Digging Roots' "AK-47" Calls for Awareness to Gun Violence in New Video and Summer Tour

Digging Roots has an answer to the gun violence plaguing the world today: more love, more truth, more music. “I think we can use the word ‘epidemic’ when it comes to gun violence in society today,” says singer ShoShona Kish, whose powerful and inspirational new video AK-47 calls for an end to violence and oppression through love and understanding.

The new video is already creating an instant buzz with its catchy psyc-blues soul sound and empowering messages of ending the violence paradigm through peace and courage…and good music.

“The song 'AK-47' is very personal and emotional for us. Especially in the wake of the recent horrific events in Orlando this last week,” says Raven Kanatakta, one of North America’s finest guitar slingers and the second half of Digging Roots.

The video for "AK-47" was produced by media artist and musician Doug Bedard (aka Plex), whose vision of the song runs the gamut from technicolor dreamscapes and bursting flowers to benevolent warriors adrift in a landscape of grenades and soldiers. The clip also features Sarain Carson-Fox, who burst onto the Canadian media scene as the host of VICEland’s controversial documentary Cut Off following Justin Trudeau’s recent visit to Shoal Lake 40.

As with any epidemic or public health crisis, the appropriate next step is to design an intervention to stop the spread of the disease. This new song is a metaphoric call to arms by Digging Roots; the intervention has begun and they want everyone to join them in a violence-free world, chanting the AK-47 anthem of “Nizoogide’e, Nizoogide’e.”

“There’s an Anishinabek word in the chant at the end of the song that distils it all for me,” says ShoShona. Nizoogide’e means “My heart is a stronghold.”

“'AK-47' is about opening fire on hate, oppression and violence, both lateral and physical. Not with bullets and guns but with the full force of love. Cynics might say that we’re naive but to me it’s the only rational way forward. This song is a proposition that its time to stop oppression and the violence against one another, against ourselves and against the land.”

The song "AK-47" is available on iTunes. Enjoy the new single and crank up the entire For The Light album!

Watch: Digging Roots - "AK-47"

Digging Roots is on tour across Canada this summer. Check out the remaining summer tour dates:

July 23, 2016 - Great Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik, NT

August 4, 2016 - Montreal First Peoples Festival, Montréal, QC

August 5-7, 2016 - Edmonton Folk Festival, Edmonton, AB

August 10, 2016 - TBA, Winnipeg, MB

August 19-21, 2016 - Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, Salmon Arm, BC

For the most complete up-t0-date tour dates please visit diggingrootsmusic.com/tour

Cross Lake Youth Respond to Violence and Give Voice to Community in "Pitch Black" Music Video

“It’s dark in this community and we came together to share our thoughts on these situations. This is the voice of our youth. Welcome to Cross Lake.”

Back in March, the Cross Lake First Nation in Manitoba declared a state of emergency after seeing six suicides in the community within two months and 140 attempts within two weeks prior.

While the community sought out help from the provincial and federal governments, a group of artists from across Manitoba took it upon themselves to intervene in the best way they knew how – by sharing their gifts with the local Pimicikamak Cree Nation youth, and empowering them to explore and use gifts of their own.

“It was all forms, from painting to writing, recording, performing and dance to video art,” said Leonard Sumner, who helped pool together funds along with the other artists to get to Cross Lake as urgently as possible. “We went on their spring break and got the word out. Young people showed up and we all started working together on ideas.”

Leonard did lyrics and recording workshops with Charlie Fettah of Winnipeg's Most and collaborated with Erica Daniels and her film workshop kids in creating a music video. The whole team of artists played a vital role in the project, including Wab Kinew who helped workshop the youth on their second day in the studio that they had set up in a classroom.“We helped them from start to finish. Some were ready to go, some were a little shy. Everyone was supportive of each other and they applauded and encouraged dope lines from each other. There was a creative energy in the room that enveloped everyone who came through.”

