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

O Kanata Day: Watch Mohawk Artist Jackson 2bears Remix Colonial "Heritage Mythologies"

Happy Anti-Canada Day—it's time to celebrate the country's Original Peoples.

That's right, we said it.

In a year of reconciliation, on a nationalized holiday of mostly mindless settler celebration, what better time than now to acknowledge not only the long and continuing history of colonialism that has built Canadians' Homes on Native Land, but also the strength and resilience of the Indigenous Nations and societies that predated the arrival of Europeans on our shores?

That's what Kanien'kehá:ka DJ/VJ and multimedia artist Jackson 2bears is doing.

2bears is marking this auspicious occasion with the release of a full-length version of his incredible video work, Heritage Mythologies, an artful deployment of re-appropriation and remix for decidedly Indigenous purposes.

The piece is part of a 2010 installation and live video remix performance at the SAW Gallery in Ottawa, that has since been included in the Beat Nation touring exhibition. Beat Nation demonstrated the unique ways Indigenous artists are using hip-hop and other forms of popular culture to create new cultural hybrids—in painting, sculpture, installation, performance and video.

In Heritage Mythologies, 2bears lets loose his VJ skills on an astonishing array of found footage and cinematic samples sourced from Canadian media, newscasts, CanCon beer ads, Olympic resistance, Canadian rapper Classified's settler anthem "Oh...Canada", those iconic Heritage Minute videos, Cape Breton's singer Rita MacNeil rocking the national anthem, footage from the so-called 'Oka crisis', text from residential school reports, right on up to Prime Minister Harper's notorious 2008 apology for the Indian Residential Schools system. And all set to a rolling hip-hop soundtrack.

Heritage Mythologies is ironic, funny, and a scathing critique of Canadian politics and nationalism.

Not only does 2bears expose the long and destructive misrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples on film and in the media, he does it with an artful, musical eye on the colonial politics at work in how we see and, therefore, how we come to know about the past and present of this country.

Heritage Mythologies closes with a wry twist on that beloved old settler classic, "This Land is Your Land", which strums along against an onslaught of imagery depicting the historical and continuing faces of Indigenous resistance flashing and crackling in the background.

The juxtaposition is potent, powerful, and a clear reminder of how far we still have to go.

So on this 'Kanata Day', why glorify colonial conquest when you can lay bare the deep mythological heritage that still holds sway in the Canadian psyche? Why celebrate a falsely imagined nationalism that overwrites Indigenous nationhood in all its forms when you can champion the work of Indigenous artists committed to the daily struggle of correcting media misrepresentations and representing ourselves on our own terms?

Jackson 2bears challenges our complacency and calls us to account for the inanity of pledging ignorant allegiance to the settler colonial state.

Instead of painting your face with the flag of oppression while shotgunning tallboys of Molson Canadian, or embroidering that maple leaf patch on your backpack ahead of your next drunken hostel excursion through Europe, let's pay more attention to what Indigenous artists are actually doing with the imposed legacy of invasion.

Artists like Jackson 2bears are reappropriating the weapon of representation to reflect back to us the destructive, colonial reality that's been carefully hidden behind the false flag of Operation Reconciliation. Time to take it back to the foundations and try again.

Now, who's ready for some fireworks?

Watch Jackson 2bears, Heritage Mythologies

Heritage Mythologies - O Kanata Day - 2015 from Jackson 2bears

Check out more of his work on Vimeo and at jackson2bears.net

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

City Natives Form Like Voltron, Listen to Their Rugged New Single, "Ruler"

Stream "Ruler", the lead single from City Natives' new album, Voltron.

Voltron is not just the title of City Natives' latest album, it's also an apt metaphor for the crew's collective power.

Energized by Indigenous camaraderie and lyrical skill, the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia-based quartet of MCs and producers—Beaatz, IllFundz, Gearl, and BnE—has consistently delivered some of the dopest hip-hop coming out of Indian Country.

Last year's Red City was one of 2014's finest releases, and this year the group returns with their latest effort, Voltron, the crew's third LP. Continuing to build on the strength of their established sonic palette—rugged rhymes paired with head-knocking production—the crew's consistency trumps all else; and they're becoming increasingly adept at interweaving the dextrous flows and intricate wordplay between each MC. Every track on Voltron bumps like a long lost classic posse cut unearthed from the dusty crates of hip-hop's bedrock foundations.

On "Ruler", the crew declares their supremacy as "natural born lyricists" committed to maintaining hip-hop's ethos of self-determination and self-made success. There's no denying their claim to a rightful place in hip-hop's pantheon of greatness—but as an Indigenous crew, they're harnessing a uniquely native set of superpowers that makes their collective form all the more compelling and dynamic in what it represents for the people.

