Indigenous Summer Music Festival Guide 2012

It's summer 2012 and RPM has another guide to Indigenous musicians representing at music festivals this year.

It's the first week of summer and festival season has already kicked off in some places, but there are still many to check out all over Turtle Island. We've mined through the festival line-ups and compiled a list of festivals including Indigenous musicians.

Adäka Cultural Festival, Whitehorse, YT, June 22-28 - Murray Porter, Wayne Lavallee, Reddnation

Alianait Arts Festival, Iqaluit, NU, June 29 - July 2nd - Artcirq, William Tagoona, the Métis Fiddler Quartet and more.

Boonstock Music & Arts Festival, Gibsons, AB, June 28 - July 1 - Gutta Musik

Little Lake Music Festival, Peterborough, ON, June 30 - August 25 - Tom Jackson

Ottawa Blues Fest, Ottawa, ON, July 4-15 - A Tribe Called Red

Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB, July 4-8 - Asani, Ozomatli, Sonia Eidse

Harrison Festival of the Arts, Harrison, BC, July 6-15 - Murray Porter, Inez, Jason Burnstick, Pura Fe, Kalan Wi

Atlin Arts and Music Festival, Atlin, BC, July 6-8 - Don Amero

All Folked up in Montmartre, Montmartre, SK, July 6-8 - Christa Couture, Carol Morin

Mariposa Folk Fest, Orillia, ON, July 6-8 - Florent Vollant, Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long

Vancouver Island Music Festival, Comox Valley, BC, July 6-8 - Buffy Sainte-Marie, Wab Kinew, Lorenzo

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Okemah, OK, July 11-15 - Samantha Crain

Craven Country Jamboree, Qu'Appelle Valley, SK, July 12-15 - Terri Clarke

Homeskillet Festival, Sitka, AK, July 13-14 - Silver Jackson, Strummin' Dog, D-Script

Montana Folk Festival, Butte, MT, July 13-15 - Little Southern Cree, Dallas Chief Eagle

Vancouver Folk Festival, Vancouver, BC, July 13-15 - Leela Gilday, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, Alejandra Robles

Folk On The Rocks, Yellowknife, NWT, July 19-22 - Pura Fe, William Greenland, Wesley Hardisty, The Jerry Cans, Timangia Petaulassie & Qauna Mikkigaq, Yellowknives Dene Drummers

Brandon Folk Festival, Brandon, MB, July 19-22 - Kinnie Starr

Dawson City Music Festival, Dawson, YK, July 20-22 - Cris Derksen, Dakhká Khwáan Dancers

Starbelly Jam, Crawford Bay, BC, July 20-22 - Glen Henry Michel Family w/ Sara Cadeau

Discovery Coast Music Festival, Bella Coola, BC, July 20-22 - The Caley Watts Band, Digawolf

LA Skins Fest, LA, CA, July 21 - Beck Black, Cockamammie Jamie, Arigon Starr, Shawn Michael Perry & Only The Brave

Lowell Folk Festival, Lowell, MA, July 27-29 - Jones Benally Family Dancers

MetisFest - Killarny, MB, July 27-29 - Darren Lavallee, Donny Parenteau, JJ Lavallee and Ryan Keplin.

ArtsWells, Wells, BC, August 3-6 - Benny Walker, Christa Couture

Electric Eclectics Festival, Meaford, ON, August 3-5 - Melody McKiver

Edmonton Folk Music Fest, Edmonton, AB, August 9-12 - Joanne Shenandoah, Treme, George Kahumoku Jr.

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Fest, Lunenburg, NS, August 9-12 - Iskwew, Leela Gilday

Edge Of The World Festival, Haida Gwaii, BC, August 10-12 - Road Engine Dreams

TroutFest, Ear Falls, Ontario, August 10-12 - Christa Couture, Shy-Anne Hovorka

Boots and Hearts Music Festival, Bowmanville, ON, August 10-12 - Terri Clarke, Shane Yellowbird, Derek Miller, Crystal Shawanda

Voices Of The Valley Music and Art Festival, Spence's  Bridge, BC August 11 - Skookum Sound System, Blackout Artists, Gitwaalk Jeremy, Niska

Robson Valley Music Festival, Dunster, BC, August 17-19 - Niska

Desert Daze, Spences Bridge, BC, August 17-19 - Christa Couture

Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh, NC, September 6-8 - Samantha Crain

If there's any dates we've missed or to be updated let us know and we'll add them to the list.  Happy Festival Season!

Live Indigenous Music Picks: August 5-8, 2011

Hard to believe it's August already - but we've still got a few good weeks of festival and powwow season! Here's our live music picks for this weekend.

