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 imagineNATIVE 2015 Mixtape, Featuring GlitClit, Madeskimo, and Akkil

RPM is pleased to present the 2015 imagineNATIVE mixtape, as part of the festival's 16th annual celebration of Indigenous creativity.

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest showcase of film, music, and media arts by Indigenous artists.

Boasting an incredible diversity in contemporary forms of Indigenous creative expression, the festival celebrates the thriving artistry among Indigenous Peoples. Running October 14-18 in Toronto, we are pleased to partner with imagineNATIVE to support the festival's commitment to Indigenous music.

On Saturday, October 17, imagineNATIVE will present a live music performance night "The Beat DJ POW! WOW!" — featuring electronic sets from GlitClit, Madeskimo, and Akkil.

To get you hyped for the show, we've assembled a fresh, new mixtape featuring all three of the artists performing at the show.

Inuk electronic artist madeskimo, a.k.a. Geronimo Inutiq, uses live instruments, digital and analogue synths, and a deft hand at remixing and processing samples to blend traditional Inuit, Aboriginal, modern electronic and urban music into experimental new hybrids.

GlitClit is the DJ project of acclaimed Colombian singer and electronic artist Lido Pimienta, who experiments with Indigenous sonics, beats, live looping, and hypnotic vocals. Known as “Colombian darling” and “SoundSister”, Pimienta has been bumping up Afro-Indigenous chanting and rhythms with brass, experimental noise, walls of sound and her beautiful voice, creating a hyper-coloured hybrid sound that can’t be boxed into lazy genre tags.

Rounding out the night, we will be joined by Akkil - who fuses traditional Sámi joik and Sámi classics with the synth-sounds from the 1980s, to celebrate and honour Sámi musical traditions while infusing them with new dancefloor rhythms.

Hosted by Rachelle White Wind, "The Beat" will also feature breakdancing performances by Jay Robi, Siez Swift & Krystal Riverz, with a special performance by Rhythm Natives.

In addition to live performances, and music-themed screenings, this year's festival will also feature some new experiments with Virtual Reality Portals, where audiences get to experience immersive "Oculus VR" demos featuring music from A Tribe Called Red and Tanya Tagaq.

Don't miss this incredible celebration of Indigenous creativity and community. And join us on Saturday for an epic NDN throwdown on the dancefloor.

"The Beat DJ POW! WOW!" will be held Saturday, October 17th at Revival in Toronto.

DOWNLOAD: The imagineNATIVE 2015 Mixtape

Legendary Cree Singer Buffy Sainte-Marie Wins 2015 Polaris Music Prize for 'Power in the Blood'

For the second year in a row, an Indigenous woman has won the Polaris Prize.

Indigenous icon and legendary Cree singer, Buffy Sainte-Marie, has won the prestigious Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album of the year for her 21st album, Power in the Blood.

In what continues to be another banner year for the Indigenous music community, Sainte-Marie's Polaris win comes closely on the heels of last year's winner, Tanya Tagaq.

Humble and gracious in her acceptance of the $50,000 award, the 74-year-old singer adds the prize to an iconic career's worth of accolades but, Power in the Blood, marks one of the Polaris' most overtly political nods in the award's history. That is, if you forget the list of over 1,000 names of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that accompanied Tagaq's stellar performance last year—or the resistance rhythms of 2012 nominees A Tribe Called Red.

As Matt Williams wrote, over at Noisey:

Power In The Blood, besides being a powerful, affecting and triumphant record, is steeped deeply in politics. Those politics are pretty status quo for a group of left-leaning media elite (Power In The Blood rails against corporations and colonialism, speaks up for the environment), and that’s what makes it a safe choice. But it also doesn’t particularly matter. In the 2015 stable of Polaris noms, Buffy Sainte-Marie had the only album that really, truly said something, or spoke up consistently for something bigger than its creator...And that’s a pretty great reason to give someone an award. Sainte-Marie said she planned to split the prize money between charities for animal rights, marginalized people, and indigenous people and the environment.

In 2015, it has become absolutely clear that not only are Indigenous artists at the forefront of contemporary culture, they are also finally receiving much overdue recognition for their continued creativity, vision, and artistry.

Buffy is a living legend in the Indigenous community, but it's taken until her seventh decade on this planet for the Canadian music community to realize the depth and profundity of her singularly iconic creative expression. “Aboriginal music has been good for a very long time,” Buffy said, “but nobody has been listening to it”.

We've known all along. And we're glad everyone is else is catching up.

"Seems like Indigenous women are just totally making waves & taking over the place!", said Métis artist Christi Belcourt. They are. And they should be.