And, not that we can take the credit, but all the way back in 2013, we hailed their imminent ascendance as "a young Native rap Voltron" poised for break out success. Looks like it's taken City Natives a couple years to grow into the title. But they've earned it.

Tour dates and album purchase info below.

STREAM: City Natives - "Ruler"

CITY NATIVES - TOUR DATES :: SUMMER 2015

June 24th - Kingsclear, NB @ Jedi June 26th - Halifax, NS @ Multicultural Festival June 30th - Elsipogtog, NB @ CC's Bar July 3rd - Eskasoni, NS @ Pow Wow July 12th - Antigonish, NS @ Evolve Festival July 19th - Fredericton, NB @ The Capital Complex July 31st - Fredericton, NB @ The Capital Complex August 1st - Listuguj, QC - @ Real Bar August 8th - Toronto, ON @ Planet Indigenous August 19th - Millbrook, NS @ Summer Games August 30th - Charlottetown, PEI @ Babas Lounge

City Natives' Voltron is available now on iTunes. Stream the full album on Spotify below:

Silver Jackson Premieres New Music Video for "Starry Skies Opened Eyes (Pt.II)"

Silver Jackson drops a video for the title track from his latest album, Starry Skies Opened Eyes.

One of our favourite releases of 2014, Silver Jackson's Starry Skies Opened Eyes is a bold imagining of an Indigenous future found in the reclamation of life and the rediscovery of present possibilities in the here and now.

Collaborating with Diné filmmaker Dylan McLaughlin, the Tlingit Unangax̂ artist has released an evocative black and white music video for the album's title track, "Starry Skies Opened Eyes".

Here's what he had to say about the clip and the album:

"Starry Skies Opened Eyes features" vocals from multidisciplinary Métis artist Moe Clark. The album was recorded over a three year period that saw Jackson narrowly escape death in a hunting accident, and traces his path to newfound perspectives on life through love and gratitude…friends and family.

Watch the video below and stream the full album, Starry Skies Opened Eyes, right here on RPM.

Silver Jackson - Starry Skies Opened Eyes (Pt. II) from Dylan McLaughlin

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

Listen to the Sultry Sounds of Once A Tree's New Single, "Take Me"

Toronto duo Once A Tree drops their latest single, "Take Me".

Once A Tree is a band of the moment.

Although their trap-inflected take on downtempo, dreamy, electronic pop at times harkens back to the chilled out sounds of the early 90s, Once A Tree wraps their low key beats in a hazy 21st century collage of aesthetic influences.

Saulteaux singer Jayli Wolf's lilting vocals pair beautifully with husband Hayden John Wolf's 808-stamped beat production, and their sound is completed with soaring synths, spacious pads, and drifting melodies.

"Take Me" fits the bit bill perfectly and further locks Once A Tree's rep as a duo to watch closely as they continue their rapid rise into pop cultural notoriety. It's only a matter of time.

Their debut EP, Thousand Lives, drops July 10, 2015 on Foreseen Entertainment.

STREAM: Once A Tree, "Take Me"

Aboriginal Music Week Announces Lineup for 2015 Spence Neighbourhood Block Party

The 2015 Aboriginal Music Week is shaping up to be quite the celebration. 

This year, AMW and the Spence Neighbourhood Association are joining forces once again for the 3rd annual Spence Neighbourhood Block Party.

The free outdoor concert will be held from 4pm-8pm on Wednesday, August 19th at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The lineup will feature some true #IndigenousExcellence from across Indian Country including singer Winston Wuttunee, Inuk throat singer Nikki Komaksiutiksak, and country/rock group Joe Maxim Band. In addition, three youth performers will also be announced in the coming weeks.

Here's more on the Spence Block Party performers:

• Winston Wuttunee is a household name in the Canadian music industry who has wowed audiences across North America as well as Europe and Australia as a singer, keynote speaker, and comedian since 1973.
• Nikki Komaksiutiksak is traditional Inuit throat singer from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut who now calls Winnipeg home.
• Joe Maxim Band is an Aboriginal country/rock band with well over 10,000 of performance experience under their belt.

Aboriginal Music Week produces concerts in neighbourhoods throughout the city in an effort to make it easier for families to walk to the venues, but music lovers from outside the neighbourhood are more than welcome to attend.

