Aysanabee, who won JUNO awards this year for Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, is coming to the 4 Wing Theatre for a special night of songs and stories September 27.
The Oji-Cree musician from Sandy Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario is the first Indigenous musician to win either of those categories. He was also shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Prize, one of the highest honours in Canadian music.
The 4 Wing Military Family Resource Centre Society (MFRCS) is offering the concert as a Truth and Reconciliation event. Everyone is welcome, but audience members must contact MFRCS to reserve a ticket.
Aysanabee’s music career turned a corner during Covid restrictions. He had been playing in bands in and around Toronto when the music scene was shut down. Unable to perform with the band, he took to songwriting.
In the meantime he experimented with different pedals offering a variety of effects to his guitar playing.
“I remember playing and being like, ‘oh, this doesn’t sound full enough.’ So I bought one pedal and then I was like, ‘oh, that’s nice.’ And then I bought two pedals and it’s like a slippery slope, getting into all these different pedals and pads that can help create all these different soundscapes and textures. I find myself often very inspired,” he said.
“I think people are always a little surprised, to be completely honest. They see a guy go out with an acoustic guitar—‘okay, I’ve seen this before’—but then they’re like ‘oh wait, what just happened? This is not what I was expecting at all.’
“There’s been times where I’ve been told the solo show sounds just as full as the band show.”
His band is a high-powered group with full rhythm section, backup singers, lead guitar and of course himself as front man. It’s a full sound, and it’s fun, but Aysanabee says there is something special about the solo shows.
“It’s more of an intimate experience,” he said. “I’m able to take the time to talk about the stories and the messages behind the songs. And maybe little anecdotes and different memories I have about playing the songs—stories that happened on this journey.
“I feel with the solo show you get to know me more as a person and know me more as an artist than when I’m playing with the band.”
Some of his music is rooted at Sandy Lake and with his people, the Sucker Clan. His first album, Watin, is named for his grandfather and includes his grandfather’s voice. He describes it as “part music, part journalism.”
His most recent release, Here and Now, focuses on personal stories of love and loss.
His audience spans the generations—he has found that he appeals to older people as much as he does to the young crowd.
“It’s interesting because it really varies. I’ve noticed the audience when I play all-ages events, young people who are of age will come to the show and also people who are retired,” he said.
“I don’t think the music is geared to one set of ears or one demographic. I feel like every show I’ve played, I’ve seen people from all walks of life. It just depends who listens to the music and who resonates with it.
“That’s kind of what I shoot for.”
For ticket info, call 4 Wing MFRCS at (780) 594-6006\
