Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K.  On this show we welcome from Leader, Saskatchewan, Mr. Berk Jodoin is in the house. Singer, Songwriter and Producer.  His new album has just been released, called “Fly Away.” A nice mix of Indigenous country blues. This is his 3rd album, he’ll be stopping by to tell us all about it.

Enjoy music from Berk Jodoin, Jason Benoit, Janet Panic, Crystal Shawanda, Thunderhand Joe and the Medicine Show, Tracy Lee Nelson, Gary Small & the Coyote’ Bros, The Band Blackbird, Indigenous, Levi Platero, XIT, Blue Mountain Tribe, Saltwater Hank, Midnight Shine, Nadjiwan, Blackhawk Walters, Kelly Derrickson, Axel Krygier,  Fiebre Amarilla, Khu.eex, CHANCES, Twin Flames, Darren Geffre, Julian Taylor, Celeigh Cardinal, Leela Gilday, Tracy Bone and much much more.

Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

BERK JODOIN IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

BERK JODOIN ALBUM – FLY AWAY

BERK JODOIN – WAITING TO DIE BREAKOUT WEST

CONTACT INFORMATION

WEBSITE: www.berkjodoinmusic.net/
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/berkjodoinmusic
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/berkjodoinmusic/
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/berkjodoin
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@berkjodoin1072
BOOKING: [email protected]

BERK JODOIN BIOGRAPHY

As a Metis roots music artist from Saskatchewan, Jodoin has experienced throughout his life much of what he sings about. After a promising hockey career was derailed by life-threatening alcoholism, Jodoin turned his life around in his early thirties with the help of a B.C. treatment centre. He then took up boxing, but after realizing that injuries were tempting him to return to his bad habits, Jodoin turned to music as his therapy, inspired by heroes like Steve Earle and Waylon Jennings.

Through his friends’ encouragement, Jodoin began recording his songs, and with the support of an SK Arts grant, released his self-titled debut album in 2020. Jodoin followed that up in 2022 with Half- Breed, which earned him a Saskatchewan Music Award as Indigenous Artist of the Year, along with a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.

Now partnered with Toronto-based Merilainen Music, Jodoin is sure to expand his audience with Fly Away, an unflinching collection that also presents a pathway toward change. “All my songs are true,” Jodoin says. “I basically just take stories and write them, as I did with songs I wrote for my grandfather, who was a Cree man. The story of him surviving residential schools is a true story that needs to be told. We all have a platform. I use mine to raise awareness of things, which will hopefully inspire people to take action.”

Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K, Ths week we welcome from Winnipeg, Manitoba, we have Gabrielle Fontaine in our spotlight.  She controls the reins of the Indigenous Folk Rock collaborative “Indian City.”  They have just released their fifth album “Tomorrow.” 

Enjoy music from Indian City, Carsen Gray, Logan Staats, Adrian Sutherland, Khu.eex, Mike Bern, Dustin Harder, Raven Reid, Blue Moon Marquee, The Band Blackbird, Levi Platero, Garrett T. Willie, Berk Jodoin, Jim Jacobs, Shawnee Kish, Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, The City Lines, Electric Religious, Ana Carolina, Seu Jorge, Jalmy, Sarazino, Liliana Saumet, Shauit, Laura Niquay, Edzi’u and much, much more!

Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

INDIAN CITY IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

INDIAN CITY ALBUM – TOMORROW

INDIAN CITY – THE BEST OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

CONTACT INFORMATION

WEBSITE: http://www.indiancity.ca
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/weareindiancity
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/indiancitymusic
ITUNES: itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/indian-city/744549940
BANDCAMP: https://indiancity.bandcamp.com/
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/indiancity-music
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@WeAreIndianCity
BOOKING: [email protected]

INDIAN CITY BIOGRAPHY

Indian City is an Indigenous-led Canadian Folk Pop band performing to audiences across North America and beyond. The group was founded in 2012 by the late Vince Fontaine. Vince told stories through the Indigenous lens across North America and Europe, receiving more than 50 local, national, and international awards for his artistic contributions. Sadly, Vince passed away suddenly in January 2022, shortly after the release of his fourth Indian City album, Code Red. With the blessing of his life partner and under the direction of long-time collaborators, the decision was made to keep Indian City alive, sharing his music, messages, and ideas to ensure that Vince’s Vision and Legacy would carry on.