If you haven't heard Power in the Blood, now's your chance to stream it below.

Watch Buffy Sainte-Marie Perform "Power in the Blood" Live at the 2015 Polaris Music Prize Awards

STREAM: Buffy Sainte Marie, Power in the Blood

PREMIERE: Stream Wolf Saga's "Auburn Nights" and Dive Into Synthpop Heaven

Wolf Saga's Auburn Nights, is the instant classic synthpop album you need in your life.

If you've been sleeping on Wolf Saga, now's the time to get acquainted.

Storming onto the scene with a slew of killer remixes, covers, and 80s-inspired interpretations of everyone from Foster the People and The Strokes, to Lorde and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolf Saga is elevating his game with every release.

Toronto-based Johnny Saga is the fast-rising Anishinaabe singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist behind the project, and he's been rocking a consistently deadly hybrid electronic style that effortlessly blends synth-pop melodic sensibilities with indie rock cred and buttery, analogue elements. Check his recent set of Sessions X videos for a taste.

After dropping dope sets of covers and remixes over the past two years, Wolf Saga released My Time, his debut EP of original music, in 2014. He's been racking up accolades along the way: his epic SoundCloud stream has been clocking record numbers (his collab cover of The Strokes' "You Only Live Once" is currently sitting at +614,000 plays and was one of the HypeMachine Zeitgeist's 50 most-blogged songs of 2014), and his Vine-tastic video for "Our Time" is pushing 500k views on YouTube.

Wolf Saga's blowing up the internet and it's easy to hear why.

The title track from his latest Auburn Nights EP immediately brings to mind not only everyone's favourite whistled hook from the mid-oughts (a song that, yes, is another one he's covered), but also Johnny's own penchant for polished production, lush pop grooves, and immediately infectious electronics.

"All In", featured here in both its original form and a New Division remix, is a perfect pop composition straight out of swirling synthesized worlds of early MGMT, while "Walls" is a head-nodding, breezy blend of catchy guitar lines and Johnny's captivating vocal hooks—that pay special homage to the life of his grandmother and the teachings she passed down to him.

Auburn Nights goes deep on some neon summer, 80s-iridescent vibes—it's a perfect sunny accompaniment to the final wave of summer heat that we can all feel shimmering by. Johnny says the new EP is all about "following your dream, finding real love, and gender equality".

We like where he's headed. And it's going to be big. Time to run with the Wolf.

PREMIERE: Stream Wolf Saga's "Auburn Nights"

Catch Wolf Saga live in Los Angeles on September 14th for the Auburn Nights EP release party.

DOWNLOAD: The Aboriginal Music Week Mixtape by Boogey the Beat

RPM and Aboriginal Music Week are joining forces for an epic closing night party this year. Check our exclusive AMW Mixtape to get a taste of what's to come. 

We enlisted the talent of rising Anishinaabe hip-hop producer and DJ Boogey the Beat to compile sounds from this year's AMW artists and it's the perfect soundtrack for #MixtapeMonday.

Bringing together hip-hop and R&B tracks from all of our closing night party performers including—Hellnback, Mariame, T-Rhyme, and Tall Paul—as well as the eclectic electronics of Exquisite Ghost, the rap stylings of Mic Jordan, a guest appearance by Lightning Cloud, and some of Boogey's own killer productions, this is a party rocking, beat-based excursion into the contemporary sounds of #IndigenousExcellence.

Let's go!

And don't forget to join us for the Aboriginal Music Week Closing Night Concert on Saturday, August 22nd at The Good Will in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Tickets and info here.

DOWNLOAD THE AMW MIXTAPE:

TRACK LISTING

1. Boogey The Beat - The Beginning
2. Exquisite Ghost - Bringing Dawn
3. Exquisite Ghost - Hands To The Sky
4. Hellnback - B.T.B.B. Ft. Lightning Cloud
5. Hellnback - Spaceship
6. Mariame - Electric
7. Mariame - Native Ft. Supaman
8. Boogey The Beat - Sidestep
9. Boogey The Beat - Uja (Tanya Tagaq Remix)
10. Mic Jordan - It Feels Good
11. Mic Jordan - Miigwetch (Thank You)
12. T-Rhyme - Apollo Red
13. T-Rhyme - Tha Truth
14. Tall Paul - I Don't Need Glove
15. Tall Paul - Orange Juice In My Cereal

