The Gertrudes are a unique and experimental music collective from Kingston, Ontario’s Skeleton Park neighbourhood. They sound like an ol’ time saloon party in deep space. Passengers travelling with this down-home “folkestra” lay down experimental beds and frolic through a veritable orchestra of instruments.

The Gertrudes have included a versatile collective of musicians to produce six full-length albums, two EPS, participate in numerous Canadian festivals (notably the Vancouver Folk Fest, Pop Montreal, Wolfe Island Music Fest, Halifax Pop Explosion) and share the stage with artists such Sarah Harmer, Calexico, and Ricky Skaggs.

"Thoughtful, breezy and with the wonder of Cockburn, the Kingston folkestra sings gently about the remedies that get you through the night."
— Brad Wheeler, The Globe & Mail

"The Gertrudes are a meticulously crafted spectrum of modern folk sounds"
— Exclaim! Magazine

"My favourite folkestra”
— Charles Spearin (Broken Social Scene)

On March 14, 2025, The Gertrudes will unleash their sixth full length album. City Noise includes a title track video in addition to a video for the song Lone Coyote, which premiered at the 2025 Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

“...City Noise is a highly personal and hyper-local collaborative album that features many local guests including Kingston’s Cantabile Children’s Choir and Governor general award winning poet laureate Sadiqa de Meijer. The Gertrudes continue to share stories about families and friends in their beloved Skeleton Park neighbourhood.”  
— Greg Tilson, band leader

“...an ode to artists who make Katarokwi-Kingston the centre of their world and believe deeply in translating our sense of place into art, whether in clear namings or almost incidental allusions to a certain kind of light. There is a vitality to communities that are in that kind of conversation with themselves.”
— Sadiqa de Meijer, Kingston poet laureate