Gaënö'

Indigenous Peoples Day Special  For this special edition of Gaënö’, I wanted to shake things up a little. In some ways, I approached this episode as the complimentary pair to my International Women’s Day special back in the spring with the amazingly talented Joanne Shenandoah. This time around, while discussing Indigenous Peoples Day, I wanted to talk with a few of the older brothers in my communi...

Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, Metis singer-songwriter Kaeley Jade has been wowing audiences since the age of 9. She’s performed at a multitude of venues, including an appearance as a vocalist for the Edmonton Pops Orchestra. She’s composed music for several theatre and film productions and in 2020 released her debut EP, Years Ago.. Her single, Highway 16 made it to the top 10 on the Indigenous M...

Russell Wallace of the Lil’wat Nation has been artistically active for nearly 40 years. He got his start in radio in 1983 and since then has composed soundtracks for film, television, theatre/dance productions across the US and Canada. He’s written poetry, short fiction and of course is a producer of fine albums. His latest release, Unceded Tongues, is his first album written almost exclusively in...

After going viral as Punkin Lusty on the Hulu/FX smash hit Reservation Dogs, you might think StenJoddi is an overnight success, but he’s been at it for well over a decade. He’s won a few Native American Music Awards, is an accomplished tattoo artist and most importantly (unlike his TV counterpart) has done it all while being a dedicated and loving husband and father. Our conversation for this week...

Shelley Morningsong (Northern Cheyenne) is a multi Native American Music Award winner. She met her husband and musical partner, Fabian Fontenelle, in 2001 while they were touring with Robert Mirabal's Music From a Painted Cave, a long running PBS special. They've been engaging audiences with their unique style ever since. "...they bring education, peace love and unity among all through their music...

Having the Diné band Sihasin on Gaënö' has been a yearly summer tradition since 2017. Very few people I've encountered are able to live in two worlds and naturally and profoundly as Jeneda and Clayson Benally. This time around we discuss their latest single, "We the People", a song that was commissioned for the American Music Abroad Program. We also chat about their work with Jackson Browne and so...

Stephen Qacung Blanchett is a Yupik artist from Alaska who’s been Indigifying the music scene with his brother Phillip, and longtime friend Ossie for nearly 3 decades as Pamyua. They’re a globally renowned, award winning band who’s sound is best described as “inuit Soul Music” or tribal funk.  In early July 2021, Qacung released his first solo album called Miu. It’s an album featuring a lot of out...

was a Mi’k maq musician/activist who, at one time in Canada, was considered the most dangerous man with a guitar. His was a life of epic proportions. Legend has it that in the early 1970’s he turned down a recording contract with Columbia Records because they wanted him to set aside his Indian activism. Whats certain is that his refusal to do so resulted in the same kind of blacklisting that many...

The recent discovery of 215 remains at the Kamloops Residential School in Canada sparked an international conversation about the enduring horrors of the residential boarding schools. A few weeks later, when an additional 751 children were discovered on a school’s grounds in Saskatoon, it quickly became apparent to non indigenous people what was common knowledge in Indigenous communities all along;...

Although he’s played music for the majority of his life, being a career musician came about by accident. Already an accomplished sculptor and painter, Steve's neighbor, a music producer, heard him playing the Native flute and asked if he’d be interested in recording. Although initially reluctant, he’s since recorded 10 albums, won 3 Native American Music Awards and touring is now just another norm...

Mimi O’Bonsawin (Abenaki) is an old soul who creates textures and rhythms for you to get lost in. Her latest album, Elle Danse, is her first fully self produced album. It made ELMNT FM’s 10 best albums of 2020 and it doesn’t take long to understand why.  http://www.mimi.ca Mimi O’Bonsawin- Courage (Elle Danse) Mimi O’Bonsawin- Porte Bonheur (Elle Danse) Dejo- Georgie Burned the Crops  Cindy Paul-...

Nadjiwan- Marc Merilainen (Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation) has been recording as Nadjiwan for the last 30 years. Never content with following any one formula, he’s always seeking to push his art into new and exciting realms. That philosophy has never been more apparent as it is on Nadjiwans latest album, Star Nation. Inspired by the traditional stories of star people he grew up hearing,...

