TK'EMLÚPS 2 RIVERS REMIX

Indigenous Artists for this Event!

• Amanda Rheaume

  Amanda Rheaume

  [Metis]

  One of Rheaume’s great gifts as a songwriter is her ability to take the personal and make it universal, drawing upon her own experience to deliver messages with a wide resonance. She digs deep on The Skin I’m In, reflecting upon her Metis heritage, as on the profoundly moving title track and “Return To The Water,” and addressing issues of identity and mental health.

  [Metis]

• Ansley Simpson

  Ansley Simpson

  [Anishinabe]

  Ansley Simpson is a Toronto-based Anishinaabe singer-songwriter known for her poetic lyrics, deeply moving vocal-only performances, and dream-like arrangements. Nominated for two 2018 Indigenous Music Awards and winner of “Best New Artist”, her debut album “Breakwall” is a gentle, powerful collection of songs that showcase her lilting vocals, clear melodic sensibility, and intricate guitar playing to moving effect. She is a natural performer, holding audiences spellbound with story-telling embedded both in and out of her songs. Ansley’s lyrical hymns to love, perseverance, and possibility entwine you in an unfolding, sonic world of her own making. This is music to guide you back to the shore, when you’ve been lost too long in the waves. Ansley’s sophomore album, “She Fell from the Sky” an 11 track journey to Indigenous reclamation is coming out 2021 on her new label Gizhiiwe (GIH jzee way).

  URL https://www.ansleysimpson.com/

  [Anishinabe]

• Á’a:líya

  Á’a:líya

  [Stó:lō]

  Á’a:líya is a proud member of the Stó:lō Nation and grew up in her community, the Skowkale First Nation. She has worked in and around Vancouver as an activist and hip-hop artist for 17 years. She is also a filmmaker and recently graduated from UBC’s Master of Film Production Program.

  Á’a:líya is a storyteller addressing both modern and traditional narratives from her unique perspective as an Indigenous woman through music, poetry and now as a filmmaker. She has travelled across Canada and the US doing performances, for community events both big and small. Her writing focuses on her own experiences dealing with her own life struggles, mental health, relationships, and triumphs.

  She’s passionate about art and what it can do to spread messages of empowerment and love to people of all backgrounds and ages.

  [Stó:lō]

• Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz

  Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz

  [Blackfoot/Anishinabe/ Maori/Guarani]

  Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz captivate audiences with their funky rhythms, thundering percussion, blasting horns, soulful harmonies with empowering lyrics that gratify your soul. Their highly-engaging performance will make you “bump with the booming blasting blare”, “you’ll be moving your feet like you don‘t care”. You can find Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz latest album Indigifunk that features Juno Award winning Mohawk Bluesman Murray Porter on their single “Turtle Island”. Indigifunk is available on all digital streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple music. In 2020 Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz are developing a new album with super talented Indigenous musician Beaver Thomas and they will highlight news songs at the upcoming 2 Rivers Remix Virtual Feast show.

  [Blackfoot/Anishinabe/ Maori/Guarani]

• Cynthia Jim

  Cynthia Jim

  [Coast Salish]

  Cynthia brings a fusion of cultural integrity with contemporary systems into every
  aspect of her working career. Cynthia engages critical inquiry through the use of
  traditional song, storytelling, dance, music, traditional protocols/processes and the Laws
  of Life and performance. Cynthia enjoys being part of a triumphant movement toward
  balance, wellness and self-discovery.

  [Coast Salish]

• EarthChild

  EarthChild

  EarthChild is formerly a member of the Indigenous Hip Hop duo Mob Bounce and was active with the group from 2010 to 2019. Since his departure from Mob Bounce, EarthChild has been working on establishing his solo career, as well as producing music for other artists in the Indigenous Music Scene.During the pandemic he decided to focus on furthering his skills in producing, mixing, and graphic design, so that he can be more self-sufficient with his music projects as an Independent Artist. Upon stepping into the producer seat, EarthChild has most recently received the award for “Producer Of The Year”, at the 2022 International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards. EarthChild has since released a 6 track collaborative EP titled “Indian Time” in 2021 with his friend and fellow Artist/Producer CJAY GRiZ. The Single “Indian Time”, with the same name as the EP, ended up making it to the top 10 of The Indigenous Music Countdown. EarthChild has released 3 Singles since the release of the “Indian Time” EP, with two songs also making the top 10 on The Indigenous Music Countdown.EarthChild has collaborated with artists and producers like Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Boogey The Beat, Classic Roots, Hellnback, Hyper-T, CJAY GRiZ, and other notable artists in the Indigenous Music Scene.