Boogey The Beat is the principal producer behind the CTL Records releases along with the introductory music for CBC's "New Fire with Lisa Charleyboy." His DJing chops have landed him on stages for the Indspire Awards and Stage 49 at the Gathering of Nations. He's set to take the stage at Aboriginal Music Week's Closing Night Party presented by RPM.FM on Saturday, August 22, 2015. Closing Night Party presented by RPM.FM Tall Paul, Mariame, HellnbacK, T-Rhyme*, Boogey The Beat Saturday, August 22, 2015 9PM - 2AM The Good Will, 625 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Tix $10 | 18+ I.D. Req'd aboriginalmusicweek.ca | #IndigenousExcellence

A photo posted by abmusicweek (@abmusicweek) on Jul 11, 2015 at 6:29pm PDT

Samantha Crain's New Album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, is the One We've Been Waiting For

With her fourth album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, Samantha Crain has hit her stride.

Five years ago in the original RPM offices in Vancouver's Chinatown, a few weeks before the site launched, Ostwelve said to the team "do you know of Samantha Crain?" We stopped to watch the video for Santa Fe and all fell fast for her rich, almost husky croon, her sweet, inviting, folk style. We've all been fans ever since.

As a fan, while I've adored her vocal and musical style since that day, I felt as a songwriter she hadn't yet grown into her own - not something unexpected from a young artist. With her newest release, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, and now with years of touring and performing and living this life, Crain has grown up and into her voice as a writer and recording artist. The result is not only her best album yet, but one of the best albums this year. I'm excited we can finally say so - RPM was lucky to get an advance listen of the record and we've been bursting to share our praise for it.

“I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense,” Crain told The Guardian recently, “but I’m always listening to the voices of people around me. These stories are told from the perspective of the underdog, the 99% of us that are working people. They might not be literal protest songs, but the lives of the people within these songs speak at the same volume if you listen.”

Indeed, the songs showcase nimble, poetic lyrics that tell stories of bitter circumstances, the downtrodden, and broken hearts, with a knowing intimacy that comes from the pen of an adept listener. These stories are wrapped in folk and country stylings (with an occasional synth keeping the indie cred alive and well) and despite the sombre or sad stories, they are lifted by striking imagery and elegant musicality.

Samantha Crain serenades The Dakota Tavern, Toronto, Ontario

Crain is an artist who is seemingly always on tour. Earlier this year she did a number of dates opening for Buffy Ste. Marie, she has headlined her own countless shows, and played major festivals - she is at home in front of large crowds. It was a rare treat that her current CD release tour included a stop in Toronto at the legendary but small Dakota Tavern where Crain charmed the lucky, grateful few there.

There may not be another chance to be up close for a solo performance - Under Branch & Thorn & Tree has the makings of a turning point. Catch her live show soon and get the album even sooner. If you haven't fallen for her yet, you will now: this is the album and moody, sweet summer soundtrack you've been waiting for.

Stream the Full Album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, below:

The album is also available on Spotify:

Aboriginal Music Week Closing Night Concert to Feature Drezus, Mariame, Hellnback, T-Rhyme, and Boogey the Beat

RPM is proud to present an incredible night of Indigenous hip-hop, R&B, and trap music to conclude Aboriginal Music Week 2015.

The closing night of Aboriginal Music Week is the very definition of #IndigenousExcellence.

This year, RPM is partnering with AMW to bring you a concert featuring some of Indian Country's fastest rising hip-hop stars: Drezus, Mariame, Hellnback, T-Rhyme, and Boogey the Beat.

An accomplished young producer with a gift for booming beats and hypnotic melodies, Anishinaabe artist Boogey the Beat will bless us with his trap-infused rhythms. N'we Jinan artist and rising Cree R&B singer, Mariame, will be joining us from Quebec to perform songs from her recently released debut EP, Bloom. And, hailing from Saskatoon by way of Edmonton, self-described femcee T-Rhyme will bring her 'ATCQ to Jean Grae'-influenced hip-hop styles to the stage.

Rounding out this already incredible lineup, acclaimed Samson Cree hip-hop heavyweight and 2015 Indigenous Music Awards nominee, Hellnback, will give shine to tracks from his brand new record, F.O.E. (#FamilyOverEverything).

UPDATE: Tall Paul won't be able to make it, but hot off his recent Warpath Tour, we've got Cree hip-hop artist Drezus coming through to rep for the people and give us a dose of his banging beats and Native Pride-filled lyrics.

This is a closing party without compare and a showcase of what's next in native hip-hop and Indigenous music. You don't want to miss it.

Aboriginal Music Week, an annual celebration of "the fact that Indigenous artists around the world are creating music that crosses almost all musical and physical borders, without regret", runs from August 18-22, 2015 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

With a full lineup of Indigenous music events including the Spence Neighbourhood Block Party, the Turtle Island Block Party, an AMW stage at the Austin Street Festival, and a daytime stage at Picnic in the Park, this year's AWM is going to have something for every listener and music fan.