“It was really cool because we picked the 'Pitch Black' beat, which was done by Boogey [the Beat] and then me and Leonard started some of the writing and they seemed pretty receptive to the understanding of song structure”, said Charlie, who along with Leonard, oversaw the work the youth came up with on their own and then guided them through the process of creating the song and shooting the music video in a span of only 2 days.

“They did a really good fucking job! It's dark, but that’s where they were in their heads and wanted to express themselves like that. It was really their own creation. Me and Leonard started with the hook and kind of showed them how to make it catchier, to make it something people can remember, and they kind of took that and ran with it.”

“One of the artists explained to me that in the past year he had lost three of this family and two really good friends to suicide, and I was completely floored," says Charlie, who remains in contact with the group. "Even now I keep up with them on Facebook and they consistently hit me up and let me know they’re writing more, even the ones who didn’t have much experience writing before. It’s good because now they have a better way to deal with those feelings. So it was really inspiring to see them through that.”

“We really have seen a lot of change in the youth. They’ve been continuing writing music for themselves,"says Kendall, a youth counsellor in Cross Lake who facilitated the workshops at the community school. "The group that made Pitch Black have all been working together and they’re still doing that now. The experience they had really helped them express their feelings through music. There are other youth that didn’t come out that saw the video and thought 'Hey, I could do this!’ so it’s just getting them out there, and getting them more involved in the community and music."

“The arts are empowering. We don’t need any more victims, we need to build upon their resilience and strengthen our identities. Arts can play a big role in that,” said Leonard.

“I believe projects like this are key in helping our youth. Multimedia gives them the opportunity to express themselves in a creative and artistic way," said Erica. "I have been doing this work for many years and I have seen many youth change their lives around and grow as strong individuals. This work is so important and I wish there were music and film programs in each community because I know that it can help young people heal. I can tell the youth are so proud of their song and video and I feel that it has inspired them to be leaders in their community and keep working hard to have their voices heard.”

See what happens when creative minds come together to give voice for a community in hardship.

This is "Pitch Black" featuring Jonny Jesus, Skinny-Gee, Errol Mckay, Tyrese CJ Scott, Chrisduut Bailey, Brent Fruit Loops Richards and ViciouZKidd:

Watch the "Pitch Black" music video:

Mob Bounce Reclaim Identity, Share Influence and Bring Healing in "Mob Medicine" Doc

Last month woke hip-hop duo Mob Bounce released "Mob Medicine," a short documentary about their journey in finding themselves and empowering native communities through their music.

“We started getting our ideas out and it’s like we just started created this whirlwind of thoughts which slowly turned into action and looking at us today, that’s become our healing tool,” Travis Adrian Hebert aka Heebz the Earthchild (Cree/Métis) says of Mob Bounce’s beginnings.

“What I feel about my lyrical content is that it’s the spirit materializing a message through me. Part of my intent with that is that it connects with other people," said Craig Frank Edes aka The Northwest Kid (Hungarian/Scottish/Irish and Gitxsan). "Being aware its like you understand your surroundings and the energy around you and you have the opportunity to create life.”

Like many Indigenous youth, Travis and Craig grew up with a loss of their cultural identity, but discovered that hip-hop was the vehicle in which they were meant to share their experience and spread knowledge to others who have gone through similar experiences.

“I feel like our music is good for the youth and for the people who need healing in the sense that we bring terminology to that social awareness," says Craig. "Eventually there’s just layers and layers that will peel apart and it creates a lot of healing for the youth who had to experience a lot of the same things say me and Travis experienced in our communities."

Check out "Mob Medicine" below, directed by Media Creatorz Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse-Corlett:

For more Mob Bounce visit: facebook.com/mobbounce

Listen to A Tribe Called Red's New Single, "We Are the Halluci Nation", featuring John Trudell and Northern Voice

After dropping the epic sound and video for "Stadium Pow Wow", A Tribe Called Red returns with "We Are the Halluci Nation", the lead single and title track from their new album.

Anticipation for the new ATCR album has been steadily building, and now we have a taste of what's to come.

"We Are the Halluci Nation" begins with a beautiful incantation by legendary poet and AIM activist John Trudell (rest in power), and builds through moody electronics that subtly interweave spoken word with the sounds of their frequent collaborators, powwow drum group Northern Voice.

