The Wilderbeats Story

The Wilderbeats came out of the woodwork when singer-songwriters Ashley Moffat and Joyce Saunders collaborated to entertain visitors at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ashley migrated East from Ontario in 2000 to make a splash in the music scene with her indie-folk/pop act Little Miss Moffat, and Joyce moved to Halifax from rural Nova Scotia also on a musical path. Going by "Cheep Trills", they performed their first shows during a bird-themed March Break program at the Museum in 2001. They were enthusiastically received and went on to host a well-attended series of sing-a-long campfires in the museum backyard. Eventually, they emerged as The Wilderbeats and established a broader network of fans and venues. Since their early days, The Wilderbeats have occupied a unique place within environmental education and children's entertainment. They continue to be a hot ticket at schools, libraries, and special events.


Busy in her career as an interpreter at Kejimkujik National Park/Historic Site, Ashley retired from The Wilderbeats in January 2009, passing the torch to Shannon Lynch, an occasional Wilderbeats fill-in since 2007.

Beginning his professional performing career at the tender age of ten, Shannon Lynch has appeared before diverse audiences across Canada, in the US, and South Africa. He has been playing music for children since 1992 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music and Theatre from Concordia University (Montreal, PQ). As a steward for the environment, he worked as an earth educator for both the Adventure Earth Centre and the Heartwood Institute for many years and is better known by many children as "Wolf" (his earth nick-name). When not performing, Shannon works for Healthful Homes Realty as a Green Real Estate Agent in Halifax and promotes renewable energy development in the Maritimes with Scotian WindFields Inc. and Chebucto WindFields Inc.

When not wearing her Wilderbeats hats, Joyce works casually as a Letter Carrier for Canada Post, involves herself in other musical projects, and enjoys time in her diverse community. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology from Mt. Allison University and has done stints as a radio announcer, tree planter, earth educator (Adventure Earth Centre), museum naturalist (NS Museum of Natural History), and interpreter (Discovery Centre). Writing songs since her teen years, she released her professional debut Thick Enough to Stand On in 2005, earning a 2006 Music Nova Scotia nomination for "Inspirational Album of the Year".

Original Wilderbeats recordings to date include Live in Concert!!!, released at the Museum of Natural History in November 2003, and studio-produced Second Nature, released in August 2006. Live in Concert!!! earned an East Coast Music Awards nomination in 2006 for "Children's Recording of the Year", and both albums earned nominations in the same category at Nova Scotia Music Week 2006. In 2007, Second Nature earned another ECMA nomination.

Wacky Wilderbeat song fodder has run the gamut from hard-working yaks to self-satisfied blue mussels, tricky tamarack trees to stealthy nocturnal creatures. The repertoire has a predominantly folk/alt-country flavour, but incorporates other musical genres, namely rock, pop, reggae, hip-hop, and blues.

In a nutshell, The Wilderbeats aspire to fascinate kids of all ages with the wonders of nature. They hope to instil in their fans a deep fondness for the earth and a personal commitment toward its well-being. The Wilderbeats' message reaches not only children, but also educators, environmentalists, nature-watchers, and music-lovers.

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