• Ecko Aleck

  Ecko Aleck

  [Nlakapamux]

  Ecko Aleck is from the Nlaka’pamux nation – Grizzly Bear clan, living on Pentlatch territory on Vancouver Island. Ecko is the artist and visionary behind Sacred Matriarch Productions. Initially launching her performing artistry with her english name Ecko, she is transitioning to take the stage as “Sacred Matriarch” for future shows and performances.

  Sacred Matriarch music can be described as the bridging between the ancestral world and modern times with a spicy addition of BIPOC truth-bombs woven with Indigenous hip hop or as Ecko likes to call it – IndigeHop.
  Ecko’s first EP launched December, 2019 and her next album is in the works for a release date later this fall/winter.

  [Nlakapamux]

• Garret T. Willie

  Garret T. Willie

  [Nlaka’pamux/‘Namgis/Kwakwaka’wakw/]

  Garret T. Willie is an old soul masquerading as an uncommonly wise, weathered, witty and world-weary 23-year-old. He’s about to give rock ‘n’ roll a formidable 21st -century kick in the ass with plenty of wild, heartbreaking, and hilarious stories to share in true rock ‘n’ roll form.

  Garret T. Willie hails from Kingcome Inlet, off the coast of British Columbia. He’s been through some serious sh*t and lived through a lot more than most of us have at his age. But while Willie’s back story also gives him more right than most to sing the blues – and at heart, Garret T. Willie is a rock ‘n’ roller – he’d rather that not be the whole story.

  Willie is the personification of an open book in the lyric sheet to his upcoming debut record Same Pain. Through his songs, there’s a helluva lot of raunchy fun going on above and beyond the occasional exorcism of tragedy and trauma. To listen to Same Pain is to get to know him more than you might be aware, but also to find a friendly, sensitive voice with a gift for transmitting universal emotions. Willie gets himself, and in doing so kinda gets all of us. He also knows what makes the blues tick. And, man, can he rip it up on the guitar.

  URL https://youtube.com/channel/UC-0Y3XNZyfi_u8Q69Wg1-Dw

  [Nlaka’pamux/‘Namgis/Kwakwaka’wakw/]

• Geo AKA The Voice

  Geo AKA The Voice

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

  George Ignace ~ Geo aka The Voice~, (Vocals, Beats) is Secwepemc and Cree, began working with The Melawmen Collective in 2007 through projects as artist, facilitator and producer.

  He is also a prolific wordsmith, a talented visual artist, and has collaborated on written published works, as well as other film projects, and practices his traditional culture through harvesting and processing traditional foods.

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

• Gerald Charlie

  Gerald Charlie

  [Stó:lō]

  Gerald Charlie performs festivals throughout BC and in The USA. His original blues continue to bring happiness to people . Gerald has two award winning CDs to his name and all songs written by himself. He has a style of his own with vocals and guitar. Here are a few words shared by the legend:

  Charlie Musselwhite: My friend Gerald Charlie plays his unique blues straight from the heart and he has a big heart. He puts genuine feeling in his playing and his singing and songwriting. Don’t miss Gerald Charlies BLUES.

  Gerald has shared the stage with many great musicians and has performed with many. His highlights were sharing the stage with Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues and, especially, opening for the great bluesman Bo Diddley. The blues is in Gerald’s blood and he just loves to play them and sing them. He will guarantee nothing but a good for all to remember.

