Songweavers Studio: Musical Medicine Week

The Songweavers Studio program, hosted by the Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association’s (KAYA) in Vancouver, is a free youth recording studio with the goal to empower the voice of Aboriginal youth. This month, Songweavers is presenting Musical Medicine Week - five days of workshops, community and music.

By providing access to gear, support and know-how for youth ages 14-29 who are interested in creating music, Songweavers is a safe venue for creative expression. From the Songweavers press release, Local Indigenous musicians educating Indigenous youth interested in culture:

Songweavers Studio Musical Medicine Week will utilize the knowledge and wisdom of local Indigenous musicians to educate Indigenous youth interested in music culture. By sharing an introductory understanding of how the music industry works, as well as teachings from traditional Indigenous music culture, Musical Medicine Week aims to provide youth with the tools to create a sustainable career in the Indigenous music industry.

RPM is one of the supporters of Musical Medicine Week - we love nothing more than to see emerging artists and young voices creating work! - and RPM contributors Christa Couture and Ron Dean Harris, aka Ostwelve, are among the mentors presenting workshops.

If you're in Vancouver, check it out! All ages, and all are welcome.

Here's the skinny on the schedule:

Monday February 20th

Music Business — What does it take to become a sustainable artist within the music business? Learn the tools to become a successful independent artist using social media, grants, and inside information with Rex SmallBoy, Grant Writing with Christa Couture, Social Media with Ron Dean Harris (OS12). 4:00 pm Doors, 4:30 pm Opening Circle, 5:00 pm Workshops Start

Tuesday February 21st

Songwriting — Writers Block? Singer Songwriter? Hip Hop Artist? Join us for a night of creative writing, and self expression. Learn tips and tricks to enhance your writing ability. Hip-hop Songwriting with Theresa Point (Apt Exact), Singer/Acoustic Songwriting with Christa Couture. 4:00 pm Doors, 4:30 pm Opening Circle, 5:00 pm Workshops Start

Wednesday February 22nd

Traditional Music — Honouring where we came from and where we are going. Join us for a night of traditional hand drum songs and teachings from the Coast Salish to the Prairies. We will end the night by creating our own hand drum song. Bring your Drums! Coast Salish teaching and songs with Elder Wes Nahanee, Women Hand Drum Songs with Jerilynn Webster (JB the First Lady),Prairie Songs with Renae Morriseau (of M'Girl). 4:00 pm Doors, 4:30 pm Opening Circle, 5:00 pm Workshops Start

Thursday February 23rd

Electronic Music — Join us for a night of Djing, Remixing, and Production. Find out what it takes to become a successful DJ and producer. We will be remixing the hand drum song we created the night before with Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red. 4:00 pm Doors, 4:30 pm Opening Circle, 5:00 pm Workshops Start

Friday February 24th

Indigenous Video Dance Party — ALL AGES Indigenous Dance Party and community feast! Showing all Indigenous music videos, and showcasing music videos our Songweavers youth created in the last year! Coast Salish Opener Dustin Rivers, DJ MukLuk, Emcee for the night Francis Pierre. 4:00 pm Doors, 4:15 pm Coast Salish Opening & blessing of the food, 4:30 pm Free Dinner, 5:00 pm Dance Party start!

All events take place at: W2 Media Cafe 111 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC

For more information visit: kayavancouver.org.

Aboriginal Performance Series at PuSh Festival

Vancouver's PuSh Festival is celebrating its 9th year as one of the city's signature events. Every year The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival presents both contemporary performances from leading Canadian artists and develops new works for the stage.

It's a series I look forward to every year - it manages to be innovative and experimental while maintaining a high calibre of production and I'm always discovering new favourite artists and works. Veda Hille and Bill Richardson's Craigslist Cantata that premiered at PuSh remains one of my favourite live performance/theatre experiences ever.

This year I'm thrilled to see that PuSh is presenting an Aboriginal Performance series which "aims to profile compelling and virtuosic projects that transform perceptions... to foster a broader understanding and interaction of contemporary Indigenous artists and their diverse cultures". Right up RPM's alley!