It's a sonic space akin to a dream state as only the Tribe can do. An imagining of an alternate world.

"We are the tribe that they cannot see", begins Trudell. "We live on an industrial reservation. We are the Halluci Nation. We have been called the Indians. We have been called Native American. We have been called hostile. We have been called pagan. We have been called militant. We have been called many names. We are the the Halluci Nation. We are the Human Beings. The callers of names cannot see us, but we can see them...Our DNA is of earth and sky. Our DNA is of past and future. We are the Halluci Nation. We are the evolution. The continuation."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4xwN3yPZA0

We Are the Halluci Nation features an incredible A-list of collaborators—from hip-hop artists Yasiin Bey, Saul Williams, The Narcicyst and Shad to Indigenous superstars Tanya Tagaq, Joseph Boyden, and Jen Kreisberg, to powwow drum groups Northern Voice and Black Bear —and it looks to be an epic exploration and conceptual leap forward from what they've done to date.

The song and full album tracklisting are now available on iTunes.  The album will be released September 16th.

Stream "We Are the Halluci Nation" on Spotify here.

https://play.spotify.com/track/3wIwtJYnTPg9U3yCxye8jH

A Tribe Called Red - We Are the Halluci Nation - Full Tracklist

1. We Are the Halluci Nation (feat. John Trudell & Northern Voice)
2. R.E.D. (feat. Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear)
3. The Virus (feat. Saul Williams & Black Bear)
4. BEFORE (feat. Joseph Boyden)
5. Sila (feat. Tanya Tagaq)
6. The Light (feat. Lido Pimienta)
7. Maima Koopi (feat. OKA & Chippewa Travellers)
8. JHD (feat. Junior Ottawa)
9. Eanan (feat. Maxida Marak)
10. The Muse (feat. Jen Kreisberg)
11. Indian City (feat. Northern Voice)
12. How I Feel (feat. Leonard Sumner, Shad & Northern Voice)
13. For You (feat. Lido Pimienta) [The Light, Pt. 2]
14. ALie Nation (feat. John Trudell, Lido Pimienta, Tanya Tagaq & Northern Voice)
15. SOON (feat. Joseph Boyden)

Saskatoon MC T-Rhyme Talks Indigenous Arts and New EP "Diary of a Mad Red Woman"

Earlier this month, Saskatoon’s Tara T-Rhyme Campbell released her new EP, Diary of a Mad Red Woman, just ahead her first performance at the Indigenous Arts Festival in Toronto. We caught up with Tara to talk about her "5 track compilation of short stories in poetry form, backed up by dope beats."

How did it feel to break out new material at an event like the Indigenous Arts Festival?

It's so refreshing and gives me a great sense of pride to be a part of these big events that headline so many other amazing Indigenous artists. It's inspiring to see my people being given these types of platforms to perform and showcase what they love!

Is it your first album release?

Technically yes, this is my first album with all original pieces of work. I had previously released a mixtape in 2013 entitled From Scratch, but that was more of a showcase project. Diary of a Mad Red Woman is definitely more organically Hip Hop.

Who did you work with on this album?

I was fortunate enough to have worked with an array of talented beat-makers and producers from all over! Shelby Sappier aka Beaatz, being 1/4 of the City Natives crew from New Brunswick, blessed me with the production for "Start Over"; PC Beats from the UK produced "Dreams"; Justin Knight aka Mils from here in Saskatchewan produced "First Entry"; Doc Blaze from Florida produced "Kill H.E.R." and "Golden" which also features vocals by the amazingly talented Sierra Jamerson from Edmonton. All the mixing and mastering was done by my talented producer Jon Cennon at the Quality Control Project Studio here in Saskatoon. I am really excited about how everything fell into place, and hope it reaches people well.

What inspired your work in this project?

