Outside the gates of the worlds largest competition pow wow, some of Native America's top DJ's, rappers, and up-and-coming bands congregate each April for three-to-four nights of great entertainment in jam packed nightclubs and art spaces spread across downtown Albuquerque. This year is no different as LightningCloud, A Tribe Called Red, Derek Miller, Miracle Dolls, DJ Wreck, Brian Frejo, Chase Manhattan, Nataanii Means, and a host have gigs spread out among nine incredible events.
A Tribe Called Red's online music video application for "Suplex" was among the 28 fund recipients announced by Bell Media's MuchFACT (A Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) in Toronto today. The foundation received 293 submissions for it's March 12, 2015 deadline and awarded $614,400 in support after two days of adjudication this week.
It's not uncommon for Indigenous artists to be participating in the annual mega festival, but this year's group of performers will be hitting SXSW stages supported by some pretty big hitters, including Diplo's Mad Decent imprint, the World Music Expo (WOMEX), and RYOT.
Aboriginal Music Week is set to present the Oogimah Ikwewok singers at the Windcatcher hut on Winnipeg's Assiniboine River during the Louis Riel Day weekend. The performances are set for Sunday, February 15 from 1 - 4 p.m. and the traditional singers have two performance times.
Tanya Tagaq, Tomson Highway, Digging Roots, Leela Gilday, and Crystal Shawanda have earned nominations for the 2015 JUNO Awards. The announcement was made by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at a press conference in Toronto on January 27.
The Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival (WAFF) is bridging the gap between music and film with a full night of music video presentations and performances by local recording artists. The event is dubbed the Canadian Aboriginal Music Video Showcase and it's set for Friday, November 21 at the Ellice Theatre in Winnipeg's West End.
Eight local legends are set to take over Winnipeg's Regal Beagle this weekend for two nights of home grown Métis fiddle and dance festivities. The event, dubbed "2 Days the Metis Way," coincides with the Manitoba Métis Federation's Annual General Assembly, which is expected to draw 3,000 delegates to Winnipeg from across the Province for a series of discussions about the organization's past successes and upcoming priorities.
The release, entitled The Whole World’s Got The Blues, is a departure from the country roots that filled her first three records, including Just Like You, which earned Shawanda her JUNO Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year. That being said, each song on the new disc demonstrates that Shawanda's luscious vocals fit perfectly within the signatures and traditions of blues patterns, shuffles, and story lines and this record is probably her strongest to date.