The series kicked off last night with Beat Nation Live - the cross-platform collective that includes Kinnie Starr, Jackson 2Bears, Cris Derksen, (RPM's own) Ostwelve, JB the First Lady, and the Tangible Interaction Digital Graffiti Wall by Corey Bulpitt and Gurl23. It was a high energy performance that had people on their feet and dancing by the end of it. The collective has honed their collaborative efforts - I saw them almost a year ago at the beginning stages of their work together and they've only gotten better.

During her introduction to the performance, senior curator Sherrie Johnson shared that she was inspired to create the Aboriginal performance series after spending time in New Zealand. She experienced many festivals there that featured work by contemporary Indigenous artists along with the programming of non-Indigenous artists and it made her wonder why that is not the case in Canada. Indeed, we have festivals focused only on Indigenous performers in this country, but there is an undeniable lack of inclusion of current Indigenous works in "non-Native" festival programming.

With that in mind she returned to Canada and to PuSh with the plan to seek out the most cutting edge and current Indigenous artists. The result is this diverse and exciting series.

Running from January 31-February 4th at The Cultch in East Vancouver is No. 2, a theatre piece from Toa Fraser of New Zealand centered around a cantankerous Fijian matriarch.

From February 1-4, at the Waterfront Theatre, is Almighty Voice and His Wife, the moving and funny play by First Nations playwright Daniel David Moses. It "tells the story of a Cree man arrested for killing a cow without a license, and the ensuing manhunt that gives rise to his status as a martyr and a legend."

At Performance Works on February 2nd, actor, choreographer, director and educator Micheal Greyeyes will deliver his "keynote manifesto address" Staging Ethnicity, exploring the complexities of "native" theatre and the impacts on those who create and experience it.

I'm really looking forward to the performance by Calgary's Ghostkeeper - the noisy pop band from Shane Ghostkeeper and Sarah Houle. They'll be rocking Performance Works on February 3rd. Check out the just-published Redwire interview with Ghostkeeper for more on them: http://www.redwiremag.com/site/redwire/features/push-festival-aboriginal-performance-series-ghoskeeper-interview/.

Vancouver - which shows will you be checking out? I hope to see you there!

Christa Couture, Editorial Manager

For more information on tickets, times and performances visit http://pushfestival.ca/festival-events/aboriginal-performance-series/.

Red Slam arrives on Redwire's Sentinel Shores

Front lady for Tdot's Red Slam Collective, Mahlikah Awe:ri, speaks on growth of the group and the ways that they give back. Red Slam will be headlining Redwire's upcoming show Sentinel Shores: A Group Show and Event Exploring Land Defense February 2nd at Rhizome Cafe, Coast Salish Territories.

Marika Swan @ RPM: Wanna introduce yourself?

Mahlikah Awe:ri : My name is Mahlikah Awe:ri aka MC AngelHeart I am one of the four founding members of the Red Slam Collective. We also have other members that are a part of the collective now. We have four core members: we have a core drummer, a core bassist, we’ve added a saxophonist and then we mix it up with sometimes bringing in other emcees or a beatboxer or our B-boys.

MS: Who is making it out to Coast Salish Territories next week?

MA: So we’ll have MC 7^th Son (Annishnaabe), Miles Turner (Six Nations, Mohawk), Isaac Llacuachaqui aka Riverwalker (Inca),  myself (Mik’maw, Mohawk), Jav Bravo (Aztec), Will supporting us on bass and Paul our saxophonist cant make it but he’ll be there in spirit.

MS: How did the collective come together?

MA: In the fall of 2008 I was asked to do something at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, which is our Friendship Centre, around spoken word.  At that time I was getting back into slam poetry competitions and I noticed there was no other natives in the circuit. So I thought maybe I should expose some other people to this art form. A set of people came to the workshops and they were into hip hop and into music. I had met Isaak a year before at an open mic so I asked him to join in. So it was 7^th Son and Miles and our former member Lena who were always going. The youth coordinator encouraged us to apply for a grant to take things to the next level and take some of these lyrics and turn them into actual songs.