I was definitely inspired by my good friend and mentor Lindsay Knight aka Eekwol. She has been a constant positive reminder to stay true to myself when it comes to my art. I had confided a lot of my ideas to her and she really pushed and motivated me to follow through with the project. I am very blessed to be surrounded by empowering people, especially women, in the hip hop scene. What kind of audience are you looking to reach out to? Each and everyone! I never want to limit the audience my music reaches, because I feel hip hop shouldn't be limited to a certain group of listeners. If you enjoy good music and storytelling, then I would hope you could enjoy my work!

Any plans to tour over the summer?

Sadly, I don't have any plans to tour. Not that I don't wish to, but I am a mother first and foremost, so I don't think I could be away from my kids long enough to actually tour. But thankfully I have been blessed with opportunities to sporadically travel with my music so far, and it is definitely something I hope to continue to do. Diary of a Mad Red Woman is available for purchase on iTunes and Bandcamp.

STREAM: T-Rhyme - Diary of a Mad Red Woman

Find T-Rhyme on Instagram: @beadsrhymeslife and on YouTube.

Nick Sherman Heads Out on Summer 2016 Tour

Nick Sherman kicked off his 2016 Summer Tour last week in Peterborough at the Garnet. Check out his full summer tour below and catch a show near you.

Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Nick Sherman has long been an RPM favourite and he's out on tour through Canada this summer, heading out from Ontario to BC and back by end of August. Check the full list of shows below and catch him when you can.

Sherman will be touring in support of his most recent album, Knives & Wildrice, which you can stream right here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uobG4h6lA8g

Nick Sherman - Summer 2016 Tour Dates

July 6 | Toronto, ON - The Central July 7 | Orillia, ON - The Brownstone July 8 | Kitchener, ON - The Boathouse July 9 | Six Nations - 6 Arrows Media July 23-24 | Bella Coola, BC - Bella Coola Music Festival July 26 | Port Alberni, BC - Char's Landing July 27 | Nanaimo, BC - The Nanaimo Bar July 28 | Ucluelet, BC - Black Rock Resort July 29 | Ucluelet, BC - Black Rock Resort July 30 | Vancouver, BC - Skwachays Lodge & Gallery August 5 | Sioux Lookout, ON - The Legion August 12-14 | Ear Falls, ON - Trout Forest Music Festival August 24 | Thunder Bay, ON - Live on the Waterfront

For more details visit www.nicksherman.ca

Leonard Sumner Brings New Music to His 2016 Summer Tour

As the music and culture festival season commences, Anishinaabe hip-hop/roots artist Leonard Sumner will be making his way back and forth across the country on the first of his summer tour dates.

"I usually play some new songs, I've been adding some spoken word material to my sets every now and then. It's been getting a great response and more motivation for me to get back in the studio," says Sumner.

After recording some new demos back in January, he hopes to be back in the studio by the end of the year.

It's been awhile since Sumner's popular release, Rez Poetry, but fans can look forward to hearing his classic folksy beats. "It's still on the same path", he says. "It still fits outside the box."

Catch up on his new music this summer, as Leonard Sumner tours across Canada.

Leonard Sumner - Summer 2016 Tour Dates

July 6 - Pacific Rim Arts Fest - Hitacu, BC

July 8-10 - Mariposa Folk Festival - Orillia, ON

July 24-26 - Dawson City Music Fest - Dawson City, YK

July 28 - 2017 Canada Games Countdown - The Forks, Winnipeg, MB

August 12-14 - Interstellar Rodeo - Winnipeg, MB

August 19-21 - Summerfolk Music Fest - Owen Sound, ON

September 2-4 - Shelter Valley Folk Fest - Grafton, ON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfBNUI__4c

Check leonardsumner.com for tour updates throughout the summer. He might pop-up in a city near you!

Retrospective cabaret celebrates the music and wit of award-winning storyteller Tomson Highway

Songs in the Key of Cree will showcase the musical achievements and unique wit of the multi-talented Cree playwright, author, storyteller and musician Tomson Highway.

A master pianist, composer and songwriter with a repertoire spanning three decades, Tomson Highway’s music takes inspiration from a wide range of styles, including country, Brazilian samba, jazz and French Canadian folk songs with influences of Cole Porter and Kurt Weill. In addition to his Order of Canada, the JUNO-nominated performer was named one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history by Maclean’s magazine.

