues, gypsy-folk, jazz, rock, and prairie roots music.

The group began when Snider expanded her one-woman accordion act into a full band, bringing together musicians including Anna Bekolay on violin, Peter Abonyi on guitar, Nevin Buehler on upright bass, and later Sarah Scharf on clarinet and saxophone and Aidan Weiman on drums. Earlier lineups also included players such as James Daikuw on clarinet and Kevin Buzinski on percussion. From those beginnings, The Whiskey Jerks developed a sound that feels part old-time dance hall, part cabaret, part prairie barroom, and part travelling folk-jazz band.

Their music is marked by strong instrumental character, close vocal blends, sharp storytelling, and a playful but weathered sense of humour. Rather than fitting neatly into a single genre, The Whiskey Jerks move easily between roots music, bluesy folk, klezmer-flavoured melodies, jazz touches, and rough-edged rock energy. The result is music with an old-world pulse and a distinctly Saskatchewan personality: clever, spirited, and, as the band puts it, “whiskey-soaked.”

The Whiskey Jerks released their debut full-length album Neat. in 2015, followed by Baba Was A Bootlegger in 2018. Their discography continued with singles including Double-Buckled Dusty Mary Janes, An Odyssey, and Blackwater Eyes, leading to the 2025 EP Solid Gold, released on Caswell Hill Records. The band has performed at venues and festivals from Vancouver to Ottawa, received airplay on CBC, CKUA, CFCR, and other community radio stations in Canada and abroad, and has remained an active part of Saskatoon’s roots and festival scene.

With a sound that blends old-time country-blues feeling, klezmer motion, gypsy-folk colour, jazz looseness, and prairie storytelling, The Whiskey Jerks occupy their own corner of Canadian roots music: lively, literate, danceable, and unmistakably their own.

-Robert Williston