ABORIGINAL MUSIC WEEK: CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Saturday, August 22, 2015 The Good Will (625 Portage Ave) Winnipeg, Manitoba 9pm - 2am / Tickets: $10 RSVP on Facebook: here

FEATURING:

• Drezus
• Mariame
• Hellnback
• T-Rhyme
• Boogey The Beat

For more information visit: aboriginalmusicweek.ca

Aboriginal Hip-Hop Star Briggs Drops Inspiring New Single, "The Children Came Back"

Briggs' new song, "The Children Came Back", inspires a new generation of Indigenous youth to rise up and celebrate their survival.

Raise up your ancestors. Raise up Indigenous heroes.

That's the first thing that hits you when you watch Briggs' epic new video.

The acclaimed Shepparton-based, Yorta Yorta hip-hop artist brings together a heavy list of collaborators and video guest appearances in this respectful homage to the 1990 Archie Roach anthem "Took The Children Away". But where that song mourned Roach's own experience of being taken away, and lamented the dispossession and removal of Indigenous children that have come to be known as the 'Stolen Generation', Briggs responds with an inspired sequel that—twenty-five years later—champions "black excellence" and the accomplishments of Indigenous Nations across 'Australia'.

A literal generation after Roach's anthemic and sorrowful call to account for historical injustice, Briggs swaggers boldly to the fore of an Indigenous peoples' movement unafraid to celebrate their success.

Featuring a who's who of famous contemporary Indigenous musicians and sports stars, including Lionel Rose, Jimmy Little, Adam Goodes, Cathy Freeman and Patty Mills, the song also makes sure to represent indigeneity in the music as well.

As VICE Australia notes, "With Gurrumul and Dewayne Everettsmith adding vocals, the song features traditional instrumentation including clap sticks, a yidaki from North East Arnhem Land, and a haunting chant from the B2M, a group of musicians from the Tiwi Islands.

The video features Briggs, Everettsmith, Archie Roach, Paul Kelly and 3-year old Samara Muir who recently made national headlines with her distressing experience of racism by kids her own age."

But perhaps the highest tribute comes from Archie Roach himself, who has proudly endorsed Briggs' tribute:

"I love Briggs’ song. It's about our Indigenous heroes," says Roach. "Using a part of my song, where it says 'the children came back' is really what the song is about. I feel proud to be a part of what Briggs hopes to achieve and I really love that he used young children to play the heroes because they are our future heroes."

"The Children Came Back" is a new anticolonial anthem of resurgence and return. As Briggs observes, it's equal parts "history lesson, monologue, celebration and education in one song”.

Released July 3rd to coincide with NAIDOC week in Australia, this is the sound of a generation rising.

Watch Briggs - "The Children Came Back (feat. Gurrumul & Dewayne Everettsmith)"

DOWNLOAD: A Tribe Called Red's Killer Remix of Buffy Ste Marie's “Working for the Government”

A Tribe Called Red drops a free single on this most colonial of national holidays.

And that song is none other than a 2015 remix of legendary Cree singer Buffy Sainte Marie's classic "Working for the Government". In A Tribe Called Red's capable hands, the song transforms from an already upbeat anthem into a rockin', four-on-the-floor, dancefloor destroyer.

Mixing politics and partying you say? Ironically celebrating Canada, you say? Sounds like a perfect pairing.

And what could be more CanCon than a collab between the first lady of Indigenous song, and one of the newly dubbed Top 10 Canadian Bands of All Time?

Get the free download right here.

DOWNLOAD: A Tribe Called Red ft. Buffy Sainte-Marie - "Working For The Government 2015 Mix"

ATCR - Summer 2015 Tour Dates

July 4 – Eskasoni, NS – Eskasoni PowWow

July 12 – Toronto, ON – PanAM Park, Echo Beach (free show)

July 17 – Trumansburg, NY – GrassRoots Festival

July 18 – Toronto, ON – Aboriginal Pavillion, Fort York (free show)

July 23 – Peguis First Nation, MB – Peguis Arena

July 24 – Brandon, MB – Brandon Folk Music & Art Festival

July 31 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music & Arts Festival

August 1 – Sept-Iles, QC – Innu Nikamu festival

August 7 – Washington, DC – Smithonian Museum (free show)

August 12 – Toronto, ON – Nathan Phillips Square (free show)

August 15 – Sudbury, ON – UP FEST, Durham Playgrounds

Decolonize Your Playlist: Stream the New Mixtape from Sovereign Trax

Sovereign Trax is back with their June playlist of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Our cross-continental collab continues with the crew from Sovereign Trax, bringing you the dopest sounds of "nue & old trax...from contemporary and experimental" artists from the lands of occupied 'Australia'.

