Yellowknife (Feb 24/06) - The second annual Bushed Music Festival comes to Sam's Monkey Tree Pub on Sunday.

Organized by the Recording Artists Association of the NWT (RAANT), the live music event runs from 1 p.m. into the evening.

Tracey Riley plays harmonica on stage at Sam's Monkey Tree during last year's Bushed Music Festival hosted by the Recording Artists Association of the NWT. - NNSL file photo BUSHED SCHEDULE Sunday, February 26 2:00 Rick and the Relics 2:30Cynthia Russell 2:45 Stephen Pretty 3:00 Red House Union 3:30 Steve Lacey 3:45 Whati Band 4:15 Northern Skies 4:45 Kiera Kolson 5:00 Transience 5:30 Break 5:45 David Gon 6:15 Razzamajazz 6:45 Jim Taylor 7:00 Priscilla's Revenge 7:30 Brodie Dawson 7:45 Hindsite 8:15 Leslie Bader Band 8:45 Diga

"We think the line-up is as good a concert of NWT musicians as will be seen anywhere in the territory this year, bar none," said RAANT president Stephen Pretty.

Among the out-of-town acts will be the Whati Band, a four-piece country rock combo driving down to Yellowknife along the ice road. David Gon from Rae and Inuvik's Razzamajazz are also on the bill. Yellowknife-based performers include Diga, soloist Kiera Kolson and hard driving bands Priscilla's Revenge and Hindsite. The musicians and singers will all be paid and fed by the organizers, thanks to funding from the NWT Arts Council.

The event celebrates paid Northern live music, which RAANT members consider a necessary ingredient for a fresh and vibrant music industry in the NWT.

"Primarily, the concert is about providing exposure for our membership," Pretty said.

More than 30 acts applied to the festival, but only about half could be selected.

"We got a real good sense of the number of bands out there and it makes us realize that we have to do more of these things," Pretty said.

Any funds raised from the event will support RAANT's upcoming workshops this year. The organization will offer basic training for young musicians wanting to produce and promote their own recordings.

"Like any non-profit organization, the amount of things we do depends on the amount of resources we have to do them," Pretty said.