And that's just a sampling of the accolades and experience Highway has collected in his life and work so far, while he has criss-crossed the world conducting lectures, readings and musical performances. It's no wonder the SPEAKeasy Collective has produced a night to celebrate him. Songs in the Key of Cree, a one-time musical tribute to Highway, will take the stage for two nights at Hugh's Room in Toronto, Ontario. The retrospective will include performances by Highway with musical director and pianist John Alcorn, saxophonist Marcus Ali, and performers Micah Barnes, Laura Hubert, Teresa Castonguay, Jani Lauzon and Patricia Cano.

Dates: Saturday, December 12 & Sunday, December 13th Show time: 8:30 PM Tickets: $22.50 Advance - $25.00 Door Hughsroom.com / 416.531.6604

We'll be there!

VIDEO: Watch the Recap of A Tribe Called Red's 'Rez Tour' of Native Communities Across Canada

This past summer, A Tribe Called Red added "The Rez Tour" in the midst of their festival season dates, bringing a handful of free shows to communities in Ontario. This week they dropped a new video about the experience. 

A Tribe Called Red's live show is potent, powerful, and always packed. They have performed for huge crowds around the world, and in summer 2016, finally brought their work to "the audience that matters to them most."

"Our main goal was to be able to connect with our fans that we don't get to connect with face to face so much, particularly our fan-base on reservation who maybe aren't getting to our larger shows," says Bear in the good-looking 5 minute video directed by Jon Riera. Deejay NDN adds, "It's important to go to Indigenous youth now and show that we're real, that we're real people and we're accessible to these youth."

The tour included workshops, q&a with the band, and plenty of photo ops in addition to their high powered performances. It's great to get the insight into The Rez Tour and we hope there are more tours like it to come! As one fan states, "Thank you guys for bringing everyone together."

WATCH: A Tribe Called Red - The Rez Tour Recap

DOWNLOAD: The Last Stand Mixtape - Vol. 1

RPM is proud to bring you an exclusive premiere of The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1—a groundbreaking new compilation of Indigenous music, hip-hop, and spoken word.

If storytelling is the lifeblood of Indigenous creative expression, hip-hop has become its most recognizable and resonant form.

Across Indian Country, Native artists are uniting in common consciousness to effect change in their communities and to take a stand to express what they believe in. And they're rocking mics while doing it.

The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1 brings together a rising generation of Indigenous voices dedicated to using art and music for social change. More than a year in the making, the compilation features a who's who of emerging artists mixing hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word poetics over the mixtape's 22 heartfelt tracks.

From Mic Jordan's impassioned opener "#DearNativeYouth" and Enter Tribal's "Love of My Life", to new joints from Tall Paul, Frank Waln, and Def-I, the mixtape includes Native hip-hop from across Turtle Island, plus soulful R&B jams from the likes of Desirae Harp and Inez Jasper.

But it's the addition of spoken word that sets The Last Stand apart. Poetry courses through the album's veins. It weaves through the beat-based tracks with new pieces from The 1491s' Bobby Wilson, Tanaya Winder, and Rowie Shebala, to the beatbox rhyming of Lyla June Johnson's "Sundance Year Round".

The Last Stand Mixtape represents the best aspects of being Indigenous in the 21st century: it's rooted in culture, pushing the boundaries of what's expected, and building a community ready to stand up to anything.

So, as America gathers around the dinner table to binge on turkey and colonial conquest, today's a good to day to give thanks for something worth celebrating—the survival and artistry of Indigenous youth bringing power back to Native America.

