The Wilderbeats Story

    The Wilderbeats took their first musical flight in 2001 at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax. Going by the name “Cheep Trills”, singer-songwriters and then museum naturalists Ashley Moffat and Joyce Saunders collaborated to entertain visitors during a special bird-themed March Break program. They performed some of Ashley's original nature songs and were delightfully surprised by the enthusiasm of their audiences, mostly children and their families. Motivated to continue in this niche of song writing, they went on to host a well-attended series of sing-a-long campfires in the museum's backyard. From there, they established a broader network of fans and venues and began to occupy a unique place within the realms of environmental education and children's entertainment.

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, a talented musician and multi-faceted performer from Halifax.

Joyce and Ashley

Beginning his professional performing career at the tender age of ten, Shannon has appeared before diverse audiences across Canada, the United States, 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 for many years as an earth educator for the Adventure Earth Centre and the Heartwood Institute, better known by many children as “Wolf”. Shannon works as a green real estate agent, actor, and musician in Halifax.

Joyce has been writing songs since her teen years and released two folk albums in 2003 and 2005. 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). She currently works part time as a mail carrier for Canada Post. In addition to performing her own music, Joyce provides backing vocals for a variety of songwriters and has recently made a debut in singing flamenco.

Original Wilderbeats recordings to date include Live in Concert!!!, (2003) and studio-produced Second Nature (2006). Both albums earned "Children’s Recording of the Year" nominations from East Coast Music Awards (2006, 2007) and Nova Scotia Music Week (2006).

Wacky Wilderbeat song fodder runs the gamut from to self-satisfied blue mussels to tricky tamarack trees to raptors rapping about their formidable features. The repertoire has a predominantly folk/alt-country flavour, but incorporates influences from rock, pop, reggae, hip-hop, and blues.

Through their unique brand of catchy, interactive music, 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.