Aboriginal rock
Encyclopedia
Aboriginal rock refers to a style of music
which mixes rock music
with the instrumentation and singing styles of Aboriginal
people. Two countries with prominent Aboriginal rock scenes are Australia and Canada.
, bass
and drum
s) with Indigenous Australian instruments such as the Didgeridoo
and clapsticks. Aboriginal rock is mostly performed by Indigenous bands, although some bands include non-Aboriginal members.
Bands include Yothu Yindi
, Us Mob
and No Fixed Address
. Yothu Yindi, with vocalist Mandawuy Yunupingu
has politicised lyrics, such as 1991's "Treaty." Other songs relate more generally to Aboriginal culture. Another major band is the Warumpi Band
, which toured with Midnight Oil
. The Warumpi Band focus more on the Aboriginal aspects of the music, rather than the rock sound of Yothu Yindi. In the 2000s, Aboriginal bands such as NoKTuRNL
have adopted a rap metal
or nu metal
sound.
Famous songs include Treaty
, My Island Home
, and Blackfella/Whitefella.
Some examples of Canadian Aboriginal rock bands or artists include:
Noted bands include Breach of Trust
, Kashtin
and Burnt Project 1
.
Awards are offered in a number of categories, such as blues, folk, and rock. In 2004, the band Eagle & Hawk received three awards for their blend of modern rock and traditional Aboriginal vocals and rhythms on their CD “Mother Earth.” Wayne Lavallee won the Best Album of the Year Award 2004 for his CD “Green Dress,” which fuses a folk-rock acoustic style with traditional Cree chanting. The Best Rap or Hip Hop Album Award went to Team Rezofficial for their CD “TheFoundation.” With members from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the group was founded by beatmakers Big Stomp and J Mak from Hobbema, Alberta. In 2003, Burnt received two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards; Best Rock Album and Best Album Design for the CD “Project 1 The Avenue.”
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
which mixes rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with the instrumentation and singing styles of Aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
people. Two countries with prominent Aboriginal rock scenes are Australia and Canada.
Australia
In Australia, Aboriginal rock mixes rock styles and instruments (e.g. electric (guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s) with Indigenous Australian instruments such as the Didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
and clapsticks. Aboriginal rock is mostly performed by Indigenous bands, although some bands include non-Aboriginal members.
Bands include Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
, Us Mob
Us Mob
Us Mob were an early Aboriginal rock band from South Australia. The band was formed with the help of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music in Adelaide.- Overview :...
and No Fixed Address
No Fixed Address
No Fixed Address is an Australian Aboriginal reggae group formed in 1978. Led by Bart Willoughby, the band supported Peter Tosh on his 1982 Australian tour...
. Yothu Yindi, with vocalist Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
has politicised lyrics, such as 1991's "Treaty." Other songs relate more generally to Aboriginal culture. Another major band is the Warumpi Band
Warumpi Band
The Warumpi Band is an Australian band from the bush, coming from Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia.The band was formed in 1980 by Neil Murray, a Victorian "whitefella" working in the region as a schoolteacher and labourer, George Burarrwanga, from Elcho Island, and local boys Gordon and...
, which toured with Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
. The Warumpi Band focus more on the Aboriginal aspects of the music, rather than the rock sound of Yothu Yindi. In the 2000s, Aboriginal bands such as NoKTuRNL
NoKTuRNL
Nokturnl is a band formed in 1996 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Sometimes called rap metal their music is hard to categorise, but their lyrics are influenced by their experience as Indigenous Australians. Nokturnl won "Band of the Year" at The Deadlys in 1998, 2000 and 2003.They...
have adopted a rap metal
Rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock which fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop music with heavy metal.-History:Rap metal originated from rap rock, a genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with rock...
or nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
sound.
Famous songs include Treaty
Treaty (song)
"Treaty" is a song by Australian indigenous music band Yothu Yindi, which is made up of Aboriginal and balanda members. Released in June 1991, "Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart in September...
, My Island Home
My Island Home
"My Island Home" is popularly believed to be a song about Australia. However, it was written by Neil Murray and originally performed by his Warumpi Band in reference to their lead singer's home up at Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory as said by...
, and Blackfella/Whitefella.
Canada
Canada's aboriginal people include First Nations, Métis and Inuit.Some examples of Canadian Aboriginal rock bands or artists include:
- Leanne Goose is a rock/soul singer-songwriter from Inuvik, NWT, in Canada's Western Arctic. Her music fuses rock, country, blues and northern styles. She is both Inuvialuit and Sahtu Dene and holds 2 nominations for Best Rock and Album Cover Designs at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, as well as a nominations for Best Rock Album at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, 2009 Native American Music Awards - Best Pop Recording, 2009 Indian Summer Music Awards - Best Classic Rock Album.
