B.C.’s first contemporary Indigenous music festival is happening in the Fraser Canyon community of Lytton May 18 to 19, and it’s drawing Juno-nominated artist Iskwé along with 17 other Indigenous artists from across the province.
Organizers are calling the Q’emcin 2 Rivers Remix a two-day ‘feast’, a free outdoor music festival where more than half of the artists are women and one third are under the age of 25.
Headliner Iskwé, a trip-hop artist fusing hip hop with electronic beats, was nominated for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards for her album The Fight Within.
Vancouver-based Ostwelve, Ronnie Dean Harris, is a Sto:lo, St’at’imc and Nlaka’pamux hip hop artist who will emcee the event.
The focus for the festival is on diversity — of sound, artistic expression, gender and age. “We have Indigenous performances from almost any musical genre from hip-hop to folk, metal to blues, rock to electronic — and more than half of the lead performers are women while one-third are youth (under 25),” artistic director Meeka Morgan stated in a news release.
Among the diverse musical acts are reggae beats by the Spiritual Warriors who sing in the Lil’wat language, thrash metal by Omega Crom, blues by 17-year-old Big Willie G-1 and electronic dance music by the See Monsters.
Apart from what will be seen on the stage — music, spoken word, dance — there will also be music workshops, video screenings and a collaborate art exhibition.
2018 Line Up: Courtesy of 2 Rivers Remix
Iskwe [Cree/Dene] – Soulful Trip-Hop
Ta’Kaiya Blaney [Tla’Amin] – Fold singer-songwriter
Ostwelve [Sto:lo/St’at’imc/Nlaka’pamux] – Emcee
The Melawmen Collective [Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth/St’atimc/Nlaka’pamux] – Rock hip-hop fusion
See Monsters [Heiltsuk/ Klahoose/Wuikinuxv] – EDM Remix & Live-Visual duo
DJ Kookum [Alexis Nakota Sioux] – EDM, Trap, Moombaton DJ
JB The First Lady [Nuxalk/Onondaga] – Hip-hop
The Spiritual Warriors [St’atimc] – Lilwat roots-reggae
Brandon Peters [St’atimc (Xaxlip)] – Hip-hop
Kym Gouchie & Northern Sky [Lheidli T’enneh] – Indigenous folk & country
Big Willie G-1 [Namgis/Kwakwaka’wakw] – Blues, rock
Laura Grizzlypaws [St’atimc] – Grizzly Dance
Omega Crom [Nadleh Whu’ten] – Thrash metal
Khastan Drummers [Lheidli T’enneh] – Hand drummers
Valeen Jules [Nuu-Chah-Nulth] – Spoken word
Salt Water Hank [Gitg’at] – Tsimishian roots folk
Ms. Panik [Haida (Xaayda)] – Live-looped electronic poetics
Sabina & Anzel Dennis [Nadleh Whu’ten] – Caribou Dance
DJ Mikey Whiprek [Secwepemc (Simpcw & Stuctews)] – Jackin/Fidget house and Glitch Hop DJ
JUST [Dakelh/Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth] – Warrior sisters punk
