DiggingRoots
DiggingRoots: Music for the present from the roots of the past
When
you discover the music of DiggingRoots you will realize that you’re
hearing something that’s both unique and exceptional. Like a precious
stone, it has different facets, different shapes, different colours.
And, like a diamond, it’s been forged by time, the land, and the rock of
history.
ShoShona Kish and Raven Kanatakta attempt to explain what they play as
“Odeimin music” — or “heartbeat” music. And then, skirting away from the
concept that what they do is purely “aboriginal” they’ll talk about the
artists and the music that has influenced them — as if the fact that
some of what they sing about is Canadian history (no, North American
history) will somehow limit their audiences, or even frighten them away.
Sure, history can scare people who listen too carefully — but history,
too, is often what Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone, Son House (and even
British rock groups) sang about as well.
Raven and ShoShona have been playing
together for seven years in clubs and in concerts and at conferences and
music festivals of all kinds. They’ve trekked from coast to coast to
(northern) coast in Canada, they’ve energized audiences in Hawaii, New
Zealand and Spain.
They’ve helped launch Aboriginal Voices Radio, they appear regularly on
APTN-TV in Canada, and they’re involved with a series of shows for
Rogers Cable in their hometown which may well be seen on other cable
outlets. And they continue to lend their talents to an array of other
diverse projects — from studio albums to film and video soundtracks to
cultural and educational recordings.
ShoShona is Anishinabekwe and of mixed heritage born in Toronto, Canada,
formally trained as a songwriter and musician, drawing from an eclectic
array of roots, blues, jazz, world music as well as her First Nations
ancestry. Blessed with a powerful and edgy voice that’s earthy, timeless
and sometimes ethereal, she strikes an original chord that’s often
compared to artists like Ben Harper and Rickie Lee Jones.
Raven is a world-class guitarist, trained at the Berklee School of Music
in Boston, who credits the influences of blues singers, jazzmen from
Charlie Christian to Charles Mingus and rockers like Hendrix and Clapton
for his virtuoso instrumental work. And his expressive vocals not only
complement his playing, but ShoShona’s stunning voice.
Although they often perform as a duo, they prefer to play with their
crack band, which includes percussionist and drummer Al Jasper Bee,
bassist Ryan Rogers, and rhythm guitarist Matt Newton.
Now, DiggingRoots is ready. Their first
recording as a band is a powerful document of different influences.
Roots music — the multiplicity of genres that have combined to create
popular music as the 21st century grows up — is the touchstone that has
built DiggingRoots.
The past has been forged into the present. Time to pause. Time to think.
Time to celebrate history. Time to make music for today and tomorrow.
See them On Saturday July 8th, on the front steps of the Welland Civic Centre/City Hall, Main St. Welland
Show Starts 7:p.m.
FREE to the general public
Bring Your Lawn Chairs
For More Information, and Pictures Visit: http://www.diggingrootsmusic.com/