Contested ground

This week's show was an attempt to incorporate more independent music by First Nations artists into our usual playlist (which has, in the past, been rightly accused of being dominated by white males). While this sort of thing isn't at all uncommon in North American indie rock, it's led to some fairly stable ideas of what independent music should sound and look like. Of course, such perceptions are hardly representative of the diversity in Canada's independent music community and can create real barriers for voices that need to be heard.

Part of our inspiration came from witnessing the powerful and harrowing stories of residential school survivors at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which concluded this past weekend in Edmonton. We were able to see a free concert, featuring Cris Derksen and a host of other artists (from many different backgrounds).

Below, you'll hear music from aboriginal and non-aboriginal artists. Our goal with these selections was to steer our show in a more attentive direction and showcase several artists (such as Cris Derksen, Quillbox, Flying Down Thunder and Rise Ashen) that don't get much airtime, as well as some that do (Ghostkeeper, A Tribe Called Red, Kinnie Starr). It's a small step, but hopefully it's something we'll be able to build on.



"Pow. Wow. Wow." - Cris Derksen
"Talkin' Bout a Revolution (Tracy Chapman cover)" - Art Napoleon
"Passing Out Pieces" - Mac DeMarco
"Sadlands" - Rebekah Higgs
"Mountain/Relief" - Picastro
"Well, Well, Well" - Ghostkeeper
"Molina Blues" - Slates
"Unity of Culture" - Flying Down Thunder and Rise Ashen
"Look At This" - A Tribe Called Red
"Get the Show On the Road" - Canadian Winter
"Kiss It" - Kinnie Starr
"Spirit" - Future Islands
"Nii Mi" - Quillbox