The Distinguished Storytellers Festival Lineup

Back for its 14th year, the Distiguished Storytellers Festival (previously Sâkêwêwak Festival) brings five days of  storytellers, elders, spoken word artists, dancers, performers and music to Regina, Canada.

Sâkêwêwak is a Cree word meaning "they are coming into view." The Artist Collective and annual festival has always brought emerging and established artists and their work to the prairie city of Regina, celebrating both traditional and contemporary performance and storytelling artists. The festival includes storytelling luncheons, evening performance, and a daily story telling bus tour with Cheryl L'Hirondelle.

This year's lineup is packed with goodness. Moe Clark, Daphne Pooyak, Bob Smoker, Jack Dalton, Stephen Fadden, Lara Kramer Danse, Ryan McMahon and Mihirangi are all scheduled to perform. Weekly passes and tickets for individual events are available - get the full schedule and more at: sakewewak.ca/storytellers-festival.

To get started, here's Mihirangi's "Make That Soul." Dig it! 

WCMA 2012 Nominees Announced

The Western Canadian Music Awards - aka WCMAs - announced the 2012 nominations today and here are the nominees for Aboriginal Recording of the Year.

The 2012 Western Canadian Music Award winners will be presented September 30 in Regina, Saskatchewan, as part of the BreakOut West weekend. In the running for Aborginal Recording of the Year are:

Jerry Sereda – Turn The Country Murray Porter – Songs Lived & Life Played Rellik – Mighty Mouth Tanya Tagaq – Anuraaqtuq Vince Fontaine’s Indian City – Supernation

Murray Porter also received a nomination for Best Blues Recording of the Year.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

For more information visit breakoutwest.ca.

Cris Derksen and Kristi Lane Sinclair on 2-Er

Electro-cellist Cris Derksen and smokey-folky Kristi Lane Sinclair are pairing up for the second year in a row on a Canadian tour - The Red Ride 2-Er.

With a kick-off party that took place in Vancouver last night, half-Cree Cris Derksen and Haida Kristi Lane Sinclair are now on their way to Toronto and back bringing their mix of music and style to Banff, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg (as part of 8 Days in May, eh!) and Regina.

In a recent interview with Music CBC, the girls talked travel and touring with Kim Wheeler. Like "What is the one thing you cannot live without on the road?"

Cris: Always pack a swimsuit, you never know when you're gonna be in a hot tub or by a lake, and sometimes wearing your undies in said scenarios just doesn't work! Also, swimming is great for stretching those car muscles after sitting for hours and hours. Kristi: Dry shampoo! Most days we would have to spend the whole day in the car and then perform right after. The ability to go from greasy to glam is a pretty awesome option!

Check out the full interview here: http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2012/5/QA-Cris-Derksen-Kristi-Lane-Sinclair-talk-travel-and-touring

And check out the Red Ride 2-er dates:

May 18 Banff AB. House Show! Tanglewood Cabin,208 Beaver St 7pm $10 May 19 Edmonton AB. The Empress. 9912 – 82 Ave 3pm May 23 Ottawa ON. The Mercury Lounge w/ guest Bear Witness. 56 Byward Market Sq. early show. 7pm-10. $8 May 25 Toronto ON. Red Revue @ The Sister. 1554 Queen St W. 9:30pm May 26 Winnipeg MB. 8 Days of May Eh! Marlborough Hotel Hall. $35 May 28 Regina SK. Artful dodger. Doors 7pm Show 7:30. $15

Event details on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/345143342205544/

DOWNLOAD: The Snake Oil Salesmen - "Be Okay"

From the new basement recordings by The Snake Oil Salesmen out of Regina, Saskatchewan, we bring you the song Be Okay.

The Snake Oil Salesmen (Little Black Bear)have been playing the open mic circuit in Regina, Saskatchewan, for years and have now come together as a collective to record some tracks. Be Okay is an alternative-folk-rock tune with a relaxed groove and a story to tell. The vibe is indicative of the style of music coming out of Regina's acoustic scene these days and we recommend taking the lyrics to heart - just come out and play, step into our haze, dance your cares away...

Stay on the lookout for more from The Snake Oil Salesmen coming soon!

DOWNLOAD: The Snake Oil Salesmen - "Be Okay"

The Local Onlyz Release "Kings Among Clowns"

The Local Onlyz out of Regina have a new release out entitled "Kings Among Clowns", switching up the game with their upbeat, live instrumented hip-hop music.

The 4-piece live Hiphop collective the Local Onlyz have been keeping it innovative in the Queencity for the past half a decade. Made up of InfoRed from the Little Black Bear First Nation of Saskatchewan, DJ Merky Waters, Thomas Roussin on guitar and Nathaniel Bowen on drums, this collective brings a deliberate deliverance of Hiphop style and musical skills.

InfoRed and DJ Merky Waters have been bringing out underground-styled Hiphop tunes for the last decade, and now with the Local Onlyz, they transcend the barriers of the genre with a raw style of rap, soul, rock and funk that is accented by InfoRed's technical lyricism, Merky Waters' clean turntablism and the musical stylings of Thomas Roussin and Nathaniel Brown.

In perfect timing for the fall season, The Local Onlyz say they have 'fine-tuned' this release to where they are truly comfortable with it.

You can listen to the new Local Onlyz album Kings Among Clowns on Soundcloud.

Track listing:

1. Next To You
2. Sincerely
3. Like It's Your Birthday
4. Love Dope
5. Old Wood Bridge
6. Going Local
7. Left Or Right (featuring The Cottage Party)
8. The West, A Nest And You
9. Ground Control
10. That's Rap
11. Tar Sands Casino

Indigenous Live Music Picks October 20-23, 2011

As the cold autumn winds start sweeping across Turtle Island, it's a good time to gather inside and listen to RPM's Top 6 Indigenous live music picks for this weekend.

Derek Miller October  20 - iNative Fest presents Mohawk blues artist Derek Miller at the Tattoo Rock Parlour, Toronto, ON. More info: facebook.com

Raincity Rap: The History of Hip Hop in Vancouver October 21 - JB the First Lady and Discreet Da Chosen 1  are part of this forum bringing together key players in the development of Vancouver’s hip hop scene at Moberly Arts & Culture Centre, Vancouver, BC. More info: facebook.com

Pura Fé October 21 - founding member of Ulali performs her blend of blues and jazz at Walter Hall, University of Toronto, ON. More info: events.utoronto.ca

The Beat Featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie October 22 - imagineNATIVE presents a night of Indigenous musical talent featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie with guests Sean Conway and Lena Recollet. More info: imaginenative.org

The Snake Oil Salesmen October 21 - The lads are going to rock and groove at The Mercury Cafe, Regina, SK. facebook.com

Jason Burnstick and Ann Vriend October 21 - The double-bill features two performers that were well received at this year's Harrison Festival of the Arts, Jason Burnstick and Ann Vriend. More info: harrisonfestival.com/events