A Tribe Called Red to headline 2020 Rhythm of the People Music & Arts Festival

Legendary DJ collective A Tribe Called Red

The Indigenous resilience in Music announced more headlines for the 4-day Rhythm of the People Music & Arts Festival, and Multi-Stream Program initiatives for 2020. The festival, which embodies reconciliation will take place in Calgary on August 13 -16th. Joining A Tribe Called Red on the bill are Soccer Mommy, Quinn Christopherson, CITIZEN, and more.

Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM) has also just announced their most anticipated programming to date, the renewed Rhythm of the People. Throughout 2020, this will unfold through three programs: a creative artist residency program focused on language revitalization, a youth music program hosted in Treaty 7 communities, and a music and arts festival housed at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre.

“IRIM is really focussed on building relationships, assisting Indigenous musicians in creating platforms that they can access, and creating better representation of Indigenous peoples in music and the arts,” expressed Curtis Running-Rabbit Lefthand, Executive Artistic Director of Indigenous Resilience in Music. “Currently we’re doing that through the Rhythm of the People Music & Arts festival that highlights Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians, and the positive relationships we can have together in a community.”

“The National Music Centre is thrilled to partner with IRIM on the multi-stream Rhythm of the People initiative and to provide a space for Indigenous voices to be amplified and recognized,” said Andrew Mosker, President and CEO of NMC. “This partnership is part of NMC’s ongoing commitment to presenting programs that foster reconciliation here in Treaty 7 and across the country.

The Rhythm of the People Music & Arts Festival is determined to embody reconciliation and building positive relationships, as the 4-day fest will be showcasing Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians spanning across several genres. As previously announced, founders of electric pow-wow A Tribe Called Red are set to play the fest. Joining them will be grunge-wave sensation Soccer Mommy, award-winning Athabas- kan/Inupiaq songwriter Quinn Christopherson, post-hardcore standalone CITIZEN, to name a few. There will also be a major visual arts aspect to this festival curated in partnership with TRUCK Contemporary Art, creating a decolonized arts space. This all will be taking place on August 13-16, 2020, festival passes are already on sale. Second-wave artist announcement will be on May 4, 2020, and all announcements leading up to the festival can be found on IRIM’s socials, Rhythm of the People socials, and website: https://www.irim.ca/festival

The Rhythm of the People Artist Residency focuses on the revitalization of Indigenous languages through song. Taking place from May 4-17, the chosen resident artist(s) will learn (or expand on what they know of) their ancestral language from a knowledge keeper. In the process, they will realize, write, and record music using only this language, and any kind of instruments they require. Once the residency is complete, IRIM will honour the hard work of the resident artist through a fully engineered, mastered, and produced vinyl record of their new music. The program will end with an invitation for the artist(s) to perform during the Rhythm of the People – Music & Arts Festival. https://www.irim.ca/artistresidency

The Rhythm of the People Youth Program is dedicated to empowering youth musicians. IRIM will mentor and guide Indigenous youth to write and record one original song in a professional music studio setting. As an extension to this process, participants will plan and execute the production of a music video that will support the original song created. After the program is completed, the community and Indigenous youth will be invited to perform their written original song at our Rhythm of the People — Music & Arts Festival. This year, the Youth program will take place in these Treaty 7 nations from June – July 2020: Siksika Nation, and Tsuut’inaNation. https://www.irim. ca/youthprogram

IRIM is an Indigenous-led organization with a mandate to create space for Indigenous musicians and support them in mentoring Indigenous youth through music. The organization provides a space for Indigenous youth to reclaim their identity through workshops and artist residencies and a platform for Indigenous musicians to showcase their work.