Code Red is a call to celebrate the old truths and timeless values found in Indigenous ideals. The Seven Sacred Teachings of Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth are the foundations of the albums’ artistic vision. It walks with a bold statement featuring both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous artists including long time producer CBG, Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, Chantal Kreviazuk and Don Amero, Jeremy Koz, along with permanent members, Gabrielle Fontaine, Jay Bodner, Lawrence “Spatch” Mulhall and Rich Reid. This collaboration was intentional for Vince as a manifestation of Truth & Reconciliation Call to Action #83, which expresses the need for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process.

Indian City’s unique live fusion of lyrics, music, and personality, express the modern conscience of today’s Indigenous People. Vince’s vision was to create a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across Turtle Island. Indian City’s roster is always evolving, bringing together Indigenous Superstars and Guests to create not only exceptional albums, but also deliver energy infused performances with their live shows.

“My purpose is to lift up Indigenous people of North America and show the beauty, existence, splendor and mystique of our culture. I want to be a musical beacon and cultural ambassador. My artistic vision is to bring cultural voice and excellence to the live stage.” – Vince Fontaine

Now led by Vince’s daughter, Gabrielle Fontaine, the group continues to write and perform music as a collaborative of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous artists – in the spirit of reconciliation. Following the Juno-nominated and critically acclaimed album of Code Red, the group released a new album “Tomorrow” on the 2024 National Indigenous People Day. The album explores life, love, and hardship, while reflecting Indian City’s new path with Gabrielle following in her father’s footsteps. The band continues to look into the future to flourish and foster their music nationally and internationally.

Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K. On this show we welcome from Fox Island River, Newfoundland, Jason Benoit is in the house.  Award winning singer, songwriter.  He currently holds the 2024 title for “Country Recording of the Year” at this years “East Coast Music Awards.”  His new album is out and is still climbing the charts, entitled “The Deadwood.” 

Jason Beniot, Berk Jodoin, Amanda Rheaume, Leela Gilday, Tracy Bone, Julian Taylor, Indian City, Isaac Murdoch, Matt Epp, Shannon Paul, Saltwater Hank, The Gary Sappier Blues Band, Celeigh Cardinal, Mecanico, 1915, Nuxalk Radio, Khu.eex, Soliel Laumiere, Jalmy, Edzi’u, Stolen Identity, Yolanda Martinez, Alexis Lynn, Brecreation, Blue Moon Marquee, Bluedog, Pretendians Band, One Way Sky, Mike Bern, Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers and much more.   

Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

JASON BENOIT IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

JASON BENOIT NEW SINGLE – I WANNA HEAT THAT SONG

JASON BENOIT – I WANNA HEAT THAT SONG

CONTACT INFORMATION

EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.jasonbenoitmusic.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/jasonbenoitcountry
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/jasonbenoitcountry/
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/jasonbenoitofficial
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@Jasonbenoitcountry
BOOKING: [email protected]

JASON BENOIT BIOGRAPHY

When musicians leave their hometown for bigger musical hubs like Austin or Nashville, it can be a double-edged sword. One obvious drawback is sacrificing being with family and friends for a chance at stardom. Some leave jaded and hurt, often with a 1000-yard stare from the experience. But for Indigenous Newfoundland musician Jason Benoit, the return to ‘The Rock’ had him heading home beaming. The result is “1000 Mile Grin,” the title of his steady, confident toe-tapping single out now from his latest EP The Deadwood.

Benoit, 2024 East Coast Music Association winner for Country Recording of the Year for Time Traveller-The Album, said he felt his time trying to make inroads along Nashville’s Music Row ran its course. “The single ‘1000 Mile Grin’ is an upbeat song about a time when I was spinning my wheels in Nashville, chasing fame, and going seemingly nowhere,” he says. “Then one day, I woke up and decided the ‘Canadian Dream’ is what I should be chasing. I packed up and headed back to my wife and kids. This song is about having a 1000-mile grin all the way there.”

It’s been a busy and productive 18 months for Benoit and that productivity is heard throughout “1000 Mile Grin.” The music seems to mirror the drive Benoit probably took back from Nashville to Newfoundland: direct, straightforward, rollicking and refreshed. The almost ideal mix of Americana and folk can be heard in Benoit’s vibrant delivery alongside some nifty banjo and mandolin work from Donovan Conran.