We applied and with that grant we got a mentorship with Digging Roots. Digging Roots took us on and got us to apply for another grant to record the single Bring It Back at their studios. They taught us how to make music and record in the studio and all the business side of music as well.  We started with local booking at community centres and then we got a travel grant to go to different reserves and cities across Ontario. This was the spring to the fall of 2010. So we ended up doing a lot of little shows and it was really great exposure. We also got a chance to bond as a crew and figure out where we wanted to go. When we ended our tour at the ImageNATIVE opening for Martha Redbone, we thought 'we need a band'. So we started working with other musicians and figured that synergy out and then we ended up with a new sound Isaak calls soul-rock hip-hop.

We have always been very forthright in our lyrical content in terms of issues that we know are relevant to our people. On a global scale because we are connected globally. Whether that’s about land, water or whether it’s dealing with residential school or whatever it is. When we were first trying to get bookings when we got our travel grant, there were some people that were hesitant to book us because of the lyrical content of our pieces. But now that we’ve had occupy all over Toronto and everywhere else we’ve had certain things come to light through the media in our different communities about the quality of our water and all this other stuff. Now we are inundated in our inbox. We cant even keep up with the amount of requests for us to come out and perform at various events dealing with the same stuff that people, even some of our own people, didn’t want us to be talking about. And I’m proud of us as a crew that regardless of what people had to say when we were coming up we steered that course and we kept on it. I mean, we talk about other stuff. We talk about love. We talk about the party. We’re people, we’re human. But at the same time we cant ignore the real issues that are affecting us.

MS: Tell me about the workshop side of the work you do.

MA: Yeah so aside from being a hip-hop fusion band we do Four Directions Community Arts Engagement workshops. We usually build collaborations with either a social group or a school or an arts organization and we deliver workshops based on what the kids want to do. My role is the artistic coordinator for the workshops, and based on what they want to do which members of the crew would be best to come in. So when we went on that tour in 2010, wherever we did a show we also had a workshop. It’s also a great way to embed our traditional teachings... so starting with orality. Rap is orality and our people are storytellers. Usually I’ll start by telling a traditional story and then I flip the same story but totally in rhyme. Then we’ll start getting them to write lyrics to visuals by various Indigenous artists that explore the same themes as the original story did. They come up with the hook and they decide what themes they want to discuss. Based on those themes we weave together a set of bars for each verse and then they decide who wants to be the emcees and who wants to be the musicians. And then we come together collaboratively and record it so that they can see how far they have come. We love doing that kind of work. We’ve got a lot more of that stuff coming up.

MS: Well we are all really excited to have you. It’s going to be pretty cozy at Rhizome but I think it’s going to be really special. We’ll have some speakers and some films and then mix it up with some live music to keep the energy flowing.

MA: It’s really timely for us, many of us have family out on the west coast so we’ve been talking about this for a while.

MS: So I was checking out a live clip of you all performing 7 Fires on youtube and was loving it.  What's that track all about?

MA: Woo yeahh! That’s a track a co-wrote musically with Isaac Riverwalker. We’ve just been working on that track in the studio.  I wrote the lyrics and its about the Annishnaabe 8^th Fire prophecy. Looking at the prophecies that have already happened and what it is that we need to do now as a people. It’s become a big track for us, people seem to like it. We weren't going to play that one but maybe I should talk to the boys and put it on the set list.

The Collective expresses their creativity through their Okra (story) and their Owena (word) in the spirit of indigenous oral traditions using contemporary poetry live reggae hip-hop soulrock and drum talk. A variety of themes are expressed in their music and poetry, but the underlying goal is too uplift, self-identify and unify through spoken word. SLAM (Spoken Lyricism Arranges Meaning).

Find out full event info at redwiremag.com. Sentinel Shores: A Group Show and Event Exploring Land Defense February 2 @ Rhizome Cafe, starts @ 6pm

Featuring Artwork by Joi Arcand, Erin Marie Konsmo, Christiana Latham, Chandra Melting Tallow, Marika Swan and Carrielynn Victor

Screenings of A Mothers Nature by Vanessa Claxton Bloodland by Elle Maija Tailfeathers Business as Usual by Jay Cardinal Villeneuve

And Special Guests: Arthur Manuel and Ta'kaiya Blaney

With RED SLAM COLLECTIVE!

Here is a video of the Red Slam Collective performing 7 Fires live:

Indigenous Live Music Picks December 15-18

Winter is rolling into Turtle Island, but the music is still hot. Here are RPM's top 5 Indigenous live music picks for the weekend.

