Rosebud Sioux hip-hop artist Frank Waln of Nake Nula Waun has just released a new track called Swagged Out Brave Heart of a Lion that focuses on the warrior spirit. This electrified hip-hop track is sure to pump up your lion hearted energy and adds to the ever-growing catalogue of this Native American Music Award winner. DOWNLOAD: Frank Waln - "Swagged Out Brave Heart Of A Lion"
The way technology has developed the past few years, making a video isn't as hard as it used to be. You can still roll out the 35mm camera and a crew of 20 people, or you can DIY an entire piece with just an iPhone. This means that artists are getting to interpret and share their music visually more often and more creatively than ever before and 2011 saw a myriad of fantastic videos come out of Indian Country.
Here are RPM's Top 16 Indigenous Music Videos of the year:
16. D Thought - Land of Broken Dreams
One of the most heartfelt tracks in our Top 16, Land of Broken Dreams, and this video directed by Reign Wapioke, share an honest perspective of Rez-life through the words of Shoal Lake rap artist D Thought.
15. Ali Fontaine - Say it to Me Showing the bright lights of the Big Apple in vivid colours and tones, this is the first of two videos in our Top 16 directed by Jesse Green. Ali is herself a bright new light in the music scene and this performance video captures her sweetness and strength perfectly.
14. Kool Krys - Showstopper While the track is from Kool Krys' third album Listen to Your Art, this video is her first ever. Funded by MuchFACT and directed by Marc André Debruyne, it surely wins most colourful video of the year and is a good bet to put on full screen and full blast if you're getting ready for a night on the town.
13. Ostwelve - Graveyard You may know Ostwelve, aka Ron Dean Harris, as a member of the RPM editorial team and host of the RPM podcast, or you may know him as the prolific hip-hop and rap artist, composer, producer and filmmaker that he is. While Os didn't put his own video on the ballot for our Top 16, the rest of the RPM team agree this video, shot at the 2010 zombie walk in Vancouver, is one of our favourites.
12. Wanbdi - On the Upside Wanbdi's venture into solo work (she's also the drummer for Indigenous) revealed not only her vocal talent, but her ability to make the most out of limited resources. Made entirely on her iPhone, this video is an awesome example of what you can achieve with just a song and a good idea.
11. Gurrumul & Blue King Brown - Gathu Mawula Revisted In rich blues and browns and featuring The Chooky Dancers from Galiwin'ku, Elcho Island, this video is for the collaborative piece Gathy Mawula Revisted from two amazing Australian Artists, Gurrumul and Blue King Brown. Sung in Yolngu and English, it captures each artist beautifully.
10. Filthy Animals - Killing Me The second zombie-themed video in our list, and taking a page from the George Romero zombie film era, the Filthy Animals released Killing Me as more than a music video, but a kind of short film. At ten minutes long, directory Ryan Cheale and the Filthy Animals trio - Broms, P-Nutty and Big Bear - put together an entertaining piece of macabre, shot largely during Winnipeg's 2010 zombie walk.
9. A Tribe Called Red - Woodcarver A Tribe Called Red have caught on fire this year. Their multi-media approach to music has made them one of the hottest bands on Turtle Island and while they've put out a few videos in 2011, Woodcarver stands out as a tribute to John T. Williams, incorporating audio from news pieces around the tragic shooting of the Nitinaht carver.
8. Don Amero - Right Where I Want to Be It's been a big year for Métis roots/folk artist Don Amero. His recent album The Long Way Home has been gaining accolades, fans and awards across Turtle Island. 2011 also saw the release of Amero's first ever official music video, Right Where I Want to Be, capturing the upbeat sweetness of the love song on film.
7. Winnipeg's Most - All That I Know Winner of Best Video at the 2011 Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards (one of the groups's six wins at this year's awards), this video for Winnipeg's Most's All I Know is directed by Stuey Kubrik. Kubrik's cinematic take on a cold, snow-covered Winnipeg has seen the views on YouTube push past half a million, and counting.
6. Last Kinection - Are We There Yet Sumptuously coloured and beautifully shot, you can almost feel the heat in the air in this video directed by Joel Wenitong for Australia's Last Kinection. The track Are We There Yet is the first single off of their October 2011 release Next of Kin and highlights the band's hopeful and proud message while still being real about the issues facing us living in colonial capitalism.