Last month, SovTrax launched the second issue of their new zine, Sovereign Apocalypse, blending artful contributions into future imaginings of Indigenous sovereignty. Their latest issue, appropriately rocking on an Indigenous Futurism vibe, is themed around "Galactic Imaginings"—and features an interstellar mix of interviews, art, poetry, fashion photography, lyrics, recipes, and more. Equal parts Indigenous intervention and aesthetic subversion, SOVAPOC is bringing new forms to decolonizing self-representations and Aboriginal reimaginings of our collective present and future freedom.

Shout out to co-creators Hannah Donnelly and Gabi Briggs for pushing the #IndigenousMusic and media movement forward. Check this recent review via The Lifted Brow:

The zine was launched last month in Melbourne with an all-star line-up of live performances by Seeka, Birdz, GekkZ, Tahu Dubs and Marze, as the SOVAPOC collective continues to update your essential listening list with the best of contemporary and experimental music by black artists. Blackfulla musicians, artists and writers en masse whether in performance, playlists or publications can evoke a great sense of solidarity and excited strength among blackfullas, but also offer something thrilling and new to a general public. This is what this eye-catching, tactile zine is doing in Melbourne, I think, and perhaps its applicability is because it feels as if it has come from Wiradjuri country, country pre-colonisation (only 230 years ago, I’ll keep saying it, it’s such a short time), and country now urbanised, slick and gritty and flashy – the mix of both these truths finding popularity in the hand-selling and online selling of this publication.

On the musical tip, the latest selections of Sovereign Trax celebrate indigeneity and resistance in multiple forms, featuring new songs from the likes of R.3.B, JPoint, Robbie Miller, and Lady Lash. The talent runs deep and the sounds are an effortless mix of hip-hop, electronica, R&B, reggae, and bluesy-acoustic...all representing Indigenous pride and power.

Enjoy.

STREAM: SOVEREIGN TRAX - JUNE MIX 

Sovereign Trax: June Playlist - Track List

1. E.T.P - Habit’s Die Hard
2. Nathan Morrison x Robbie Miller - Oceans
3. Golden Features x Thelma Plum - No One
4. Coedie Ochre Warrah - GRIIIND
5. Marze x Seeka - Lady Lady
6. Lady Lash - World Gone Silly ft. Pyne
7. Philly - Dreamchaser
8. JPoint - Get Wrecked
9. Zaacharia Fielding - She is the Light
10. Scott Campbell - Tipsy
11. Bow and Arrow - Midnight
12. Paul Gorrie - Pay the Rent
13. Karate Surfing - Shadows
14. Eastern Reggae - Grog’s No Good
15. Marlene Cummins - Pemulwuy

Here is the Full List of Nominees for the 2015 Indigenous Music Awards

Nominees for the 2015 Indigenous Music Awards were announced today. Here is the full list of this year's IMA nominees.

Formerly known as the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards, the newly re-dubbed Indigenous Music Awards announced their 2015 nominees today at a livestreamed press conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Celebrating 10 years of Indigenous music and culture, the IMAs support the wide range of music being made throughout Indian Country. Produced in partnership with the Manito Ahbee Festival, this year's awards week will be held September 9-13, 2015.

Hip-hop continues to be huge at the IMAs, with acclaimed artists Drezus and City Natives leading the nominations with four each—including Best Duo or Group, Best Hip-Hop CD, Best Music Video, and Single of the Year—while Los Angeles duo Lightning Cloud holds it down with three nods, including facing off against Drezus amid a strong list of contenders for Indigenous Entertainer of the Year.

Also look out for some fierce competition on the pow wow recording trail, where heavy hitters Black Bear, Cree Confederation, Northern Cree, Northern Voice and Stoney Creek are vying for Best Contemporary Pow Wow CD honours.

Voting in every category is now open to the public, so support the Indigenous music culture that we all love by visiting indigenousmusicawards.ca to cast your vote for your favourite artists and recordings.