Urban Aboriginal Winter Festival December 13-15  The festival which has included film screenings and hip-hop bingo continues tonight with "Aboriginal Blues Revue" featuring Wayne Lavallee, Murray Porter, Dalannah Gail Bowen and Russel Wallace at W2 Media Café in Vancouver, BC. More info: Urban Aboriginal Winter Festival.

Xmas Fest 3 December 15 - Ali Fontaine, C-Weed, Joey Stylez and others will perform and party in support of the Christmas Cheer Board at the Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, MB. More info: facebook.com.

Amero Little Christmas December 16 - Don Amero, with special guest Jaylene Johnson, celebrates Christmas in support of Agape Table at Ellice Cafe & Theatre in Winnipeg, MB. More info: Amero Little Christmas with very special guest Jaylene Johnson.

Yelawolf December 17 - Catch Yelawolf perform at the Offical Dew Tour after party in Breckenbridge, Colorado. If you're going, be sure to check out Yelawolf's content to win meet & greet pases at facebook.com/yelawolf . More info on the Dew Tour:  breckenridge.com/events/dew-tour.

Hip-Hop for Hunger December 17 - The annual event includes perfromances by Ms. Teaze and Lil' Smokey, raising funds and collecting non-perishable food items for the Calgary Food Bank at Dickens Pub, Calgary, Alberta. More info: Calgary's 3rd Annual Hip Hop for Hunger Food Drive/ Hip Hop Show.

Live Indigenous Music Picks December 8-11

From roots to hip-hop, from the dance floor to the soft seat theatre, here's this weekend's live music picks from RPM.

Krunk 4 the Kidz December 8 - The Lytics, Young Kidd, and White Rhino will be performing at the Republic Nightclub in Winnipeg, MB, raising funds and collecting unwrapped toys and canned goods for the Christmas Cheer board. More info: YOUNG KIDD & THE LYTICS LIVE @ REPUBLIC NITECLUB "KRUNK 4 THE KIDS".

Indigenous December 10 - Enjoy the roots rock of Indigenous at Trouser Mouse in Blue Springs, MO. More info: indigenousmusic.net.

"UNINTERUPTED" Jazz and Blues Review December 9 - The Dusty Roads Band joins the lineup of ten bands taking the sate at the Manitoba Hydro Gallery, Winnipeg, MB. More info: 1st Annual "Uninterupted Blues and Jazz Review".

Lakota Jonez December 10 - Not exactly a live music event, but Lakota Jonez is looking for extras to be in her newest music video. The shoot will take place at Launchpad in Albuquerque, NM. More info:  Lakota Jonez Music Video Shoot Part 3.

Electric Powwow December 10 - It's that time of the month when A Tribe Called Red puts on their one of a kind show at Babylon Nightclub, Ottawa, ON. More info: Electric Powwow.

Art Napolean December 11 -  Enjoy some new tunes and stories from Art in the wonderful Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan, BC. More info: Art Napoleon Showroom Concert with Rockin' Cowboy Marty Jones.

January Rogers December 11 - Spoken word artist January Rogers will perform in "Mohawk Poetics" at the National Museum of the American Indian, in Washington, D.C. More info: nmai.si.edu.

Indigenous Live Music Picks December 1-7

December is here! Time flies when you're listening to music and there is music happening across Turtle Island this week as much as ever. Here are RPM's top 5 picks for Indigenous live music picks.

Andrea Menard December 2 - Enjoy an evening of Andrea's music at the Blackgoot Crossing Historical Musuem in Siksika, AB. More info: Sparkle with Andrea Menard.

DJ Bear Witness December 2 - Bear Witness will perform at the reception for the 8th annual 50-500 Members Show at Urban Shaman: Contemporary Aboriginal Art in Winnipeg, MB. More info: MEMBERS 50-500 & BEAR WITNESS.

Murray Porter December 2 & 3 - There are two chances to catch Murray perform live this weekend, first on December 2nd at the Red Rock Casino in Richmond, BC - more info: MURRAY PORTER GUESTS WITH INCOGNITO FEATURING NADINE STATES - and second on December 3rd at The Backstage Lounge in Vancouver, BC - more info: MURRAY PORTER & HIS BAND @ BACKSTAGE LOUNGE - ARTS CLUB, GRANVILLE ISLAND.