5. Yelawolf - No Hands This video from Alabama born, Cherokee rapper Yelawolf has racked up over a million views in less than 4 months. Directed by Erick Peyton and produced in collaboration with videogame giant Ubisoft, it is based on the game Driver San Francisco. It's a fast, slick and polished ride through surreality and reality.
4. Billy Joe Green - Honey Girl Anishinabe blues-guitar slinger Billy Joe Green earned his rock legend status as a swaggering sideman for other bands for years. In 1997 he released his first solo project, and three others since. This video, directed by Jesse Green, takes you right to the dance floor of a hazy blues bar with the best seat in the house.
3. Laura Ortman - Lost My Shadow This video won Best Music Video at the 2011 imagineNATIVE festival, a well-deserved win for director Nanobah Becker. The track features Laura on electric guitar, violin, vocals and subway recordings, the last perhaps being the inspiration for this mysterious interaction on the New York subway.
2. Elisapie Isaac - Turning My Back The enigmatic and haunting voice of beautiful Inuk singer Elisapie Isaac drifts effortlessly between her native Inuktitut and English in this gorgeous single from her recent album There Will Be Stars. This sultry, desaturated video is well matched to that dreamy vibe, beuatifully directed by Robert Leboeuf.
1. Samian feat. Sauit - So Much It's an impossible task to pick our most favourite music video of the year, but this hot and sunny piece is such a great example of contemporary Indigenous music culture, as well as just a straight up fantastic video from Samian, that we're putting it at #1. An Algonquin French rap mixed with Innu Montagnais reggae singing, all shot on the streets of Cuba, makes for the kind of cultural mix that artists are creating across Turtle Island and beyond these days. Check it out and try to soak up some of that Cuban sun.
That's it! Thanks to all the artists who continue to create and share their work.
To see more video content on RPM, check out rpm.fm/category/video.
The Path Without End from Elizabeth Lameman on Vimeo.
Anishinaabe stories of the Moon People are retold through an experimental steampunk animation by Irish/Anishinaabe/Métis Elizabeth Lameman with music by Cree cellist Cris Derksen.
Rolling Stone's list "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" includes Robbie Robertson, the legendary creator of the electric distorted power chord Link Wray, and Kiowa legend Jesse Ed Davis.
From Indian Country Today's Rolling Stone Picks Hendrix, Robertson, Wray—and Jesse Ed Davis:
Davis was one of the great guitarists for hire in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing on records and on stage with true rock royalty. After touring with Conway Twitty and playing on Taj Mahal’s first three albums, he went on to work with George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Leonard Cohen, and Keith Moon, among many others. When it came time to record his own albums, the friends who showed up to play along told the story of just how essential Davis had become: Contributors to Jesse Davis (1971) included Eric Clapton, Gram Parsons and Leon Russell.
Indeed, each of these three of our guitar-slaying brothers are iconic in their own right and are well-deserving of the recognition!
Here's Robertson's classic Somewhere Down the Crazy River:
Pura Fe is interviewed by Raven Redbone on the Olympia, Washington based radio show Make No Bones About It on KAOS 89.3 FM. Pura speaks about her beginnings in music with a musical family, her musical influences and inspirations and her musical process.
Listen to An Evening With Pura Fe On Make No Bones About It here:
Chase Manhattan is a hip-hop/rap artist based in Twin Cities, Minnesota, who music reflects his urban and Indigenous (Pine Ridge Oglala, Leech Lake Anishinaabe, and Muscogee Creek) roots. We first heard about him at RPM from our friend Ryan McMahon and Chase has since become one of our favourite artists. A NAMA and NAIIA nominee, Chase has been putting out consistently powerful and well-produced music since his 2008 debut album Red Skin in a Black and White World. This track is from his recent/4th album Alientated. STREAM: Chase Manhattan - "Put 'em Up"
The group gained controversial publicity with their edgy music and videos. The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly especially sparked a lot of internet attention - the video featured commentary on Bill O'Reilly from Fox News and his views of violence and youth in the media by an 8 year old actress.
