Electric Powwow: Westcoast Potlatch Edition Weekend

The Electric Powwow hit the west coast with A Tribe Called Red on February 25th, 2012 as part of the Talking Stick Festival.

The ever-famous Electric Powwow headed by the DJ trio A Tribe Called Red made its debut in Vancouver  as a part of a very musical weekend. With the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in town, Beat Nation opening at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Electric Powwow rolling through as part of the on-going Talking Stick Festival, the weekend of February 24th was an important time for Vancouver's Indigenous music and arts scene.

Friday the 24th marked the opening of the Beat Nation exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery with the Fuse event that brought over 2000 visitors to the gallery to check out the new exhibit as well as musical performances by Silver Jackson, Skeena Reece, Vancouver legendary B-boy and artist Nelson "Dedos" Garcia, Raymond Boisjoly, Jackson Two Bears, A Tribe Called Red, and myself Ostwelve.

After rocking the fourth floor venue with A Tribe Called Red, we made our way to the "Indigenous Afterdark" after party at W2 Media Cafe where an unofficial after party for the Fuse event and National Aboriginal Achievement Awards would be held.  Hosted by Ojibway comedian Ryan McMahon, the night consisted of performances by DJ Muk Luk, Lorenzo aka Leonard Sumner, JB The First Lady, Silver Jackson, myself Ostwelve, an ever-deadly performance by the Skookum Sound System and a surprise teaser set by A Tribe Called Red.

People danced the night away til the early hours in a packed venue with some of the most amazing natives around. (Yes...that was Gino Odjick ripping up the dancefloor!)

Saturday the 25th was another day of musical mayhem in Vancouver after some rest and preparation, we headed back to the W2 Media Cafe for Vancity's first taste of the Electric Powwow: Westcoast Potlatch Edition. This event was a part of the Talking Stick Festival and was geared to bring some of Turtle Island's best performers out.

The night started with DJ Muk Luk warming up the dance floor. First on the stage was Sto:lo hip-hop duo Rapsure Risin' followed by East Van's own Starmakerz bringing their deadliest tracks out to rock. Soundvibe Records and Vancouver legend Emotionz brought his best to the stage followed by our dearest friend Kinnie Starr whom I had the pleasure of backing up for her set. The night closed with an amazing set by Jackson Two Bears bringing his powerful video enhanced DJ set to the staged followed by a thumping set that closed the night by A Tribe Called Red.

After much planning and promoting, it was awesome to see these events come together and creating space for people to dance as hard as they did was an awesome sight to see. A huge thanks goes out to all the artists that participated and also to the people who came out to support. As well as the Talking Stick Festival, Fuse at the Vancouver Art Gallery and of course our beloved people at W2 Media Cafe for helping to make it all possible!

My voice is finally back to normal and my dancing feet are ready to rock!

Got any photos or comments about these events? Send them to ron@rpm.fm or leave your comments below.

2011 Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival

November 10th - 13th marks the inaugural Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival. Highlights include an appearance by Ernie Paniccioli and the west coast premiere of Music Is The Medicine.

VIMAF In Association With W2 Media Arts Society Presents.... VANCOUVER INDIGENOUS MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL WEEK DETAILS November 10-13, 2011 Vancouver, BC - W2/SFU Woodwards/NFB Pacific Region Theater **************************************************************************

Thursday Nov 10 | 7pm | W2 Media Cafe | $20 VIMAF 2011 Opening Gala and Reception Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation to Ernie Paniccioli Gordon Tootoosis Memorial Reel Music by DJ Mukluk and Garrett Tyler Stevens Film Screenings:

• Shi-Shi-Etko
• Anirniq
• Tungijuq
• Grab

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Friday Nov 11 | 2pm | W2 Media Cafe - 111 W Hastings | By Donation VIMAF 2011 Decolonize Yourself Program:

• Columbus Day Legacy
• Canyon Wars: The Untold Story
• Warchild
• Indian
• Overburden
• Two Scoops
• Zwei Indianer Aus Winnipeg
• Empty
• Bloodland