Stream and download: The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1

TRACK LIST

1. Mic Jordan - #DearNativeYouth
2. Supaman - Raise Em
3. Marlon Footracer - Dear Native Youth
4. Enter Tribal - The Love of My Life
5. Desirae Harp - Center of the Earth
6. Rowie Shebala - Indian Phoenix
7. Bobby Wilson - All Rise
8. Tall Paul - All Kingz
9. Autumn White Eyes - Indigene
10. Hannabah Blue - I Don't Want to Be Sick Anymore
11. BazilleDx - A Tribute to Pain
12. David Rico - The Rez Don't Visit
13. Lee Francis - Crack in the Mesa
14. Def-I - The Land of En*Frack*Ment
15. Tanaya Winder - Ain't No Sunshine
16. Inez Jasper - Fallen Soldier
17. Reed Bobroff - The Four Elements of Ghost Dance
18. Wake Self - Today Was Like
19. Lyla June Johnson - Sundance Year Round
20. Echo Slim - On the Road
21. Frank Waln - Victory Song
22. Thomas X - Celebrate

Download The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1 at laststandmixtape.bandcamp.com

RPM co-presents Indigenous showcase series at Gardiner Museum with Sean Conway, Amanda Rheaume, Logan Staats, and Christa Couture

This month we are co-presenting two hot nights of Indigenous music at Toronto's Gardiner Museum! 

The concerts are part of the programming around the current Kent Monkman exhibit and we're thrilled to be part of the mix.

Kent Monkman’s site specific installation at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Ontario, entitled The Rise and Fall of Civilization includes a nine-foot cliff structure, taxidermied bison, a statue of Monkman’s two-spirited, trickster alter ego, Miss Chief, and artistically it sits in direct contention with Picasso, primitivism, and modernism.

It's fantastic.

And in conjunction with this presentation, the Gardiner has a series of related programming including these two nights of Indigenous music that we were stoked to curate.

Friday November 7th, you'll see Irish-Ojibwe outlaw-country singer-songwriter Sean Conway and Métis folk/roots singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume. Both artists will have their bands in tow and RPM's own Jarrett Martineau will host the night.

Friday November 13th, join us for intimate, solo performances by Six Nations bluesy, passionate artist Logan Staats and Cree folk/roots singer-songwriter Christa Couture.  

These concerts are free with half price admission into the Gardiner and start at 7pm both nights! Come early to explore Kent's work and the rest of what the museum has to offer. See you there, Toronto!

November 7th - details on gardinermuseum.on.ca, Facebook event November 13th - details on gardinermuseum.on.ca, Facebook event

2016 JUNO Awards now accepting submissions for Aboriginal Album of the Year

Submissions to the 2016 JUNO Awards are now open! The Aboriginal Album of the Year award celebrates the best music from Indigenous artists in Canada. Get in there!

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced on October 1 that the JUNO Awards is now accepting submissions for Aboriginal Album of the Year (sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network).

The category is open to albums released by Canadian citizens between September 1, 2014 and November 13, 2015. With respect to album length, a project that is 20 minutes or six unique songs is now considered a full album and is eligible for the Aboriginal Album of the Year category. The early bird submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on October 23, 2015. The final submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on November 13, 2015.

From our friends at ammb.ca:

"Winning the Aboriginal Album of the Year at the JUNOS was a long standing dream of mine," says 2015 category winner Tanya Tagaq. "Being nominated among my peers gives a sense of warmth, celebration, and team work that is rarely found in a competition based system. Support our communities by submitting yourself or a friend. Our music is crucial."

Eligible music styles include all traditional Aboriginal music: Iroquois, Social Pow Wow Drum (I.e. Sioux, Assiniboine, Cree, Ojibway & Blackfoot, etc.); all Hand Drums (e.g. Inuit, Dene, Cree, Mic Mak, West Coast, etc.); Inuit Throat Singing; Traditional Flutes; Metis, Cree & Mic Mac Fiddling. In addition, fusions of all genres of contemporary music that incorporate the above and/or reflect the unique Aboriginal experience in Canada, by virtue of words or music.

Visit junoawards.ca/submissions for details and to complete your online submission.

Nominees will be announced on February 2, 2016 at the JUNO Nominee Press Conference, the 2016 festivities will be hosted in Calgary with JUNO Week running from March 28 to April 3, and the awards will be broadcast on CTV from The Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday, April 3, 2016. See you there!