Benoit says after 2023’s Time Traveller- The Album,his “‘classic country spring ran dry” and “needed to find a new musical canvas to paint on for a while.” Thanks to his mother’s wide musical tastes and her Columbia House subscription, the musician took an array of early influences running from country to East Coast folk and Canadiana into “1000 Mile Grin.”

Such influences included East Coast folk artists such as Stan Rogers, Great Big Sea and The Rankin Family as well as country influences like Alan Jackson, the late Joe Diffie and Dwight Yoakam. “Also, Newfoundland has its own ecosystem of great music that we heard all our lives, but you wouldn’t probably hear about much outside of Newfoundland,” Benoit adds. It’s that trio of styles that makes the single so warm and inviting.

A two-time winner of the MusicNL’s Indigenous Artist of the Year (2021, 2023) and the 2023 MusicNL Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year, Benoit has amassed a stream of critical success including a Top 10 single (‘Gone Long Gone’), four Top 30 hits and over 13 million streams globally. He’s also supported artists such as Tenille Townes, Old Dominion, Tim Hicks and The Washboard Union. And he’s also spending some time on the other side of the microphone, hosting a weekly radio program entitled “That’s Country” which comes from Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

JASON BENOIT ON NATIVE VOICE ONE AND INDIGENOUS IN MUSIC WITH LARRY K

Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K. On this show we welcome from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Bloodshots and the crew will be in the house. CJ Loane, Ben Hodges and Kaitlyn Childs will be in the spotlight interview. They have new music out and have just released “The Bay Blues.” Winnipeg Rock and Roll at it’s best.

The Bloodshots, XIT, Frank Pietacho, Indian City, Jasmine Netsena, Kandia Crazy Horse, Blue Moon Marquee, The Bloodshots, The Johnnys, Stevie Salas, The City Lines, Twin Deer, Matthew Chaffey, Old Soul Rebel, QVLN, Morgan Toney, Hataalii, Irv Lyons Jr, Pura Fe, J. Pablo, Sean1ne, Enokahe, Def-i, Ana Tijoux, Phobe Killdeer, Edzi’u, Sebastan Gaskin, Aysanabee, Raye Zaragoza, Matcitim, Stevie Salas and much more.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

THE BLOODSHOTS IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

THE BLOODSHOT NEW SINGLE – THE BAY BLUES

THE BLOODSHOTS – THE BAY BLUES

CONTACT INFORMATION

EMAIL: [email protected]
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebloodshots204
INSTAGRAM: thebloodshots204
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/thebloodshots
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@thebloodshots
BOOKING: [email protected]

THE BLOODSHOTS BIOGRAPHY

Since late 2013 when they formed, The Bloodshots have become one of the most sought after Punk Rock acts Winnipeg has produced in recent years. With a highly energetic stage performance you need to see, the sky is the limit for this grunge revival Rock act. With Several accolades to their name such as winning the chance to play with Canadian Rock Legends Finger Eleven through 92 Citi fm fan voted contest by a LARGE margin (before these types of contests became compromised by bot sites) and being nominated for best rock album at the 2017 indigenous music Awards.

The Bloodshots are no strangers to the big stage show neither. Having played some of the biggest stages Winnipeg From the Club Regent Event Centre and The Centennial Concert Hall to The Burton Cummings Theatre with the likes of Rock heavyweights Buckcherry, Danko Jones, Moist, Econoline
Crush, One Bad Son, Three Days Grace, Monster Truck, Steel Panther, SLASH, The Lazys, Jet Set Satellite, and punk acts such as Hawthorne Heights and Senses Fail, Pears, The Flatliners, The Real McKenzies, Isotopes, and the Creepshow, just to name a few. As well as playing the main stage of
APTN’s presentation of indigenous Day live National broadcast with Canadian recording
artists Walk off the Earth.

With their debut ep “The Bloodshot ep” (Which sold out of physical copies of 1000) that was recorded in Toronto with Punk Rock Producer Steve Rizun (Nofx, The Flatliners) in their rearview mirror, the band is going to be touring Canada and pushing their follow up ep due out in 2022 via Golden Robot Records. In the meantime, check out their latest single release. A rocked up cover of classic CCR doom tune “Bad Moon Rising” everywhere you stream your music from. The Bloodshots were nominated and WON “Best Rock Video” at the Native American Music Awards in New York USA this past November and are currently working on new music.

Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K….On this show we welcome back from Seattle, Washington’s very own Tribal Jazz fusion band “Khu.eex.’  Preston Singletary, the bass and founding member will be stopping by to tell about the release of their 5th album out called “Siyaadlan.” 

Enjoy music from Khu.eex, Martha Redbone, Dennis Banks, Indian City, Samantha Crain, Qacung, Airjazz, Melody McArthur, Leonard Sumner, Maten, Black Bear, Millimerik, Shauit, Yves Lambert, The Band Blackbird, The Bloodshots, Pretendians Band, Garret T. Willie, Seu Jorge, Dj Bitman, Nora Norman, JB the First Lady, Captain Planet, Itz Lil Lee, Keith Secola, Bobby Sanchez, Joy Hargo, Nuxalk Radio, Concorde a L’Orange and much more.

Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

KHU.EEX IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

KHU.EEX ALBUM – SIYAADLAN

KHU.EEX – Siigaay Gid uu Di lijang (Ocean Child I AM)

CONTACT INFORMATION

EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: https://www.khueex.com/
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Koo.eex
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/khueex
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/khueexmusic
BANDCAMP: khueex.bandcamp.com
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@khueex
BOOKING: [email protected]

KHU.EEX BIOGRAPHY

Khu.éex’ is an Indigenous band full of creative members, including storytellers, activists and artists, that bring this collective energy to the stage as one powerful unit. Our focus is raising awareness of social issues, stemming from the Native American struggle, that branch out to serious issues that effect all people. We are bringing a much-needed Indigenous perspective while keeping our tribal culture and endangered ancient languages alive through music, storytelling and art.

We are members of the Tlingit, Haida and Blackfoot tribes. Some of us were raised in traditional villages with cultural knowledge and understanding of the protocols of the culture, while some of us were raised amongst the urban Indigenous community of the Pacific Northwest. No matter where we settle, we are keepers of cultural knowledge and language.

THE KHU.EEX STORY

Khu.éex’ began as a recording in 2013 after a chance meeting between Bernie Worrell and Preston Singletary. Together with Skerik and Stanton Moore, Gene Tagaban and Clarissa Rizal we recorded under the direction of Randall Dunn. To date, Khu.éex’ has released a double album, “The Wilderness Within” and the triple LP “They Forgot They Survived”. In December 2018, the triple LP “Héen” (which
translates to “water” in the Tlingit language) will be released. All albums were produced and released by the band independently.

In 2016 the band experienced the passing of two key original members. Bernie Worrell, keyboardist and co-founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic (also, co-founder of Khu.éex’). Bernie left this Earth June 24, 2016. The music created with Khu.éex’ are Bernie’s final collaborative efforts. We also lost Clarissa Rizal (Tlingit) to cancer in December of 2016. She was a teacher of Chilkat weaving, mentor, artist, poet and singer.

Losing two founding members of Khu.éex’ was devastating, but we were determined to rebuild the band and we found Edward Littlefield (Tlingit) a jazz drummer and composer who was also incorporating Tlingit melodies into his music. On Keyboards we developed a friendship with Tim Kennedy, a local Keyboard player, composer and improviser. On vocals is now Sondra Segundo (Haida) singer and composer.

The band explores Jazz and Funk/Rock with an improvisational style. The fusion of these styles with spoken word in English, Tlingit, Haida and Y’upic languages is unique. We are also striving to preserve these native languages though our music. This cross-fertilization results in a new sound. Performance art, using traditional masks and regalia accent the dynamic live performances. Khu.éex’ Members
Members of the band bring light to aspects and cultural perspectives of Indigenous people. Performances reach out to a wide demographic from very young to older audiences. The live performances are uplifting and include dancing with traditional masks. The backgrounds of this collective of band members include engaging with communities in a variety of ways, whether close to home in the Pacific Northwest or globally.