  [Stó:lō]

• Hayley Wallis

  Hayley Wallis

  [Kitasoo/Xais’xais]

  The rich textured tone of singer songwriter Hayley Wallis’ voice has an unmistakable confidence that is immediately recognizable. Hayley delivers a powerful emotional performance that evokes a response as dynamic as her vocal range. She is part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation, originally from Klemtu, a small isolated island located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Hayley is well on her way to breaking into the scene with her debut single coffee cup, a relatable soulful pop anthem about mental health and reaching out for help.

  She began her musical journey at a young age, singing for her family and community, and credits their support for developing the passion she now has. Moving from her home in pursuit of her artistic aspirations, she now resides in Vancouver, BC, balancing work life and family life as a young mother while steadily focused on her musical goals. Hayley has amassed tens of thousands of views on her YouTube cover videos and has worked hard to refine her original songs to release on major platforms. She is working on her highly anticipated EP set for release in spring 2022.

  Hayley is passionate about leaving a strong legacy and paving a path along her way. She sings for herself, for her children and for her people and hopes to set an example that will empower the young generation of her community to pursue their dreams.

  [Kitasoo/Xais’xais]

• Hujune

  Hujune

  [Dakelh]

  Hujunē is comprised of Dakelh sisters Kumbayaz Dennis (flute, vocals) and Sabina Dennis (guitar, vocals). Tying activism and lyricism together the sisters have continued to be a strong presence in the grassroots activist community as well as a strong presence on stage as they perform their all original Dakelh contemporary music.

  Sabina Dennis-Luksil yoo (Caribou Clan)
  Kumbayaz Dennis-Luksil yoo (Caribou Clan)

  [Dakelh]

• Jason Camp & The Posers

  Jason Camp & The Posers

  [Haida]

  Jason Camp and The Posers plays what has been dubbed Post-Colonial Rage Rock. The band consists of three Haida madmen: SG_aan Kwah.

  Agang (James McGuire) is on vocals and guitar, Jaahljuu (Graham Richard) rockets away on his drum kit and Jonny Begel hypes up the crowd.

  We write and sing about life on Haida Gwaii, local legends, good times and indigenous struggle worldwide. Our debut EP Neat Times and Family Values gives a snapshot of our sound. Our first full length album First Contact is now released and available on all platforms.

  Both of us are from Haida Gwaii and are of Haida descent. The isolation of the islands we live on has created a hotbed of talented musicians with a DIY attitude, working together to make live shows and on-island recording happen. We have created a lively scene here and have taken our brand of mischief on tour from Skidegate Haida Gwaii to Brooklyn NY.

  On top of making our high energy, rage-filled, Punkabilly music we also both perform in a traditional Haida Dance group. We are experimenting with how to let our background in Haida Dance bleed through into our recordings and our live show.Haida tradition informs our lives in every way.

  [Haida]

• Keith Secola

  Keith Secola

   Keith Secola is an icon and ambassador of Native music. He is one of the most influential artists in the field today. Rising from the grassroots of North America, he is a songwriter of the people. Critics have dubbed him as the Native versions of both Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. NDN Kars (Indian cars), his most popular song is considered the contemporary Native American anthem, achieving legendary status and earning him a well deserved cult following. It has been the number one requested song on tribal radio since the 1992. In 2011, he joined the ranks of Jimmy Hendrix, Hank Williams, Crystal Gale, and Richie Valens, and was inducted into the Native Music Hall of Fame. Born in 1957 in Cook, Minnesota, Secola is affiliated with the Anishinabe tribe. He graduated from Mesabi Community College with a degree in Public Service in 1979, and completed a BA in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota in 1982. He is married and has two children. Secola is an accomplished artist, garnering awards and accolades as a musician, a singer, a songwriter, a composer and a producer. He is highly skilled with the guitar, flute, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and piano, and has played in venues from the halls of the Chicago Urban Indian Centre, to the walls of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. He has also performed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996 and Salt Lake City 2002, and toured Europe several times. Among his numerous appearances he has graced the stages of the Rockslide Festival in Denmark, the Grand Opening Gala of the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, The Kennedy Center and the SXSW in Austin, TX, and is a staple at the Grassroots Festival in Upstate New York, North Carolina and Florida. A seven-time Native American Music Award winner, Secola has earned NAMMYs not only for his music, but also his abilities as a producer, to include The Best Linguistic Recording for producing ANISHINABEMOIN (2007). A well respected musician, he has worked with music legends such as Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. Secola has also teamed with academics like author Dr. Tom Venum of the Smithsonian Folklife Institute, collaborating on the CD, AMERICAN WARRIORS: SONGS FOR INDIAN VETERANS, and with elders such as Karen Drift, a speaker of Anishenabemoin.