Spence Neighbourhood Block Party Winston Wuttunee, Nikki Komaksiutiksak, Joe Maxim Band, and special guests Wednesday, August 19, 2015 4PM - 8PM Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, 430 Langside Street Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Free Concert | Free BBQ | Free Music Workshops

Aboriginal Music Week 2015 is set for August 18 - 22 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It will include four community celebrations at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, the Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre, the Austin Street Festival, and St. John's Park. Four lunch hour concerts, three days of music workshops, two ticketed concerts, two networking dinners, and mentor meetings with three international artists round out the festival programming this year.

For more information visit: aboriginalmusicweek.ca

DOWNLOAD: D Ojibwe 1's "Summer Mix 2015"

D Ojibwe 1 drops a fresh summer mix just in time for pow wow and backyard BBQ season. 

Y'all ready for summer yet?

Rama First Nation DJ and occasional producer D Ojibwe 1 (aka Drew Douglas) is helping you get set for a long hot season of gettin' out, kickin' back, and vibing with your peoples—where you are.

Featuring a fresh mix of old school classics, remixes, mash ups, and re-edits, D Ojibwe 1 drops an airtight collection of hip-hop, soul, funk, dance, trap, and EDM that will set the mood for whatever your summer party plans might be.

Interspersed with Indigenous vocals, samples, and native producers, this is a mix fit for a true NDN Summer.

Did we really just hear Joy Division transition into Ol Dirty Bastard? You know we did. Full track list after the jump.

DOWNLOAD: D Ojibwe 1's - Summer Mix 2015

TRACK LIST

Mobb Deep - Shook ones part II (Goodfellas Hybrid Party Break) Mobb Deep - Shook Ones part II (Tron rmx) ? - Miigwech Will Smith vs Lovin Spponful - Summer time (Wick-it Mashup) Summertime (Rankenstein rmx) Mustang Sally (JR.Dynamite re-edit) Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul (Boby Cooper re-edit) Daft Punk - Get Lucky Daft Punk - One More Time DJ Woody - Dirty Scruff Nightcrawlers - Push the Feeling On (DJ Sign Private rmx) Real 2 Reel - I Like to Move It (M&S 2015 rmx) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside (Deepdink bootleg) Phunk Junkies - Big Spender rmx Krafty Kuts - Hustle Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Phunk Junkies rmx) Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (DJ Tripp rmx) Mark Ronson f Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk Party Break (DJ Sam) The Beatles - Ob La Di (Goodfellas drum edit) Skee Lo - I Wish (Tron rmx) Harry Belafonte - Jump in the Line (Codes Moobah rmx) Top of the World (Deejay Theory rmx) Sublime - Doin Time (Zeds Dead rmx) Boogey the Beat - Bear Song ? - The Jump Off 2014 Otis Redding - Dock of the Bay (Scratch Bastid edit) Crooklyn Clan - Be Faithful (reggae chop) BlackSheep - The Choice 2012 re-edit I Feel Love vs Rollin in the Deep CArly Rae Jepsen - I really Like You (Broiler rmx) Scream and Shout (Kassanova Fat Man Scoop rmx) Hideaway (Deejay Theory edit) Hideaway (EMG rmx) New Order - Blue Monday (Antonis Kanakis edit) Bob Marley - Jammin (CMC and Silenta rmx) Martin Garrix - Forbidden Voices (Blvk Sheep rmx) Calvin Harris - Summer (Thrizzo Trap rmx) Jay Z - Big Pimpin (CEDEK x Niko Javan rmx) DJ Kool - Let Me Clear my Throat (Deep Trvpped rmx) Headphone Activist - Ocean Floors Joy Division - Love will Tear us Apart ODB - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Tron rmx) Bone Man - Summer Breeze Ahas - Take on Me (Take Her Back rmx) Jack Ace-Get Free - Cinema VIP

DOWNLOAD: Logan Staats' "Running Like the River"

Download "Running Like the River", the lead single from Logan Staats' debut solo album, Goodbye Goldia.

Mohawk singer Logan Staats is about to take over Indian Country.

The Six Nations musician, born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, has emerged on the Indigenous music scene bearing his guitar like a weapon, and his raw talent and emotion like a suit of armour in a war of heartbreak and redemption.

Staats, who first became known to us as the frontman for Ghost Town Orchestra, has been making waves with his solo work, after debuting a few solo tracks, performances, and videos through his label, 6 Arrows Media.

His debut album, Goodbye Goldia, is set for release on June 21st, and here's a first taste of what to expect: the clarion call of emotional immediacy, a singularly identifiable gift for melody, and an impassioned vocal delivery that overflows with joy, sadness, pain, and power.

This is acoustic music that explores the depths of human experience at its most honest and vulnerable. And Logan Staats is a conduit for that special magic that music holds—a transformative force for remaking pain into pure artistry.

Incredible.

DOWNLOAD: Logan Staats - "Running Like the River"