Followed by Panel Discussion: Ernie Paniccioli & Ron Dean Harris aka Ostwelve

Friday Nov 11 | 4pm | W2 Media Cafe | By Donation VIMAF 2011 Students’ Reel With student works from: Gulf Island Film and Television School (GIFTS) Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking (IIDF)

Friday Nov 11 | 7pm | W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings | $10 VIMAF 2011 Raw Sugar Program:

• Maiden Indian
• Woodcarver
• Naqs Asil Katlis
• Savage
• Music is the Medicine - Documentary of Derek Miller

Friday Nov 11 | 8:30pm - Late | W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings | $10 VIMAF 2011 The Other Side of Hip-Hop w/ Late Evening Music Program

Screening of The Other Side Of Hip-Hop: The Sixth Element - A film about the life of Ernie Paniccioli The Other Side of Hip-Hop tells Ernie Paniccioli’s story of Hip-Hop. He was one of the first photographers to venture into the impoverished New York City neighborhoods where people were creating their own form of artisitic expression despite being an ignored and disenfranchised demographic. For over three decades Ernie has documented the artform of Hip-Hop in it's entirety. From the graphic representations that filled the subways and handball courts to the physical manifestation of the artform in dance movement on to the musical descriptions and artists. As rappers became the reporters of the travails of ghetto life, Ernie represented their images through his photography and put a face to the words we listened to.

RPM.fm Presents: Indigenous Music Culture Visions Music Video Program

Music from DJ Deano w/ Csetkwe + Installations from Bracken Hanuse Corlett, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Adrienne Greyeyes and Jennifer Chong Performance by Ostwelve

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Saturday Nov 12 | 2pm | W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings | By Donation VIMAF 2011 Vancouver 125 Panel Discussion:

Loretta Todd, Sid Tan and Odessa Shuquaya on NDN Portrayal in Mainstream Media w/ Siwash Rock, Dead Ground, The Last Family, Encroaching Vancouver, Oppenheimer Park, A Proud Lineage

Saturday Nov 12 | 4pm | W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings | $10 VIMAF 2011 Shortcuts Program:

• Keeping Quiet
• A Good Indian
• Ikwé
• Coyote Teevee
• Illegal Anger

Saturday Nov 12 | 5pm | W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings | By Donation Panel Discussion: Dana Claxton on The Future Of Indigenous Media

Saturday Nov 12 | 6pm | Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, SFU Woodwards | $10 Up Heartbreak Hill 2010, USA, 80mins Directed by Erica Scharf

In the brilliantly vast and stark landscape of New Mexico, three Native American teenagers, Thomas, Tamara and Gabby, are at the crossroads of life as seniors in their Navajo Reservation high school. Thomas has a bright future as an athlete, Tamara as a natural leader and Gabby as an emotional role model. But as graduation nears, they must decide whether to stay in their community – a place inextricably woven into the fibre of their beings – or leave in pursuit of opportunities elsewhere. With a per capita income under $4,600, the town has few prospects. Thomas, Tamara and Gabby’s inner struggles and outward attitudes from adolescence into adulthood shape their identities as contemporary Native American youth. With stunning and sensitive cinematography, filmmaker Erica Sharf’s intimate documentary profile is a raw and inspiring film reflecting the challenges of young life on the reserve in the USA.

Saturday Nov 12 | 7:25pm | Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, SFU Woodwards | $10 Barking Water 2009, USA, 85min By Sterlin Harjo

Frankie is dying. Refusing to do so in an impersonal hospital, he convinces Irene, an old flame with lingering resentment, to spring him out and drive him across Oklahoma to see his daughter one last time. Their journey becomes about more than just going home as they meet strangers and old friends and confront their past. Barking Water examines the ties that bind people together. It’s a tale of home . . . and what it takes to get there.

Saturday Nov 12 | 9:15pm | Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, SFU Woodwards | $10 On The Ice 2008, USA, 90min Directed by Andrew Okpeaha Mclean

On the Ice is the story of Apuna (Brad Weyiouanna), an Inuit hunter, who drives his dog team out on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals and inadvertently becomes a witness to murder. In the microscopic communities of Arctic Alaska there is no anonymity, thus the hunter knows both the victim and the murderer. The murderer, Miqu (tony Bryant), claims self-defense and desperate to avoid punishment, tries to persuade his friend to forget what he has seen, and help dispose of the body and memory of one friend and destroying the life of another.