CURRENT LINEUP

Preston Singletary (bass, vocals), Skerik (sax/piano), Gene Tagaban (vocals/flute/hand drum), Captain Raab (guitar/vocals), Denny Stern (percussion), Tim Kennedy (keyboards), Ed Littlefield (drums/vocals), Sondra Segundo (vocals/hand drum), Arias Hoyle (vocals) and Jason Cressey (trombone).

PRIOR MEMBER AND STUDIO CONTRIBUTORS

Bernie Worrell (keyboards), Clarissa Rizal (vocals/hand drum), Stanton Moore
(drums/percussion), Nahaan (vocals/hand drum), Om Johari (vocals), Dave
Abramson (percussion), Steve Nistor (drums/percussion), Hans Teuber (sax/bass
clarinet/piano), Indrayani Ananda (vocals/hand drum), Stephen Blanchett (vocals),
Carly Kienow (vocals), Davee C (drums), Eyvind Kang (viola), and Jason Kardong
(pedal steel).

“The Wilderness Within”, “They Forgot They Survived”, “Heen”, and “WOOch”
produced, recorded, and mixed by Randall Dunn.

MEMBER INFORMATION

Preston Singletary (Bass and co-founder of Khu.éex’) is a visual artist, glass
sculptor, and teacher who renders traditional Tlingit forms in the non-traditional
medium of glass. He has worked globally with Indigenous art communities and
artists.

Sondra Segundo (Singer) is a visual artist, story teller, published author, educator,
Haida language speaker, composer, community advocate and traditional dance
group leader.

Gene Tagaban (Singer/Storyteller/Poet) is also a traditional storyteller, dancer,
mentor, wellness and prevention spokesman, actor, comedian and composer.

Ed Littlefield (Drums/Percussion) is a composer, musicologist, multi-
instrumentalist, theater production coordinator, and music instructor.

Captain Raab (Guitar) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer.

Arias Hoyle (Vocals) Arias Hoyle, who also goes by the name Airjazz, is a Tlingit
language speaker, and rhymes in Tlingit and English. His Tlingit name is, “Yaw di
néh”.

Skerik (Saxophone) An avant-garde sax player who plays in notable projects
including Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois and NW supergroup Mad Season.

Randall Dunn (Producer & Audio Engineer) A highly respected producer who has
worked with legendary jazz musicians such as John Zorn and Eyvind Kang.

Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K, on the show we welcome back from Edmonton, Alberta, Celeigh Cardinal into our Spotlight interview. Singer, Songwriter.  She has just released her 3rd album out “Boundless Possibilities” a nice mix of Indigenous Pop folk. 

Celeigh Cardinal, Janet Panic, Mecanico, 1915, Spirit Cry, Jalmy, Marroquino, Jamie Coon, Shawnee Kish, Saltwater Hank, Berk Jodoin, Carsen Gray, Red Rockerz, Sukay, Novalima, Rob Garza, XAXO, Monareta, Irv Lyons Jr., Joanne Shenandoah, Indian City Khu.eex, Aysanabee, Raye Zaragoza, Stolen Identity, Locos Por Juana, Ailaika, Julian Taylor Band, The Groovalottos, Cody Coyote, Inez Jasper, The Johnnys, Kinky and much much more. 

Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.

OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM

CELEIGH CARDINAL IN OUR IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

CELEIGH CARDINAL ALBUM – BOUNDLESS POSSIBLITIES

CELEIGH CARDINAL – TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT

CONTACT INFORMATION

WEBSITE: https://www.celeighcardinal.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/celeighcardinalmusic
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/celeighcardinal/
BANDCAMP: https://celeighcardinal.bandcamp.com/album/boundless-possibilities
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/celeigh.cardinal
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@CeleighCardinal
BOOKING: [email protected]

CELEIGH CARDINAL BIOGRAPHY

On Boundless Possibilities, Celeigh Cardinal finally felt she had permission to truly be herself in a way
she never felt she’d achieved on previous records. “The changes I’ve been through, the time I put into
this album – it’s the most representative of me of anything I’ve released.”

Produced by Cardinal and James Bunton (Donovan Woods, Vivek Shraya), Boundless Possibilities casts
a wide net musically and emotionally. Soulful, celebratory, and impossible to pin down stylistically, the
album is as much an artistic statement of independence as an exploration of Cardinal’s wide-ranging
musical influences and the transformative process of navigating grief.