Here is the full list of 2015 Indigenous Music Awards Nominees:

BEST ALBUM COVER DESIGN

BEATRICE DEER - Fox BLACKSTONE - Kaskite Asiniy ENTER-TRIBAL - Hitting The Trail FLORENT VOLLANT - Puamuna HELLNBACK - #FOE=Family Over Everything

BEST ACOUSTIC FOLK CD

CARY MORIN - Tiny Town CHELSEY JUNE - Finding Me JASON BURNSTICK & NADINE L’HIRONDELLE - Wrapped in Daisies JOSEPH STRIDER - Carbon 14 KELLY JACKSON - Renditions Of The Soul

BEST COUNTRY CD

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One BOB E. LEE WEST - The Tree JODY THOMAS GASKIN - Born on the Rezz KIMBERLEY DAWN - Til The Cowboys Come Home THELMA CHEECHOO - Stay

BEST GOSPEL CD

CARL CRANE - Northern Man “A Little Bit of Me” DAWN KARIMA - The Stars Of Heaven DIANNE FOSTER - Holy Mighty Fire KELLY MONTIJO FINK - Don’t Let Me Forget YVONNE ST. GERMAINE - If You See My Savior

BEST DUO OR GROUP

CITY NATIVES DEE ERIN BAND GHOST TOWN ORCHESTRA INDIAN CITY JULIAN TAYLOR BAND

BEST HAND DRUM CD

ANTONE & CHIEFS - Antone & Chiefs BEARHEAD SISTERS - Our Angels MANITOU MKWA SINGERS - Manitou Mkwa Singers WAYNE SILAS, JR. - Infinite Passion YOUNG SPIRIT - Nitehe Ohci - From the Heart

BEST FLUTE CD

DAVID ROSE - Wind Dance Under the Moon JAN LOOKING WOLF - Wind Dreamer RYAN LITTLE EAGLE - My Songs My Stories STEVEN RUSHINGWIND - Red Beaten Path TONY DUNCAN & DARRIN YAZZIE - Singing Lights WILLIAM GREENLAND - The Journey Beyond

BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE OR FRANCOPHONE CD

FLORENT VOLLANT- Puamuna JAAJI - Nunaga (My Home, My Land) JONATHAN MARACLE - Karonyakdadeh Hymns of Mohawk Elders SEWEPAGAHAM - Sewepagaham

BEST INDIGENOUS MUSIC STATION / RADIO PROGRAM

A CONVERSATION WITH DAWN KARIMA NATIONAL ABORIGINAL MUSIC COUNTDOWN (NCI FM) NATIVE TRAILBLAZERS RADIO NATIVE WAVES RADIO

BEST INDIGENOUS SONGWRITER

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One JASON BURNSTICK & NADINE L’HIRONDELLE - My Headstart Preschool JOSEPH STRIDER - Seven Arrows LIGHTNING CLOUD - Meet Me At The Pow Wow TOMSON HIGHWAY - Taansi, Nimiss WILL BELCOURT AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDIANS - Burn It Down

BEST INSTRUMENTAL CD

GERONIMO PAULETTE - Hard Road Out Of Hell MWALIM DA PHUNKEE PROFESSOR - Awakened By A Noon Day Sun SEAN BEAVER - Torn

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS RELEASE

AYRAD - Ayrad EMMANUEL JAL - The Key QUIQUE ESCAMILLA - 500 Years of Night TASHA T - Real Talk THE BASS INVADERS - Dance of the Fox

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

CITY NATIVES - Straight Chief’n DREZUS - Warpath INDIAN CITY - One Day KELLY DERRICKSON - Idle No More LIGHTNING CLOUD - Walk Alone

BEST NEW ARTIST

DEE ERIN BAND GABRIELLE KNIFE KELLY DERRICKSON KICKIN KROTCH NITANIS ‘KIT’ LARGO

BEST PEYOTE CD

DONJAY NELSON - Good Morning Dawn JAKE TYNER, EDMOND POOCHAY AND LANCE CROWE - Good Memories JOE TAHONNIE JR. - Ceremony LOUIE GONNIE - Spiraling, Ascending With Prayer SILAS & PIERCE BIGLEFTHAND - Northern Cheyenne Peyote Healing Songs

BEST POP CD

CLASSIC ROOTS - Hack The Planet JAMIE COON - Day After Day NIIKO SOUL  - Neon Warrior TOMSON HIGHWAY - Patricia Cano sings songs from The (Post) Mistress VICTOR PATRICK - Bound by Roots

BEST POW WOW CD - CONTEMPORARY

BLACK BEAR - Come & Get Your Love: The Tribe Session CREE CONFEDERATION - Kihtawasoh Wapakwani NORTHERN CREE - Northern Cree Breaking Boundaries NORTHERN VOICE - In Land We Trust STONEY CREEK - Dedicated

