Indigenous media is on the rise in NDN Country and 6 Arrows Media is the latest out of the gate. Their new music series, the #6AMSessions, launched on November 1st with a live concert straight outta Six Nations.
UPDATE: If you missed the November 1st broadcast, watch the complete 6am Sessions show now on 6ArrowsMedia.com
6 Arrows Media is the new joint venture from acclaimed Indigenous musicians Derek Miller and Marty Ballentyne, who have joined forces with multimedia production house Thru the RedDoor to launch a "multimedia production hub" for NDN Country and beyond.
For Miller and Ballentyne, 6 Arrows is all about representing ourselves, supporting each other and building community:
“We’re eager to share what we’ve been working on. 6AM will be able to take those artists who live next door and give them every tool they need to be successful. We have the technology, we have the industry experience, and we have the vision. It is our hope that this company is there to give artists the boost that people like Marty and I didn’t have when we began. For us, this is a way of giving back."
Helped out by a few fun promo clips by the likes of their friends Adam Beach, Leonard Sumner, Missy Knott, and a Chllly Chase eating a worm (!), 6 Arrows launched their first online experiment on November 1st, the #6AMSessions, a free concert featuring incredible Indigenous artists performing at their Ohseweken studio on Six Nations—and livestreamed through 6arrowsmedia.com.
The concert was hosted by Derek Miller and featured a powerhouse lineup of (admittedly Haudenosaunee-centric) performers, including: Brendt Diabo, Logan Staats (of Ghost Town Orchestra), Ras Haile X, Chllly Chase, Cheri Maracle, Rebecca Miller, Behold the Shadows, Jeff Doreen, The Ollivanders, the 6AM Jazz Band and, of course, Derek Miller and his band The Lindas. Pretty damn impressive for the first show of the series.
Rocking his trademark Reservoir Dogs attire, Miller kept the proceedings flowing by introducing each artist, chatting with them in between sets, and generally lending the show a casual, yet intimate feel. The sound quality was tight, the vibe was right, and the performances were killer.
A live studio audience enjoyed the show up close and personal but, for the rest of us, the livestream was a great way for viewers from around the world to catch the show, and the #6amsessions hashtag was a fun way to chat while the concert was beamed to our devices, phones and living rooms.
Livestreaming music is nothing new on the interwebs, but it doesn't happen nearly enough in Indian Country. Saturday's show was the perfect post-Halloween antidote to the saccharine aftertaste of total sugar overload from the night before. And a welcome addition to the growing Indigenous music and media landscape.
6 Arrows is clearly on to a good thing here. We're excited to see where it goes next. And Like Derek Miller said:
Although all of the artists rocked it on Saturday, for us, Logan Staats was the highlight of the night. His raw and impassioned vocal delivery and prodigious songrwriting talent stole the show.
Check out his performance of "What You Love" from the 6 Arrows promo video below. This guy is going places.
For more info and to watch an archive of the broadcast, visit: 6arrowsmedia.com
