Kayla and Matte Hotte

The Hotte family is deeply rooted in the Edmonton Bluegrass scene, and we are honoured to have the brother-sister duo of Kayla and Matt Hotte as part of our inaugural RiverCity Bluegrass festival. These two grew up before our eyes at the Northern Bluegrass Circle jam and we are immensely proud of their accomplishments. Kayla fronts her own band Kayla Hotte and her Rodeo Pals while Matt is a founding member of the River City Playboys and has toured in the US, Europe, and Canda with various bluegrass bands.

Nothing matches the connection between siblings when they play and sing music together, and that's exactly what you get when Kayla and Matt take the stage. Each has a unique, stylistic approach to performing but it aligns completely with their shared commitment to deep schooling of the music and a shared consciousness of each step they take through the country, bluegrass, and Canadian old-time music genres.

The duo draws its inspiration from such classic family catalogues as those of The Stanley Brothers, The Monroe Brothers and The Carter Family. Born and raised east of Edmonton in Ardrossan, Alberta, Kayla and Matt have come together after years of separate projects to play high-energy, crisp-as-fresh-snow bluegrass music.