BEST POW WOW CD - TRADITIONAL

CHIPPEWA TRAVELLERS - Honouring Our Biish (Water) NORTHERN WIND - Northern Wind Bimaadiziwin TRAIL MIX - Str8 Forward

BEST PRODUCER / ENGINEER

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF - The One BEARHEAD SISTERS - Our Angels DREZUS - Indian Summer GHOST TOWN ORCHESTRA - Ghost Town Orchestra NIIKO SOUL - Neon Warrior

BEST RAP / HIP-HOP CD

CHIEF ROCK - A Warriors Journey CITY NATIVES - Red City CODY COYOTE - Lose Control DREZUS - Indian Summer HELLNBACK - #FOE=Family Over Everything

BEST ROCK CD

DEE ERIN BAND - Broken Road MIDNIGHT SHINE - Northern Man SCATTER THEIR OWN - Taste The Time THE DEEDS - Mother Nature WILL BELCOURT AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDIANS - Annie Baby

BEST TELEVISION PROGRAM / PROMOTION OF INDIGENOUS MUSIC

ABORIGINAL UNITY EXPERIENCE GUILT FREE ZONE THE CANDY SHOW

INDIGENOUS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

ARMOND DUCK CHIEF CARY MORIN DREZUS LIGHTNING CLOUD RELLIK STEVEN RUSHINGWIND

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

BLACK BEAR - Come & Get Your Love II CITY NATIVES - Straight Chief’n CODY COYOTE - Warrior INDIAN CITY - Duet KELLY JACKSON - After All This Time RELLIK - My Voice

11 Ways to Spend the Summer Solstice and National Aboriginal Day

June 21st is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. What will you be doing to celebrate?

Although we're not totally sold on the idea of the federal government designating one day a year to celebrate Indigenous culture, at least it's an opportunity to check out some amazing performances by Indigenous artists.

And, as June 21st also marks the summer solstice, there are more than enough reasons to get out of the house and show your love for all things NDN, First Nations, Aboriginal, Native, Métis, Inuit, and Indigenous.

There are many different events being planned across the country (here, here, and here, for example), so we were hard pressed to narrow things down.

But here are eleven decidedly great ways to spend the solstice and National Aboriginal Day this year.

11. Learn about Métis culture at the National Aboriginal Day Celebration at Métis Crossing

The Métis Nation of Alberta and their affiliate organization, Métis Crossing, will be hosting a celebration for National Aboriginal Day on June 21st. Located at the Métis Crossing Historic Site (south of Smokey Lake, Alberta), between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM, the day's events will include an open stage jam, cultural interpretation, a genealogy exhibit, games, on-site concession, and an elder’s lounge. For more info click here.

10. See Kinnie Starr, Cris Derksen, and Binaeshee-Quae perform at the Luminato Festival in Toronto

Acclaimed Mohawk singer-songwriter and hip-hop artist Kinnie Starr, Métis cellist and experimenter Cris Derksen, and jazzy alterna-folk artist Binaeshee-Quae will perform on June 20th and 21st respectively, as part of the Luminato Festival's New Canadian Music Series which runs daily at the Festival Garden Stage in Toronto. For more info, check out: https://luminatofestival.com/festival/2015/new-canadian-music-series

9. Watch Kaha:wi Dance Theatre at the Aboriginal Cultural Festival and Competition Powwow in Ottawa

Led by founding Artistic Director Tekaronhiáhkhwa Santee Smith, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (pronounced Ga-Ha-Wee) is an artist-based dance company known for their energetic and innovative performances that blend traditional and contemporary styles. KDT will be performing as part of Ottawa's Summer Solstice events at Vincent Massey Park. On Saturday, June 20th at 1pm, KDT will perform the piece Medicine Bear, which weaves a magical narrative of traditional Iroquoian stories: how the Bear Clan came to be known as the “Keeper of the Medicines” and the hunter who discovered the gift of healing. Plus, don't forget about the full traditional powwow going on all weekend too. For more info, visit: http://www.ottawasummersolstice.ca/

8. Bring your family for a pancake breakfast at Trout Lake on Coast Salish Territories in Vancouver

The Annual National Aboriginal Day Celebration on Coast Salish Territories will once again be held at Trout Lake on Sunday, June 21st. It’s a community-based full day of events that celebrates the diversity of Indigenous Peoples from across Canada. First Nations, Métis & Inuit peoples gather to share their experiences, stories, songs, traditional games, dances & spirit with each other & the general community. All events are FREE, all Aboriginal community members & supporters are welcome; and it's a family-friendly event, with no alcohol or drugs permitted. There's a full day of activities, but get there early before the pancakes run out! For more information visit: http://www.vafcs.org/events/aboriginalday/