  URL https://secola.com/home

• Kiva MH

  Kiva MH

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth]

  Kiva Morgan-Hall is a Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth youth grounded through the roots of his people. He started his artistic solo and collaborative journey with The Melawmen Collective at the age of 7 years old, as a participant of their workshops (visual, song writing), then as a youth facilitator, and later as a working lyricist of the group as an early teen.

  He is a trained traditional cultural Nuu-Chah-Nulth dancer and performer, and his young wisdom shines through his verses, time and time again, relating to all generations.

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth]

• Kym Gouchie

  Kym Gouchie

  [Lheidli T’enneh/ Cree/Secwépemc]

  With ancestral roots in the Lheidli T’enneh, Cree and Secwépemc Nations, KYM GOUCHIE is fostering change through her music and art. Her music brings awareness to First Nations and women’s issues, promoting reconciliation and authentic community engagement. Her stories are a testament to the human spirit, weaving together threads of her own journey from personal tragedy to triumph. Kym’s traditional hand drum, clean, crisp acoustic guitar and full-bodied voice make her a powerful force. Indigenous-folk, and country tones alongside poignant and inspirational lyrics capture the hearts of young and old — her genuine and heartfelt performances have a profound and sometimes emotional impact on their audience. Throughout the pandemic, Kym has found beauty in the ability to connect with people around the world with the click of a button. She sees herself as a bridge, connecting hearts and minds… reminding us that we’re all in this together.

  [Lheidli T’enneh/ Cree/Secwépemc]

• Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

  Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

  [Anishinabe]

  Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg musician, writer and academic, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Her work breaks open the boundaries between story and song—bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity.

  URL http://www.leannesimpsonmusic.com/

  [Anishinabe]

• Levi-D

  Levi-D

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

  The youngest of Sundown and Savage House has been holding it down since the age of 14. With shows all over BC he’s known for his double-time raps and epic freestyles.Born in Alberta, Raised in BC this kid knows what he’s doing Ð so be on the look out for his new mixtapes/albums/shows.Check Levi-D out on his prolific soundcloud”

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

• Logan Staats

  Logan Staats

  [Mohawk]

  In 2018, veracious Mohawk singer-songwriter Logan Staats was chosen from 10,000 hopeful contestants vying for a spot on musical competition show The Launch. Before an audience of 1.4 million viewers, Staats won, officiating the breakthrough that would lead him to Nashville and Los Angeles, and to his single “The Lucky Ones” winning the Indigenous Music Award for Best Radio Single. “The Lucky Ones” also occupied #1 in Canada.

  In the years between now and then, Staats has come home, making the intentional decision to re-root at ​​Six Nations of the Grand River. “I wanted to bring my songwriting back to the medicine inside of music, to the medicine inside of reclamation,” he says following a phase of constant travel and intensity.

  To Staats, music is a healing salve, contemplatively composed and offered to listeners in need of comfort. Since returning home, Staats has been able to create music authentically again, reclaiming his sound through honest storytelling and unvarnished, sometimes painful reflection.

  [Mohawk]

• Madeline Terbasket

  Madeline Terbasket

  [Syilx/Ho-chunk/Anishinaabe]

  Madeline Terbasket (they/them) is a two-spirit performing artist. They do traditional storytelling, filmmaking, burlesque and drag. Madeline is Syilx, Ho-chunk and Anishinaabe. They grew up in the beautiful Similkameen Valley and they now reside in Penticton. Madeline Terbasket is reimagining traditional stories with their physical comedy, queerness and vulnerability.