Conway K/Red Power Squad December  3 - The Vat Pub in Red Deer, AB, will be thumpin' with performances from Conway K/Red Power Squad, Epiphany, Sheena Kaine, Capitole D, JoJo Ryhmes, Prima Facie, Atim, Gumz, and Anasaz. More info: "The Uprising" feat Conway K, Epiphany, Ms.Teaze, Sheena Kaine and more.

Samantha Crain December 2, 6 & 7  - catch Samantha on tour this week at  The Blue Door , Oklahoma City, OK, December 2nd; The Oly Club, Centralia, WA, December 6th; and McMenamins Edge, Troutdale, OR, December 7th. More info: samanthacrain.com.

Indigenous Live Music Picks: November 25-27

Another weekend, another chance to take in some live Indigenous music! Here's our top 6 picks.

Nake Nula Waun November 25 - The hip-hop group perform their first concert on their Rosebud Reservation home since winning the Best Hip-Hop Nammy last month at Sinte Gleska Multipurpose Building in Mission, SD. More info: Nake Nula Waun Live on the RST with Comedian Mylo Smith and Special Guests.

Jerry Sereda November 25 - Jerry celebrates the release of his CD Turn the Country On  at Cowboys Night Club in Winnipeg, MB. More info: Jerry Sereda CD Release Party.

The RED Revue: Pura Fe November 25 - This month's RED Revue, presented by ANDPVA,  features Pura Fe at The Sister (formerly Mitzi's Sister) in Toronto, ON. More info: The RED Revue with Pura Fe.

Santa Fe Indian Market November 26-27 - The winter edition of the Santa Fe Indian Market will feature two performances by Joy Harjo as well as the marketplace, fashion show, artist demonstrations and other events. More info: http://swaia.org/Events/index.html#November.

Donny Parentaeu November 24 - Fresh off his 5 CAMA wins, Donny performs at the Bluebird Cafe, Saskatoon, SK. More info: donnyparenteau.com.

Digging Roots November 26 - Take in a music workshop with the Roots during the pre-show to the Annual Women's Blues Revue at Massey Hall, Toronto, ON. More info:  masseyhall.com.

Indigenous Sovereignty Week 2011: Upcoming Highlights and Events

Catch the remaining Indigenous Sovereignty Week events in Edmonton and Toronto, where community organizers are taking the opportunity to celebrate land struggle victories and strategize future movement through panels, circle talks, art, film, and food.

Indigenous Sovereignty Week: November 2011

The Third Annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week launched this past Monday, but don't worry my sovereign people, events span into next week. Called for by the Defenders of the Land, a network of First Nations in land struggle, here is a full list of the remaining events for the urban centres: Edmonton and Toronto. Take this as an opportunity to educate and stimulate discussion on community victories, recent and historic, while looking forward to discuss how best to organize against the threat to Indigenous Peoples posed by Harper’s anti-Indigenous rights agenda.

Lets not forget the communities currently fighting their land struggles during Indigenous Sovereignty Week. The Unist’ot’en and the Likhts’amisyu clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation have set up a roadblock evicting the Pacific Trails Pipeline drillers and their equipment from their territories. And the Tsilhqot'in are in court seeking an injunction to halt drilling and road building for the replacement Taseko mining project they defeated in environmental assessments last year. And many many more, quietly defending their way of life across Turtle Island.

Indigenous Sovereignty Week  in Edmonton – Occupied Amiskwaciwâskahikan, will kick off next Monday with an sharing circle celebrating Indigenous Womyn Warriors. Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Lubicon Cree and ISW Ed organizer asserts:

"I think it is important for us to take the time to acknowledge the inspiring work that Indigenous woman have done and continue doing for our communities. Many times woman do not get the recognition for their hard and selfless work that they do for their community"

Monday, November 21st  2011 Edmonton Room of the downtown branch of the Edmonton Public Library Opening Feast and Indigenous Womyn Warriors sharing Circle 5pm-8pm

Indigenous womyn and men sharing the stories of the Indigenous Womyn who came before us and who paved the path for Indigenous Rights today. Who are they? Where do they come from? Who are the descendants of these warriors?