Early this last Sunday afternoon, I got into a really deep conversation with my wife, Jade, about various topics, but most of all, dreams, and the traditions born of them. After feeling energized from our talk, it hit me that I need to shake things up a little bit this week. I was starting to feel a little too predictable with the show, so I decided to take a detour... In part, as an exercise in f...

Leela Gilday, Dene, from the Northwest Territories of Canada creates music that’s as breathtaking as the landscape she’s clearly deeply connected to on her Juno winning album, North Star Calling. Released just in time for a world in desperate need of deep healing, the 10 songs on this album are a great companion to bring with you as you continue on your journey. In light of the 215 children found...

Nicholas Galanin, Tlingit and Unungax, is quite possibly one of the most important artists presently on the scene.  Living in Sitka, Alaska, he’s a constant force of creativity. If he’s not helping Indigenous Nations reclaim stolen lands, he’s building a canoe or cohosting a cooking show with his parter, Merritt Johnson.  His mixed media work’s represented by Peter Blum Gallery in lower Manhattan....

Jayli Wolf’s a Cree and Anishinaabe artist currently residing in Toronto. She and her partner Hayden left the doomsday cult they belonged to and started a band called Once a Tree, releasing their first album, Phoenix, in 2017. The bands still going strong, with plans to release a new EP soon but the focus of our conversation is centered around Jayli’s brand new solo career. In March, she released...

G.R. Gritt is a Juno Award winning, Two-Spirit, Transgender, Francophone, Anishinaabe/Metis artist. G.R. Gritt pulls effortlessly from the past to create soulful futurisms with their new sound that elegantly weaves the melodies using vocals, guitar and new electronic elements. They create both intimate and anthemic music that would fit in a folk club, a dance club and anywhere in between. By explo...

Nya:wëh Sgënö’ Gagwe:göh- I’m thankful you’re well! This weeks featured artist is Sebastian Gaskin (Tataskweyak Cree). He’s a talented multi-instrumentalist who’s vocal stylings have been described as “Post Malone mixed with Frank Ocean…” He’s opened for Common and T-Pain and has toured with Buffy Sainte Marie. We’ll be chatting about his career thus far and listening to his latest single, Snakeho...

Innastate- Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo) is one of the founders of the award winning band, Innastate, from Albuquerque New Mexico. Their album, Verde (2018), helped them win the Best Debut Group at the 19th annual Native American Music Awards. With the pandemic happening shortly thereafter, the band switched gears from life on the road to working on new material (Albeit from the comfort of their own...

LEANNE BETASAMOSAKE SIMPSON of the Michii Saagiig Nishnaabeg, is an acclaimed scholar, author and musician. Her books challenge long standing literary conventions, as she brilliantly draws from ancient Anishnaabe oral storytelling traditions in ways that reimagines what a novel is and can be.. Among her latest books is Noopiming, a story that centers around a mythical being trapped in ice, who rel...

PJ Vegas (Yaqui) is the son of Redbone co-founder Pat Vegas. In addition to being a member of his fathers groundbreaking band, he's also collaborated with the likes of the Battiest Brothers and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. Their collaboration on the politically charged, Stand Up/Stand N Rock won them an MTV Video Music Award in the Best Video With a Message category.  His star continues to rise...

The Silver Wolf Band features members of the Inu, Inuk and Mi'kmaq Nations. The band calls Labrador Canada home, and their music is born of the landscape that surrounds them.  One of the greatest things about music created from Indigenous musicians is its ability to transport you to a specific place or time, and the Silver Wolf Band is certainly no exception. I was fortunate to catch up with the p...

Joannes a Grammy winner who’s recorded 24 albums that range in style from classical and spoken word, to country and beyond. Being a matriarch in the Oneida Nations Wolf clan, Shenandoah offers unique insights into the traditions of the Haudensaunee (Iroquois) peoples which has since time immemorial held women in the highest regard. These traditional beliefs directly influenced the formation of the...