- Wayne Lavallee is a Cree/Métis singer and songwriter whose music fuses a contemporary pop/rock style with traditional Cree chanting.
- George LeachGeorge LeachGeorge Leach is a Canadian musician and actor. A Sta'atl'imx from Lillooet, British Columbia, he released his debut album Just Where I'm At in 2000. He subsequently performed at the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards....
is an Aboriginal Canadian musician from the Sta'atl'imxSt'at'imcThe St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
Nation, in the mountain terrain of Lillooet, British Columbia. His soulful rock-driven music derived from a cherished tradition of Aboriginal and mainstream music.
- White Fire Reed is a Canadian Alternative,Experimental,Hard Rock band that is originally from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada and now reside in Sarnia,Ontario,Canada. Most press from several Aboriginal newspapers, has described White Fire Reed to the Irish Super Group-U2. White Fire Reed's music within their lyrics and music consists with a blend of sonic reverb's, enriched digital delays, to their ambient guitars and vocals. As of July 2010, White Fire Reed has recorded their debut album at Sugar Tone Productions with 12 new tracks. The Album is called "Positive Change" and will be Released in the early Fall of 2010. You can find White Fire Reed's music online at their websites.
Noted bands include Breach of Trust
Breach of Trust
Breach of Trust is a Canadian alternative rock band originally from La Ronge, Saskatchewan. The band currently consists of vocalist Marty Ballentyne, guitarist Donovan Bruyere, bass guitarist Colin Cheechoo and drummer William Aubut...
, Kashtin
Kashtin
Kashtin were a Canadian folk rock duo in the 1980s and 1990s, one of the most commercially successful and famous musical groups in First Nations history....
and Burnt Project 1
Burnt Project 1
Burnt Project 1 is a Canadian First Nations band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. An eleven-member musical collective, the band incorporates elements of rock music, blues, jazz, funk and traditional First Nations music into its style. African, Middle Eastern and Latin beats are also included in their...
.
- "Pro-Diggy", an "Aboriginal Metal" band from "Cross Lake , Manitoba" and still many other bands have been on the rise due to the interest of "Metal" on Reserves.
Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards
The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards acknowledge and honour the keepers, teachers, promoters, creators and performers of Aboriginal music. As well, the awards develop and promote the diversity of all Aboriginal music, celebrate the excellence of Aboriginal music, and recognise the unique vision and musical styles of Aboriginal Canadian musicians, which include traditional chanting and drumming.Awards are offered in a number of categories, such as blues, folk, and rock. In 2004, the band Eagle & Hawk received three awards for their blend of modern rock and traditional Aboriginal vocals and rhythms on their CD “Mother Earth.” Wayne Lavallee won the Best Album of the Year Award 2004 for his CD “Green Dress,” which fuses a folk-rock acoustic style with traditional Cree chanting. The Best Rap or Hip Hop Album Award went to Team Rezofficial for their CD “TheFoundation.” With members from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the group was founded by beatmakers Big Stomp and J Mak from Hobbema, Alberta. In 2003, Burnt received two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards; Best Rock Album and Best Album Design for the CD “Project 1 The Avenue.”
Aboriginal labels and recording studios
- Sweet Grass Records is owned and operated by Ted and Darlene Whitecalf in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They represent and distribute Aboriginal musicians such as Buffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
, Red Bull, White Ridge, Stoney Park, Edmund Bull, Mervin Dreaver, Whitefish Jrs. and High Noon. - The Big Lake Recording Company Inc is an Aboriginal recording label and studio in Northern Alberta. They produce Aboriginal rock, round dance, Pow Wow, country, folk, and World Music.
- Turtle Island Music Inc. is a Native Music Recording Studio company located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada.
- Wilurarra Creative, based in Warburton Ranges, Western Australia develops produces and records Contemporary Indigenous Australian music. Wilurarra Creative Music are specialists in Desert Reggae but also produce country, rock, reggae and gospel.
See also
- :Category:Australian Aboriginal art
- List of Indigenous Australian musicians
Australia
- Peter Dunbar-Hall, (1997), Music and Meaning: The Aboriginal Rock Album, Australian Aboriginal Studies, 1997/1, pp. 38–47