  [Syilx/Ho-chunk/Anishinaabe]

• Marcel Gagnon

  Marcel Gagnon

  [Lheidli Tenneh]

  Marcel Gagnon is a local musician and elder member of the Lheidli Tenneh Band. Although he’s achieved national recognition as a Juno finalist, Olympic performer and an Elder in Residence at UNBC, he is certain his most fulfilling accomplishment is his connection to family. He lives off the grid and spends his time writing and helping people in need. Marcel feels his music has deepened over time and now writes from his soul.

  [Lheidli Tenneh]

• Margit Sky Project

  Margit Sky Project

  [Stó:lō]

  Raised in Toronto and then Vancouver, Margit grew up listening to rock, folk and classical music. Her parents always had the stereo on. After moving to Kamloops in 1992, she built a successful career as a local musician and hasn’t looked back since her first gig at Sun Peaks Resort.
  Rod started playing guitar at age 10 in Vancouver. He was playing in bands at age 16. Rod was a huge part of the Indigenous band “Waskesu” in the mid 1990’s. They had the pleasure of playing for the Prime Minister and playing at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria along with Susan Aglukark and Kashtin. They also had quite a few appearances on Much Music.
  Put these two together and you have the Margit Sky Project. Rods First Nations name is Little Sky. The decision was made to combine names. With Margit’s vocals and rhythm guitar and Rod’s jaw dropping lead guitar they have become a very sought after duo in the B.C. Interior and Alberta. They have been fortunate enough to open for Kevin Costner and Modern West, Burton Cummings, Trooper, Barney Bentall, Elliot Brood and Ridley Bent. Margit and Rod are very passionate about their music and have released three cd’s together.

  [Stó:lō]

• Murray Porter

  Murray Porter

  [Mohawk]

  Murray Porter is Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He tells the Aboriginal side of history with a mixture of country, blues and humour. He’s a “red man, singing the black mans’ blues, living in a white man’s world!” (from his song “Colours”).

  Murray is a self-taught, singer, songwriter and piano player, who’s spent the last 30 years playing the blues throughout the world, spreading his unique style of foot-stomping, hand clapping, rockin’ blues piano!

  Now living in North Vancouver, British Columbia, his CD “Songs Lived & Life Played”, was released to rave reviews in 2011 and won a JUNO Award for “Aboriginal Album of the Year” in 2012. He was also a 2005 JUNO nominee for ‘Full Circle’ with his former group THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND, and Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner for ‘Best Blues’.In 1994, he launched a solo career. In 1995, Murray recorded his first solo album “1492, Who Found Who?” for First Nations Music (distributed by EMI).

  In 2006, Murray performed at the “Out of Doors Festival”, at the LINCOLN CENTER in New York City at their “23rd Annual Roots of American Music Festival”, on a 10 foot grand piano, with Sipho Kunene on drums. Blues greats, such as Mavis Staples, Guy Davis, Larry Johnson and Bettye LaVette, were part of the festival. He also performed at “Native Sounds Downtown” at the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, in New York City.

  [Mohawk]

• Nimkish

  Nimkish

  [Kwakwaka’wakw /Cree]

  To fully immerse in the multitudes of Indigenous rising star Nimkish is to honour the past, look ahead to the future, and bask in the resplendent present all at once. The Vancouver-based marvel-in-the-making is fearless in her lyricism, Nimkish always brings a bright-eyed aim to flourish in all she has experienced.

  [Kwakwaka’wakw /Cree]

• Quanah Style

  Quanah Style

  [Cree]

  Quanah Style is Canada’s most infamous 2-spirit trans recording artist and house music diva. From coast to coast, there are few dance floors who haven’t felt her presence. After a brilliant run of singles on the Toronto-based LGBTQ+ record label Wet Trax, Quanah became a Pride festival fixture, performing her anthemic hits with vogue dance crew House of La Douche. Music videos for songs such as her debut “Beat of My Heart” and the Storyhive award-recipient “Give Me Life” showcase Quanah’s undeniable star-quality. Her incredible stage presence, signature vocals, and inspirational story led her to become the subject of several documentaries produced by CBC Arts, World of Wonder, APTN and Vice Magazine. She has also opened for Peaches, Bif Naked, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and more.