Tuesday – November 22nd, 2011 Telus Room 219, U of A Film Screening and Panel: Club Native by Tracey Deer 6pm – 9pm

In Club Native, Deer looks deeply into the history and present-day reality of Aboriginal identity. With moving stories from a range of characters from her Kahnawake Reserve she reveals the divisive legacy of “blood quantum” ideals, snobby attitudes and outright racism.

Wednesday – November 23rd, 2011 Occupy Edmonton (102 St and Jasper Ave) ** Urgent NOTICE: If Occupy Edmonton is evicted this evening. We will unfortunately have to move the event to: 9425 109A Avenue, Edmonton Boys & Girls Club History of Corporate/ Economic Interests and Involvement in the colonization of Turtle Island 6pm – 8pm

Indigenous peoples in Canada, the United States and throughout the Americas hold valuable land and water resources that have long been exploited by the provincial, state and federal governments and by corporations trying to meet the energy needs of an industrialized world.

Thursday – November 24th, 2011 Education Building South 113, U of A Authors of Our Own Stories: The Fiction of Anti-Racism Experts 4:30pm – 6pm

This discussion is a conscientious and true analysis of anti-racism work within the non-racialized, non-profit sector, based on the lived experiences of racialized women. Panel: Junetta Jamerson, Jacqueline Fayant, and Tina Bernard.

Friday – November 25th, 2011 9702 111 Ave. NW - Gallery Space of HIV Edmonton Warriors Wisdom! Music, Poetry and Dance for Indigenous Rights and Sovereignty 7pm – 10pm

If you are an artist, performer or dancer and would like to celebrate Warrior Wisdom, this is a chance to showcase your talent and show your support.

you can check out complete event info on their website : edmontonisw.wordpress.com

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Indigenous Sovereignty Week in Toronto started last Monday but due to the homecoming of the Canadian Aboriginal Festival Pow Wow they will be hosting events up until their closing circle on Sunday November, 27.

Friday - November 18, 2011 Room 2215, OISE. 252 Bloor Street W, at Bedford exit of St. George subway Celebrating Community Victories - Standing up to the Harper Threat 7pm – 9pm

Panel organized by: Defenders of the Land supporters featuring Russell Diabo, Pamela Palmater, and Randy Kapashesit. Chaired by Sylvia Plain. Other speakers TBA.

Tuesday- November 22, 2011 York University, Room 242, York Lanes Deconstructing Identity Barriers: Aboriginal Women’s Sharing Circle 12:00-3:00 pm

Our sharing circle seeks to bring forth personal experiences of identity barriers, as Aboriginal women, by articulating our opinions in a group setting, addressing the fear of further marginalization and by critically challenging the public value of the “expert’s” perspective over our own. Facilitated by Erin Konsmo.

Ryerson Student Centre (55 Gould St.)  room: SCC 115 KI Speak About Their Struggle to Protect Scared Areas From Mining Exploration 7:00 p.m.

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) Chief Donny Morris and John Cutfeet, Spokesperson, will be speaking on their current struggle against further mining encroachment into their traditional territories.  Join us in this rare opportunity to hear directly from KI leaders about their struggle to control and care for their Homeland.

Wednesday- November 23, 2011 University of Toronto Multi-Faith Centre Criminalization of Indigenous Peoples 7pm – 9pm

Christa Big Canoe: Speaking on the impacts of Harper's Omnibus crime bill on Indigenous peoples in Canada. Jules Koostachin, Elisabeth Fry: speaking on the over-incarceration and criminalization of Indigenous women and girls

Thursday - November 24, 2011 Native Women’s Resource Centre, 191 Gerrard Street East Panel : The Silence is Broken: Now What? 6:30pm – 9pm

Where should the energy of groups like No More Silence be focused? How do we best continue to raise awareness around the disappearance of Indigenous women and create conditions that stop the violence? With Lee Maracle, Darlene Ritchie, Wanda Whitebird, and Faith Nolan. 