That video garnered the YouTubes honours of bringing the band to the #18 spot of most subscribed musicians and #31 in the list of most viewed musicians on the YouTube network.
In 2006, The Bastard Fairies also produced the award-winning documentary The Canary Effect which focuses on the colonial history of America.
Now on a hiatus to pursue other goals and artistry, the work of The Bastard Fairies remain a force within music and activism, challenging the boundaries of expression and showing us that originality is alive and well in the world of music and art.
Here we bring you a playlist of their music videos including the internet phenomenon The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly.
Check out this link to view playlist on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CC3D176244C09CA
Track Listing:
Here is Album of the Year nominee, territory artist, Gurrumul Yunupingu's beautiful performance with Missy Higgins.
The station provides tribal information, local news, interviews with their community members and music. It aims to also be a voice in times of disaster relating to storms and hurricanes as many of the tribe's members live in low-lying, flood-prone communities across south Louisiana.
Two years in the making, the station received grant funding that will carry them through the next three years, by which time they will establish self-sufficiency through advertising and sponsorship.
From Houma Indian station hits airwaves on dailycomet.com:
The tribe hopes to expand the station’s reach, building towers in Terrebonne and St. Bernard parishes so it can broadcast to all United Houma Nation members from St. Mary Parish east to the state line.
“But for now,” [Chief Thomas] Dardar said, “we’re thankful to the people who worked so hard to get this station up and running. Without their foresight, this wouldn’t have happened.”
If you're in the area, tune in to KUHN 88.9 FM, Voice of the United Houma Nation, or listen online unitedhoumanation.org.
Welcome to the airwaves KUHN!
Sit back, relax and enjoy Derek Miller's curated picks!
Track Listing:
Daft punk - Da Funk Steve Earle - Darlin' Commit Me Bill Hicks - Positive Drug Story Goldfrapp - Rocket A Tribe Called Red - Electric Powwow Mitch Hedberg - Stand Up Rihanna - We Found Love Kanye West - Runaway Link Wray - Tuscon, Arizona John Bonham - I'm in a Rock N' Roll Band
The app - the first-ever downloadable program in the Inuktitut language - helps users write proposals to the many Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) grant programs.
Apparently, the CCA noticed they were receiving a low number of applications from Inuit artists and recognized the lack of language accessibility as a barrier.
From CBC News' Inuktitut iPhone app to help Inuit artists:
Myna Ishulutaq teaches Inuktitut at the Pirurvik Centre in Iqaluit. She says it could really help artists who are writing in a second language, or who only speak Inuktitut. “This will really help Inuit, to artists who apply, not just needing a translator all the time but now they'll be able to read and understand on their own,” said Ishulutaq.
Mathew Nuqingaq is an artist and he has done some consulting for the council over the past twenty years. He was one of the first to see the app.
“There are so many artists that are here in Nunavut, I think we have the most artists, and we are the least that get the funding,” said Nuqingaq... “It’s great because when the artist gets the funding, it's a living allowance,” he said. “They get to live without having to think about having to sell their pieces for a while and then they get a collection. That way, when they get a collection, they'll get a showing in a gallery,”
The only concern Nuqingaq takes is the Council's lack of an Inuktitut-speaking employee to further help Inuit artists to apply for funding.
Hopefully, the app is the first step in the right direction at the CCA for equal access by Inuktitut speakers.
The app is free and available on iTunes and the Android market. It’s also available in English and French.
"Frybread can be a main course, side dish, or dessert" says Sunspot Turrha and this recipe can be used all three ways.
I especially like the part about the Volcano! To follow the rest of the recipe, visit: How to make frybread (starter tutorial).
Revolutions Per Minute is a global new music platform, record label, and boutique agency for Indigenous music culture. RPM’s mission is to build a visionary community of Indigenous artists and to introduce Indigenous music to new audiences across Turtle Island and around the world. Our main site, RPM.fm, has featured the work of more than 500 Indigenous artists and shared their music across our social networks of more than 275,000 followers.
RPM Records is the first of its kind: a label for contemporary, cross-genre Indigenous music, run by Indigenous people. Selected by The FADER as one of “5 New Canadian Record Labels The Entire World Should Know”, RPM Records artists include Ziibiwan, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Exquisite Ghost, and Mob Bounce.