  URL http://quanahstyle.com/

  [Cree]

• Rich & Beka

  Rich & Beka

  [Tsilhqot’in/ Secwepemc]

  Grounded in poetry, rap and melody, Rich n Beka are like fire and water, masculine and
  feminine elements of nature coming together in harmony. Their artistic partnership goes
  back six years, and bridges life and love – they’re engaged to be married and have a
  beautiful daughter together. Both share in the culture of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, Beka (Rebecca Solomon)
  from Xeni Gwet’in and Rich (Richard MacDonald) from Tletinq’ox, West of Williams Lake, BC.
  Rich n Beka carry the power of story, family, and community in their music. Rising up
  from the Tsilhqot’in, their music ignites the passion and presence of healing and
  resilience, the light of hope that shines when cycles of oppression are overcome.
  Unapologetic and powerful, there’s a fierce flow of Earth’s medicine through their song
  stories.

  URL https://www.richnbekamusic.com/

  [Tsilhqot’in/ Secwepemc]

• Ritchie & The Fendermen

  Ritchie & The Fendermen

  [Nlaka’pamux]

  [Nlaka’pamux]

• Shawnee Kish

  Shawnee Kish

  [Mohawk]

  Shawnee, 2-Spirit singer-songwriter, is winner of CBC Music’s 2020 Searchlight and named one of Billboard’s “LGBTQ2 Artists You Should Know.” Her Debut EP is available everywhere!

  URL https://shawneekish.com

  [Mohawk]

• Snotty Nose Rez Kids

  Snotty Nose Rez Kids

  [Haisla]

  Skyrocketing Hip-hop stars Snotty Nose Rez Kids second and third albums (The Average Savage, 2017 and TRAPLINE, 2019) were shortlisted for the Polaris Prize while TRAPLINE was also named one of the top 10 hip-hop albums of 2019 by exclaim! magazine.

  [Haisla]

• Tara Willard

  Tara Willard

  [Secwepemc]

  Ancient melodies mixed with Secwepemc & tribal words and language weave a pattern of beauty that remind us of the sacredness of Water, Air, Earth and Fire. Tara’s Tribal name is: Rainbow Painted Woman.Elemental healing chants remind us of our Ancient birth right as two leggeds in right relationship with our Sacred Mother Earth and our responsibilities to care take and give back to her. Like the colours of the Rainbow, all our relations are needed to help shift, birth and co-create a beauty world and restore our Sacred Mother back to full health. Kukstemc.

  [Secwepemc]

• The Halluci Nation

  The Halluci Nation

  Mohawk

  The Halluci Nation is real.

  As they enter a new cycle, Bear Witness and Tim “2oolman” Hill of A Tribe Called Red are reintroducing themselves as The Halluci Nation, to reflect the evolution of their music and mission. The Halluci Nation, takes its name from a phrase coined by John Trudell, to describe the vast global community of people who remember at their core what it means to be human.
  The Halluci Nation maintains focus on what they feel they can impact most: how Indigenous people are seen. Through groundbreaking stage shows and ever-changing visuals, Bear Witness and 2oolman are working to create media that reflects today’s Indigenous identity. By partnering with striking visual artists such as Whess Harman, Saige Mukash and Cedar-Eve Peters along with a growing community of musical collaborators. They see themselves simply as contributors to a necessary conversation around a subtle and complex representation of the contemporary Indigenous experience.