Friday - Novmber 25, 2011 Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham Street Curated artwork and Discussion: A Colonial Contagion 6:00pm - 9:00pm

This event will present- an overview of the context of the Indigenous arts of the Americas, to exemplify the similarities amongst colonial, capitalist, imperial, neo-liberal strategies, that have acted as a type of “disease” amongst our communities.

Some of the artists/activists works presented; Terrance Houle, Rebecca Belmore, Robert Houle, Edgar Heap of Birds, Alfred YoungMan, Joanne Cardinal Schubert, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, James Luna, Guillermo Gomez Pena, Diego Rivera,  Jacques Louis David, John Gast, Thomas Cole and Edward Curtis.

Presentations will be followed with a recorded discussion begging the questions: What is the dream? What is the action? Past successes, present needs and future strategies. Presenters / Facilitation-Tannis Nielsen and Zainab Amadahy

Saturday - November 26, 2011 Native Canadian Centre of Toronto Muskrat Magazine Launch: The Food Issue 6:00pm - 8:30pm

In the spirit of community building and honouring our relationship to land and sustenance we invite you to feast with us! BRING a "Traditional" dish to share. Special Guests Include: Elder: Jan Longboat; Community leader and teacher: Sylvia Maracle; Performance artist: Cheryl L’Hirondelle; Entertainer: Glen Gould; Poet: Giles Benaway and...a sneak peak of MUSKRAT's upcoming FOOD issue!

Sunday - November 27, 2011 Location and time will be announced at ISW events. Closing Circle

Advising elder: Lee Maracle

Organizing committee: Zainab Amadahy, Mike Barber, Andrea Bastien, Craig Fortier, Audrey Huntley, Tannis Nielsen, Shiri Pasternak, Hannah Peck, Corvin Russell, Crystal Sinclair, Aman Sium, Rebeka Tabobondung

You can check out full event info at defendersoftheland.org/toronto

DJ Deano Late Night at VIMAF

On the late night Friday roster, November 11 for the 2011 Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival DJ Deano (Heiltsuk) will be playing original tunes accompanied by Csetkwe's vocals and visuals by Bracken Hanuse Corlett.

After a full day of incredible Indigenous films, those in Vancity can stretch their legs while listening to the original womp womps of DJ Deano (Dean Hunt) from the Heiltsuk Nation. Usually preoccupied with a life dedicated to wood chips and the form lines of his ancestors, he is taking his earlier music projects out of storage for the momentous return of west coast film festivals.

He's had a do-it-yourself process of sampling everything from vinyl he rummaged out of thrift stores to cheesy pop tunes, mixing a little bit from here with a little bit from there to create the beats he could hear in his head. He explains he started to see the ceiling coming with what he could accomplish until he finds the time to further his music training. "I decided to take a break to focus on my carving and painting work until I had the time to seriously take up an instrument."  And his visual work has been flourishing because of it. "I started to realize that the way that made beats, cutting and pasting, was affecting my creative process with my other artwork. I would do the same thing when I made a box. Throw a lot at it and then get to a point and start editing back. "

The Friday night show will give DJ Deano a chance to get back into his music. He will be playing a mix of his older tunes still fresh to most show-goers. Csetkwe will be adding some vocals to certain tracks and her partner Bracken Hanuse Corlette will be adding his and Deano's visual art to the mix.

Check it out after the screening of The Other Side Of Hip-Hop: The Sixth Element - a film about the life of Ernie Paniccioli. With a performance by RPM's own Ostwelve to top it all off.  Not to be missed!

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

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

Check out the full Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival program here. 

DOWNLOAD: DJ Deano - "Alligator Tears" DJ Deano - "Alligator Tears" by RPMfm

Indigenous Live Music Picks: Nov. 3-6, 2011

This week, Winnipeg is the bustling centre of live Indigenous music with the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards, Aboriginal Music Week and Manito Ahbee festival happening simultaneously.

Derek Miller, Winnipeg's Most, Leela Gilday, Local Onlyz, Gabriel Ayala, Samian, Ali Fontaine - the list goes on of the fantastic artists you can catch during Aboriginal Music Week. The festivities are already underway, with plenty left to take it. For a complete list of this weekend AMW 2011 shows, see Manito Ahbee Festival 2011: Aboriginal Music Week Schedule and Lineup.