**************************************************************************** Sunday Nov 13 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm - W2 Media Cafe | By Donation Media Democracy Day Group dialogue on multiplatform and interactive productions and strategies - Irwin Oostindie Sunday Nov 13 | 2pm | NFB Pacific Region Theatre | $10 | Free for Children VIMAF 2011 Lil Bear Paws Program

• Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes
• Tansi Nehiyawetan: Pow Wow Episode
• Brocket Zombie
• Cryrock

Sunday Nov 13 | 2pm | NFB Pacific Region Theatre | $10 VIMAF 2011 NFB Showcase

• Six Miles Deep
• Red Ochre
• Crossing the Line
• Inukshop
• Dancers of the Grass
• Totem: Return and Renewal

NFB W2 Installation Kanehsatake, Cesar’s Bark Canoe, Bill Reid W2 Media Cafe – 111 W Hastings

Sunday Nov 13 | 7pm | W2 Media Cafe | $10 VIMAF 2011 Closing Ceremony

• Slay Dogs
• Higher Ground
• Indigenous Connections to the Land
• Two Indians Talking

**Times subject to minor changes - Keep checking back for final revisions!

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WEBSITE: vimaf.com

RPM.fm, VIMAF & W2 Media Cafe Present: Ryan McMahon & A Tribe Called Red In Vancouver

This past weekend RPM.fm had the honour to present a performance by Ryan McMahon with special guests A Tribe Called Red at the W2 Media Cafe as a fundraiser for the Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival.

Earlier this month we were approached to help find a venue to host a show with Ryan McMahon out here in Vancouver. It just so happened that Ottawa super group, A Tribe Called Red, were also slated to be in town. Naturally an amazing community space came to mind, the W2 Media Cafe, which is always a great place for these kinds of events. The venue is run by promoter and community activist, Irwin Oostindie.

The opportunity to have these greats acts here was something I couldn’t resist. Vancouver has a wide variety of music shows coming in and out of town regularly, but it is not as frequent a case for Indigenous music and comedy acts to showcase their artistry in an accessible venue. With no budget and MUCH help from the staff at W2, we were able to present an intimate show to the community.

Ryan McMahon, the Ojibwe comedian taking the internet by storm, started his journey on Friday with his drive out to Vancouver from Winnipeg - no easy task for one person. A Tribe Called Red brought their unique styling of Electric Powwow music to the masses at the New Forms Festival held at the Waldorf in Vancouver on September 10th to a packed house and rave reviews.

The crew at W2 were working hard all weekend with their media coverage of the New Forms Festival and tying up the last details to get put this show together. Using their new facilities upstairs from the Media Cafe at W2, a cafe/lounge and a great sound system were set up, and all things were go for 8pm.

Hosted by Ostwelve, the show began with an opening comedy act, Sliammon First Nation comedian Cliff Paul, who displayed a great set of jokes to warm up the crowd.  Ryan McMahon’s set followed and  opened with a recording session of his new podcast show, Red Man Laughing, for which he interviewed A Tribe Called Red before they gave the crowd a small dose of their music.

Ryan McMahon didn’t fail to deliver as he told us a story about how he saw an exploding elk on the highway en route to Vancouver, which he described as both “very sad and totally awesome”. After a 45 minute set, Ryan stepped off stage for a bit while the crowd got an intermission from the late summer heat before coming back out as his alter ego Clarence Two Toes, garnering the laughs that Clarence always does.

Closing the evening was a very special performance by A Tribe Called Red. As the legends have stated, they bring to the stage an amazingly high-energy show, lacing their sounds of Powwow-step music with Moombahton rhythms that had everyone out of their seats and moving their moccasins.

RPM.fm is honoured to bring this show to the community and very thankful to the people at W2 Media Cafe, Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival, A Tribe Called Red, Ryan McMahon and everyone who came out to support this event.

Be on the lookout for our announcement of RPM.fm’s Official Launch Party in Vancouver coming soon!