  URL https://thehallucination.com/

  Mohawk

• The Melawmen Collective

  The Melawmen Collective

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth/ Nlaka’pamux]

  A contemporary Indigenous alternative fusion woven together with elements of hip/trip-hop, rock/folk, righteous rhymes and rich harmonies, carried through with experience, manifestation, and visions of intergenerational stories of pain and healing. The Melawmen Collective brings a uniqueness to their sound like no other, drawing in a wide variety of listeners through sharing their own journeys of life through their musical evolution together. ‘Melawmen’ means medicine in the Secwepemc language, and the unceded territory of the Secwepemc People in what is now known as BC, is where co-founders Meeka Morgan (vocals, Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth), Rob Hall (Vocals, Ghengis Ghandi’s, Ashcroft), Geo Ignace aka Geo The Voice (Vocals, Secwepemc/Cree), and Kiva Morgan-Hall (Vocals, Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth), continue to grow. The collective is honoured to be joined by Cass Gregg (Bass, Tŝilhqot’in) and Victor Laso (Drums, Republic of Chile).

  URL https://themelawmencollective.bandcamp.com/

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth/ Nlaka’pamux]

• The North Sound

  The North Sound

  [Blackfoot]

  The North Sound was formed in 2014 by lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Forrest Eaglespeaker, along with his partner Nevada Freistadt who composes and provides vocal harmonies.Keeping true to the traditions of Forrest’s heritage, The North Sound was created to share stories of Forrest’s Blackfoot identity and traditions from Treaty 7 Territory. With a no holds barred approach to songwriting, Forrest’s lyrics span across haunting metaphors from everyday experiences to personal realities.The band’s lyrics and music are a balance that incorporate today’s modern production techniques and writing sensibilities inspired by great storytellers like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. The North Sound is signed to the independent Indigenous record label New Sun Music (Nashville, TN, USA), created by JUNO award winner Crystal Shawanda and her partner Dewayne Strobel.

  [Blackfoot]

• The Spiritual Warriors

  The Spiritual Warriors

  [Lil’wat]

  The internationally acclaimed music group, The Spiritual Warriors, create music inspired by the land and life in the coastal mountains of the Lil’wat Nation. With their unique blend of indigenous chants and contemporary roots, rock, reggae, the Spiritual Warriors are distinctly west coast. The band perform most of their songs in Ucwalmícwts and are passionate about preserving and promoting their language and culture. The uplifting reggae rhythm only underlines the beautiful harmonizing of the vocals sung bilingually in English and Ucwalmícwts the Lil’wat language. The Spiritual Warriors, formerly known as Kalan Wi, are led by father and daughter, Leroy (vocals, guitar) and Daisy Joe(vocals) and accompanied by founding member Rich Doucet on drums, Mike Rowe on Bass, Cuyler Biller on guitar, Quentin De Lorenzis on keys and Leonard Fisher on percussion. The band regularly collaborates with other first nation artists and musicians to write and perform live. Ancestors’ their debut album was released in 2019 and has received 4 nominations at the Native American Music Awards in New York and won for Best World Recording. This truly unique band will take you on a cultural journey to the natural heartbeat of the Indigenous drum and the St’at’imc people.

  URL https://thespiritualwarriors.ca/

  [Lil’wat]

• Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback

  Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback

  [Inuvialuit]

  Willie Thrasher is a gifted Inuk singer and songwriter living in Nanaimo, BC with his partner Linda Saddleback. Three of Thrasher’s songs appeared on the 2014 Grammy-nominated compilation, Native North America (Vol. 1), renewing interest in his and other Indigenous artists’ work. Thrasher’s powerful 1981 debut album, Spirit Child, which the 3 songs came from, was then reissued in 2015.

  Thrasher was born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in 1948 and at five years of age, Thrasher was taken from his family and sent to a residential school where he was forbidden to practice his Inuvialuit culture. Music was a way for Thrasher to escape the pain and longing. He has recorded both as a solo artist, and as a member of several bands, including The Cordells, and Red Cedar, with Morley Loon.

  Thrasher has advocated for Inuit and First Nations issues for much of his career. Today, Thrasher performs at home and around the world with his partner Linda Saddleback due to the global attention garnered by Native North America (Vol. 1). Wherever he may be, Willie Thrasher is a trailblazing troubadour with an Indigenous heartbeat sound.

  [Inuvialuit]