The votes have been tallied and finally the results will be announced! The Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards take place Thursday and Friday night:

Thursday November 3 - RBC Ohshkii Awards Night at Fort Garry Place, 222 Broadway Ave, Winnipeg, MB, 6pm.

Friday November 4 - Red Carpet starts at 6pm, the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards starts at 7pm at the MTS Centre, 300 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB.

Part presenters of the APCMAs, the Manito Ahbee festival also presents Education Days, Indigenous Marketplace and Trade Show, as well as an International Competition Powwow - grand entry at noon at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB. For more information visit manitoahbee.com.

Manito Ahbee Festival 2011: Aboriginal Music Week Schedule and Lineup

It's here again - Aboriginal Music Week! Indigenous artists, music fans and industry are flocking to Winnipeg, Manitoba, this week for one of the largest Indigenous music festivals on Turtle Island.

Winnipeg will be especially  bustling this week as Aboriginal Music Week (AMW2011) runs concurrently to the Manito Ahbee Festival  and the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards.

Here is the complete Aboriginal Music Week schedule and lineup:

Tuesday November 1 Take the Fort! Featuring The Métis Club Traditional Dancers, Slick & Lil' J, John Arcand and Darren Lavallee at the West End Cultural Centre.

Wednesday November 2 Hip Hop Night Featuring Winnipeg's Most and The Local Onlyz at the West End Cultural Centre.

Thursday November 3 The SaskMusic Showcase Featuring Riva, Mitch Daigneault and Donny Parenteau at The Pyramid Cabaret.

All My Releations Stage Featuring Gabriel Ayala, Christa Couture and Tracy Bone & JC Campbell at The Windsor Hotel.

Aboriginal Songwriters Concert Featuring Leela Gilday, Kyla Cederwell, Cassidy Mann and Ali Fontaine at the West End Cultural Centre.

Friday November 4 All My Relations Stage Featuring Wayne Lavallee and Tracy Bone & JC Campbell at The Windsor Hotel.

The Electric Pow Wow Featuring World Hood, Samian and A Tribe Called Red at The Pyramid Cabaret.

Saturday November 5 All My Relations Stage Featuring Will Belcourt & the Hollywood Indians, The Johnnys, JB the First Lady and Tracy Bone & JC Campbell at The Windsor Hotel.

The Saturday Night 49er Featuring Sherry St. Germain and Derek Miller at The Pyramid Cabaret.

For more information visit aboriginalmusicweek.ca. To RSVP to events on facebook, go to facebook.com/Aboriginal.Music.Week.

See you there!

Indigenous Live Music Picks: Oct.28-Nov.2, 2011

This week's top events dip into upcoming Aboriginal Music Week action. Yes, one of Turtle Island's busiest and best weeks for Indigenous music is upon us! Here are our picks for the weekend ahead.

RED Revue October 28 - This month's RED Revue, presented by ANDPVA, features folk-rock artist Nick Ferrio at The Smiling Buddha in Toronto, ON. More info: The RED Revue with Nick Ferrio.

Generations Rock for the Walk October 28 - Ryan McMahon, Will Belcourt, Red Three, Kasp, Anasaz and more will perform at the fundraising concert to support the “Walk for Nations” initiative. The event takes place at the Amiskwaciy Academy in Edmonton, AB. More info: Generations Rock for the Walk.

RC Sindacate and Will Belcourt October 29 - Celebrate Halloween with RC and Will at Fargos in Edmonton, AB. More info: RC SINDICATE and WILL BELCOURT Halloween Hellraiser Zombie Bash.

12th Annual Buffalo River Powwow October 29-30 - The Buffalo River Powwow takes place in Linden, TN. For more info, email:  rbenge1@tds.net.

Take the Fort! November 1 - John Arcand and Darren Lavallee will perform, as well as Slick & Lil' J and The Metis Club Traditional Dancers, at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, MB, as part of Aboriginal Music Week. More info: Take the Fort! presented by Grassroots News

DigitalDrum.ca Presents: Hip Hop Night November 2 -  Winnipeg's Most, The Local Onlyz and Jr. JUST TV will perform at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, MB, as part of Aboriginal Music Week. More info: Hip Hop Night presented by Digital Drum.ca.