Various Artists / Native North America (Vol. 1) : Aboriginal Folk, Rock, And Country 1966-1985 – 2CD

Description

• 2021 Reissue
• Deluxe 2xCD set features a hard-cover 84-page bound book with comprehensive liner notes, artist interviews, unseen archival photos, and lyrics (with translations)
• Liner notes by Kevin Howes (Voluntary In Nature)
• 2016 Grammy Nominee – Best Historical Album

Track Listing:

Disc 1

1. Willie Dunn I Pity The Country
2. John Angaiak I’ll Rock You To The Rhythm Of The Ocean
3. Sugluk Fall Away
4. Sikumiut Sikumiut
5. Willie Thrasher Spirit Child
6. Willy Mitchell Call Of The Moose
7. Lloyd Cheechoo James Bay
8. Alexis Utatnaq Maqaivvigivalauqtavut
9. Brian Davey Dreams Of Ways
10. Morley Loon N’Doheeno
11. Peter Frank Little Feather
12. Ernest Monias Tormented Soul
13. Eric Landry Out Of The Blue
14. David Campbell Sky-Man And The Moon
15. Willie Dunn Son Of The Sun
16. Shingoose Silver River
17. Willy MitchellAndDesert River Band Kill’n Your Mind

Disc 2

1. Phillippe McKenzie Mistashipu
2. Willie Thrasher Old Man Carver
3. Lloyd Cheechoo Winds Of Change
4. The Chieftones I Shouldn’t Have Did What I Done
5. Sugluk I Didn’t Know
6. Lawrence Martin I Got My Music
7. Gordon Dick Siwash Rock
8. Willy MitchellAndDesert River Band Birchbark Letter
9. William Tagoona Anaanaga
10. Leland Bell Messenger
11. Saddle Lake Drifting Cowboys Modern Rock
12. Willie Thrasher We Got To Take You Higher
13. Sikumiut Utirumavunga
14. Sugluk Ajuinnarasuarsunga
15. John Angaiak Hey, Hey, Hey, Brother
16. Groupe Folklorique Montagnais Tshekuan Mak Tshetutamak
17. Willie Dunn Peruvian Dream (Part 2)

Largely unheard, criminally undocumented, but at their core, utterly revolutionary, the recordings of the diverse North American Aboriginal community will finally take their rightful place in our collective history in the form of NativeNorth America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 19661985. An anthology of music that was once near-extinct and off-the-grid is now available for all to hear, in what is, without a doubt, Light In The Attics most ambitious and historically significant project in the labels 12-year journey.

Native North America (Vol. 1)features music from the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the northern United States, recorded in the turbulent decades between 1966 to 1985. It represents the fusion of shifting global popular culture and a reawakening of Aboriginal spirituality and expression. The majority of this material has been widely unavailable for decades, hindered by lack of distribution or industry support and by limited mass media coverage, until now. Youll hear Arctic garage rock from the Nunavik region of northern Quebec, melancholy Yupik folk from Alaska, and hushed country blues from the Wagmatcook First Nation reserve in Nova Scotia. Youll hear echoes of Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash, and more among the songs, but injected with Native consciousness, storytelling, poetry, history, and ceremony.

The stories behind the music presented onNative North America (Vol. 1)range from standard rock-and-roll dreams to transcendental epiphanies. They have been collected with love and respect by Vancouver-based record archaeologist and curator Kevin Sipreano Howes in a 15-year quest to unearth the history that falls between the notes of this unique music. Tirelessly, Howes scoured obscure, remote areas for the original vinyl recordings and the artists who made them, going so far as to send messages in Inuktitut over community radio airwaves in hopes that these lost cultural heroes would resurface.

With cooperation and guidance from the artists, producers, family members, and behind the scenes players,Native North America (Vol. 1)sheds real light on the painful struggles and deep traditions of the greater Indigenous community and the significance of its music. The songs speak of joy and spirituality, but also tell of real tragedy and strife, like that of Algonquin/Mohawk artist Willy Mitchell, whose music career was sparked by a bullet to the head from the gun of a trigger-happy police officer, or those of Inuk singer-songwriter Willie Thrasher, who was robbed of his family and traditional Inuit culture by the residential school system.

Considering the financially motivated destruction of our environment, the conservative political landscape, and corporate bottom-line dominance, its bittersweet to report that the revolutionary songs featured onNative North Americahold as much meaning today as when they were originally recorded. Dedicated to legendary Mikmaq singer-songwriter and poet Willie Dunn, featured on the anthology but who sadly passed away during its making,Native North America (Vol. 1)is only the beginning. A companion set featuring a crucial selection of folk, rock, and country from the United States Lower 48 and Mexico is currently in production.