The Edmonton-based singer/songwriter planned to begin work on her third full-length self-released album in 2019. The pandemic changed her timeline, but it was a pair of personal tragedies – the murder of her former partner and father of her child and the death of a friend by suicide – that shaped Boundless Possibilities. “I thought I knew what grief was, but I realized I’d never truly experienced it before,” Cardinal says. “I am now a different person for the rest of my life. I’ll never be the same again.”
Cardinal recalls a dream she had the night after the death of her friend. A visitation that inspired the
album opener and title track, a spoken word piece underpinned by an ethereal, ambient soundscape that, she says, was the key to unlocking “an exploration of art that I never knew I was capable of creating.

The words just poured out of me, and I just knew that the track was the title and the theme I wanted to
have run throughout the album.” Although Boundless Possibilities began as a meditation on loss and the changes that grief, at its rawest and most all encompassing, can result in, it’s far from somber. Instead, over fourteen songs, the record finds Cardinal reflecting on the joy of living and loving, celebrating the connections fuelled by memories and shared experiences that transcend death, the strength of those connections, their impact on her life as an artist, and her evolving relationship with spirituality.

Nowhere is that more evident than on the country-tinged lead single ‘Light of the Moon.’ “That was
conceived as a tribute to our musical loved ones and our musical family – even our idols who have passed on,” she says, but also to her son’s father (her former musical partner and the bass player in her first band). “People who may have passed but that we hear in the music we create, that we see written in our words. That felt like a flagship song for the album because it talks about grief but it’s also remembering the joy, the memories. It just felt like it set the tone.”

Some tracks, like ‘I Want To Mean It Pt. 1 & 2,’ which reads like a dialogue with the soul of her friend –
focus on loss. “We don’t have to say everything for love to be communicated. Sometimes, somebody
passes, and you don’t get to say all the things that you need to. But that’s okay. That song is like a
conversation between us.” Others, such as ‘Every Day’ and ‘The Only Way Out,’ dwell more on the
strength gained in letting go, honouring those who’ve passed, and finding solace in the indelible
impressions they’ve made on your life.

Then there’s the other side of the coin, songs that lean heavily on Cardinal’s coming to terms with herself and the connections made in the here and now; tracks like ‘Just Let Me Lie To You’ and ‘You & I,’ which explore the gulf between wanting and having love and negotiating the ever-shifting terrain that lies between the two. Still others, notably ‘How I Learned To Live Alone,’ focus keenly on growth, forward momentum, and becoming someone new because of the struggles she faced.

“Growing up in northern Alberta, I was one of two native families in the church and the school that I
went to. My father’s family was part of the ‘Sixties Scoop,’ so we didn’t grow up connected to our
Indigenous culture at all. My whole life I felt like I was struggling with my identity and the many
expectations that were put on me, so it took a long time for me to feel like I had a voice.”
“Creating this album and these songs is part of my healing journey,” she continues. As Cardinal puts it:
“It travels through the scars of a child brought up in a religion that caused harm to her and everyone
around her. It shows her finding her way back to a spiritual world, hand-held by the ghost of a friend who traveled through dimensions to remind her of the infinite possibilities of the universe. It explores
loneliness, and paradoxically, it explores the joy of being alone.” In doing so – from folk-based ballads like ‘Wandering River’ and the classic R&B feel of ‘Don’t Waste Your Love On Me’ through the funky, four-on-the-floor vibe of ‘Show You How To Love Me’ – Cardinal covers a lot of ground stylistically, often in a single song. Notably on ‘Over And Over,’ a seamless blend of soul, funk, and rock that showcases the standout talents of her band and Cardinal’s impressive vocal chops in
equal measure and like never before.

Scheduled for release on June 21, 2024, Boundless Possibilities is a set of songs listeners will feel in the body, mind, and soul, a thoughtful and compellingly honest portrait of an artist coming to terms with her place in the world and her spirituality, but also a blueprint for others facing similar struggles. The kind of record that anyone who’s experienced loss – large or small – will find solace in and feel, regardless of who you are and what your world looks like, that you are not alone.

“That’s the intent,” Celeigh Cardinal concludes. “The only thing I ever wanted to do for people was
something that I felt like I was lacking. I want people to feel free to laugh, to cry, and to feel connected.
Ultimately, I just want people to feel personally liberated.”