National Aboriginal Day a Spotlight for Folk/Roots Artists

Text by: Phoebe Yu

Edited by: Elana Baxter, Monique Kroeger

Published: June 18, 2013, The Source

On June 21, Raven Spirit Dance, a local non-profit Aboriginal contemporary dance company, is celebrating National Aboriginal Day with a fundraiser featuring the folksy acoustic guitar stylings of Wayne Lavallee and Angela Harris.

Armed with his first guitar at five years old, Lavallee has always wanted to play music. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that he started to take his music seriously, and it was only during the past decade that his efforts have been rewarded with Juno nominations and a trophy from the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Growing up wasn’t so easy. Raised in foster care, Lavallee navigated through the series of homes and people around him with his guitar.

“I grew up in tough situations and lots of homes. Throughout all those experiences, I always had music with me,” he says.

His music is mostly based on his life experiences and his personal struggle in coming to terms with his identity. A member of the Métis Nation, Lavallee grew up outside of his culture but learned about Aboriginal history and culture through the arts.

“I knew I was different and I knew I wasn’t a White person…so I didn’t really have a lot of confidence in myself. But I think the older you get, and the more you learn about the culture, it becomes easier,” he says.

Having no previous knowledge of native music nor having any role models as a youth, it wasn’t until the 1990s that Lavallee would discover Aboriginal music. On his second album, he started experimenting with a new sound. He would sometimes sing in Cree or incorporate native chants into his songs. He describes his music as contemporary folk-rockish with a blend of native chants. According to Lavallee, Aboriginal music is actually one of Canada’s biggest niche markets.

On National Aboriginal Day, Lavallee will be performing with one of his contemporaries, Angela Harris.

Harris grew up in a First Nations community in Chilcotin, B.C. Her songs can be traced back to her experiences of rural life running a trap line during the winter months and a sawmill in the summer with her family.

“All those different images are in those songs. To this day, the smell of wood smoke and sawdust takes me back to grandpa’s cabin,” she says.

Aside from life experiences, Harris also sings songs that are socially conscious – respect for and acceptance of all religions is important to her, having grown up around First Nations spirituality. Another socially driven song, Way Down Deep, is about war and how it affects children.

Harris describes her music as very traditional folk/roots. But other events in her life, such as maturing and moving to the city, have influenced her. Now, she finds that her music is starting to take on some elements of jazz, rock and blues.

For the fundraiser, Harris will perform a solo show just before Lavallee and supported by the same musicians.

“I love how an organization like Raven Spirit Dance, they’re all about keeping their heritage alive through dance and that they’re taking a contemporary approach, which I think is great because they’re adapting with the times,” Harris says.

The event will be held at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver, June 21. Doors open at 7 p.m. Proceeds go to supporting Raven Spirit Dance’s creative work and programming.