7. Start implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations in Halifax

Celebrate National Aboriginal Day with justice in Halifax: by joining other like-minded people to support the Mi'kmaq Nation in Nova Scotia, and taking up national calls by Indigenous and allied organizers to implement the 94 recommendations put forth by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The work of reconciliation belongs to all of us, and Halifax organizers are taking the lead. But no matter where you live, why not start learning more about how you can bring more truth and more justice into this colonial world of ours. Here's more information on how Nova Scotian organizers are gathering and getting started for NAD: http://solidarityhalifax.ca/2015/06/statement-celebrate-national-aboriginal-day-with-justice/

6. Catch Leonard Sumner at the Indigenous Arts Festival in Fort York

Anishinaabe MC/singer/songwriter Leonard Sumner will be one of many performers taking part in the Indigenous Arts Festival at Fort York in Toronto. Fusing elements of hip-hop, country, and rhythm & blues, his music appeal cuts across age lines, allowing his style to be enjoyed by people who typically 'aren't into rap'. Sumner will be rocking the festival mainstage on Saturday, June 20th at 5:30pm. For more information, click here.

5. Join the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations for the Aboriginal Cultural Festival in Victoria

Featuring three days of performances on an outdoor stage in the plaza at the Royal BC Museum in the heart of downtown Victoria, BC, the Aboriginal Cultural Festival will run from June 19-21, 2015. Each day will be dedicated to a coastal nation: there's a Coast Salish Nation Day, a Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation Day, and a Kwakwaka'wakw Nation Day. All weekend the festival will open with performances from the two local Host Nations and follow with shows from Aboriginal performers from across the province as well as a show from 3-time World Hoop Dancing Champion Alex Wells. Full schedule and info at: https://www.aboriginalbc.com/victoria-aboriginal-festival/

4. Go see Ghostkeeper, Derek Miller, and Crystal Shawanda in Edmonton

Second in size only to Winnipeg's #ADL2015 celebration, Edmonton will be putting on a full day's worth of events on June 21st, culminating in a mainstage show that will feature some incredible Indigenous performers—including the idiosyncratic experimentalism of Ghostkeeper, the full-blown, blues rock of Derek Miller, and the powerful contemporary country sounds of Crystal Shawanda. Definitely worth checking out. For more about Edmonton's 9th annual Aboriginal Day celebration, click here.

3. Rock out with Don Amero, Brett Kissel, and Lightning Cloud in Winnipeg

With his new album, Unrefined, recently released to the world, Don Amero is taking to the Aboriginal Day Live mainstage alongside his buddy Brett Kissel, and Los Angeles-based hip-hop duo Lightning Cloud, to rock The Forks in Winnipeg. Look out for a special rendition of a new song that Amero and Kissel wrote a few months back, called "Rebuild This Town". Oh, and RedCloud will be incorporating crowdsourced words and ideas into his freestyles during Lightning Cloud's set. You don't want to miss 'em. For more on #ADL2015 in Winnipeg, check out: http://www.aboriginaldaylive.ca/winnipeg/winnipeg-live-concert/

2. Get your Electric Pow Wow on with A Tribe Called Red in Vancouver

You may have seen ATCR before, but not like this. A Tribe Called Red will be bringing the electric pow-wow out of the nightclubs and into the park—Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park to be precise—for a massive, outdoor Indigenous throwdown on Saturday, June 20th. This one isn't free, but it's definitely worth the price of admission. The Tribe will rock the spot alongside Blondtron & Waspy, the amazing Git Hayetsk Dancers, and local DJ crew Klash Akt. Get down to the bass-heavy sounds of DJ NDN, Bear Witness, and 2oolman rocking a stage surrounded by the sunset, sea, and ancient cedars. An Aboriginal Day meets summer solstice taste of Indigenous dance music perfection? Sounds like it to us. More info and tickets available here: http://malkinbowl.com/a-tribe-called-red/

1. Celebrate the Midnight Sun in Inuvik, NWT

In Canada's Northwest Territories—the only place in the country where National Aboriginal Day is a statutory holiday—you can experience a summer solstice that lasts well into the night. Join other northerners in Inuvik, NWT on June 21st for a day of events celebrating the local Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and Métis people and cultures. From traditional drumming, dancing, and foods, to a Midnight Sun Run in celebration of the summer solstice's warm temperatures, experience what it's like to be out in the sunlit streets long after midnight, above the Arctic Circle. And that photo above? That was taken at 1:30am in late May. Learn more about NAD celebrations in the NWT here: https://www.facebook.com/Inuvik.NWT.Canada