1. The Edge of the World Music Festival August 5-7 - Cree musician Wayne Lavallee headlines this festival in the exquisite landscape of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. More info: edgefestival.com

2. Festival Innu Nikamu (festival de musique autochtone) August 4-7  - Traditional and comtemporary music share the stage in Maliotenam, Québec. More info: innunikamu.ca

3. 6th Annual Prophetstown Powwow August 6-7 - Grand entry is at 1pm at this intertribal and traditional powwow in Prophetstown, Illinois. More info: prophetstownpowwow.com

4. Urban Round Dance Listening Party August 5 - Enjoy a sneak peak at Wabs Whitebird's new album Urban Round Dance. More info: facebook.com

5. Présence Autochtone: Montréal First Peoples' Festival August 2-9 - Élisapie Isaac, Samian and others perform as part of the festival's concert series on August 5th and6th. More info: nativelynx.qc.ca

6. Red Power Squad August 6 - Take a break dancing lesson with Red Power Squad at 12pm and catch their performance at 5pm at The Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. More info: americanindian.si.edu

7. Métis Day Bo'jou Neejee August 6 - A celebration of Métis culture with music by the Métis Fiddler Quartet and Alicia Blore at Discovery Harbour, Penetanguishene, Ontario. More info: discoveryharbour.on.ca

8. Samson Cree Nation Powwow August 5-7 - With host drum Battle River and local host drum Northern Cree in Bear Park, Hobema, Alberta. More info: facebook.com

Folk on the Rocks Festival 2011: Indigenous Artists and Full Festival Lineup

Folk on the Rocks, the north's largest annual summer music festival, will be held in Yellowknife this weekend from July 14-17, 2011.

The festival draws musicians and fans from all over the NWT, Nunavut and across the globe for "the North’s biggest party under the midnight sun".

Among the many talented musicians who will be performing at this year's festival are a strong selection of Indigenous musicians. This year's lineup includes performances by:

Elisapie Isaac (Inuk singer-songwriter)

Kulavak (Inuit throat singers)

Boyd Benjamin and Kevin Barr (Gwich’in fiddlers)

Michael Cazon (Ft. Simpson-based Dene drummer)

The Yellowknives Dene Drummers

Oka  (Indigenous Australian group from Torres Strait)

Tina Roy (Métis singer-songwriter)

Shauna Seeteenak  (up-and-coming female Inuk hip-hop artist from Qamini'tuaq/Baker Lake, Nunavut)

Folk on the Rocks offers four jam-packed days of music and entertainment on six stages, including a children’s area, cultural area, international and traditional cuisine, and Northern creative works featured in the Art on the Rocks area.

Check out the Folk on the Rocks 2011 Full Festival Lineup for more information.

And here's a sample of the amazing Yellowknives Dene Drummers:

Indigenous Summer Music Festival Guide 2011

Here is RPM's Turtle Island-wide list of summer music festivals featuring Indigenous artists in their line-ups. The good news is there are many - you'll be able get a dose of Indigenous music culture at a festival near you, wherever you live.

Festival season has actually been in full swing for a few weeks. Recently the Ode’min Giizis festival in Peterborough included an incredible line-up of over forty Indigenous artists while WestFest in Ottawa featured an Inuit showcase, Qaggiq, with nine artists from our North Coast, and National Aboriginal Day was a veritable Canada-wide festival of music.

And that's just the beginning. Here's what to look forward to this summer:

Atlin Arts and Music Festival, July 8-10 – Tanya Tagaq

Mariposa Folk Fest, July 8-10 - Elisapie Isaac

Montana Folk Festival, July 8-10- Nukariik

Vancouver Island Folk Festival, July 8-10 – Cris Derksen, Leela Gilday

Winnipeg Folk Festival, July 8-10 – Samantha Crain, Christa Couture, Cassidy Mann, Shayne Koyczan, Kim Barlow, Sonia Eidse, Puppet Folk

Harrison Festival of the Arts, July 9-17 – New Directions: An Aboriginal Collaboration with Diga, Leela Gilday, Cris Dersen, Diyet, Sylvia Cloutier and Kinnie Starr.

HomeSkillet Festival, July 13-16 - Strumming Dog, D script, Silver Jackson

Vancouver Folk Festival, July 15-17 – Digging Roots, Samantha Crain

Great North Arts Festival, July 15-24 – Laura Vinson & the Free Spirits, M.O. , Randy Sibbeston

Dawson City Music Festival, July 16-17 - Tanya Tagaq, Dennis Allen and The Hellhounds

Calgary Folk Festival, July 21-24 – Buffy Ste Marie, Elisapie Isaac

Brandon Folk Festival, July 22-24 – Christa Couture

Discovery Coast Music Festival, July 23-24 – Digging Roots

Six Nations Pow Wow Weekend - July 23 — Big Sugar

Komasket Music Festival, July 29-31 – Buffy Ste Marie

Lowell Folk Festival, July 29- 31 - Ledward Kaapana, Nukarik

Edmonton Folk Festival, August 4-7 - Keola And Moana Beamer

Edge of the World Festival, August 5-7 – Wayne Lavallee

Regina Folk Festival, August 6-7 – Cris Derksen

Robson Valley Music Festival, August 19-21 – Kinnie Starr, Digging Roots

Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, August 19-21 – Don Amero, Cris Dersken

CNE Bandshell Blues Fest, August 28 - Digging Roots

Who did I miss? Let us know which festivals you see showcasing Indigenous talent!