BeatRoute Magazine AB print e-edition - March 2017

EDMONTON EXTRA
nêhiyawak
on respecting tradition, blazing trails and community diversity
by Brittany Rudyck
nêhiyawak embed “catchy numbers” with thoughtful oomph.
photo: Conor McNally
One of the first things nêhiyawak’s Marek
Tyler did when BeatRoute visited Edmonton’s
Aviary venue one balmy February
afternoon was offer tea. The smell of sweetly
pungent smudge was present in the air and the
space felt homey and comfortable. We opted to
set up in the back room where the band rehearses
two to three times a week. As Tyler moved around
the space organizing gear and setting up for the
post conversation jam, we reflected personally on
growing up in Saskatchewan and other geographical
similarities.
The Cree word nêhiyawak directly means plains
people, or people of the plains, pronounced:
neh-Hee-o-wuk, with an emphasis on the second
syllable. BeatRoute learned as the interview went
on, the word and its meaning weighs heavily on
the band as they navigate the musical landscape,
as well as their relationships with elders, youth and
the community at large.
Kris Harper (guitar) and Matthew Cardinal
(bass) walked through the doors shortly after we
settled. Once we each had a glass of tea in hand
Tyler was quick to begin the interview process
eagerly seeking out the first question. His natural
curiosity and apparent desire to know more about
his band mates’ thoughts and ideas permeated our
entire conversation.
The band’s openness with each other and
what they approach in terms of art is a refreshing
attitude to witness. Harper and Tyler
are cousins from the Onion Lake Cree Nation
with just enough age difference to have missed
a close relationship growing up. It was 2003
when the two first recorded music together and
was also when the idea of forming a band was
hatched, but it wasn’t until a decade later that
the band would truly form with Cardinal joining
the cousins after only a few jams as a duo.
“I remember the first time playing together
and feeling something special,” Tyler recalls. “It
felt nice; like there was a spark. But then two or
three jams in, Matthew joined us and it felt right.
Kris had a few songs in the bag, but told us that
nothing was set in stone and the songs were still
young. That’s a really neat place to be, a fertile
place to be. Matthew has a beautiful sense of
sound and approach to music. It felt good right
away but we’re still getting to know each other.”
The natural chemistry between the trio is
noticeable in the first two tracks nêhiyawak
has released on their Bandcamp page. The first
release, “Tommaso,” is an expansive, love infused
indie rock ballad with atmospheric yet catchy
hooks that sounds similar to early Stills songs.
The lyrics are decidedly intellectual, exploring the
relationship between Michelangelo and his assistant
Tommaso. Their second release “Disappear”
was greatly inspired by a lecture given by Bertha
Oliva and Robert Lovelace.
One of the great things about Harper’s writing
style is he leaves each song up for further discussion
and research, if the listener is open to it. “Fats
Domino made a song [called] ‘Walkin’ to New
Orleans’ which is a catchy number,” Harper explains.
“In reality there were only two groups of people
who walked to New Orleans so to a lot of people it
will remain just a catchy number. For those who are
interested it can go a lot deeper. That’s the same for
us. There will hopefully be some catchy numbers on
the upcoming album but for those who want more,
there will be a lot of ideas to spur interest. Lots of
the ideas are in direct reference to indigenous culture,
some are not. I’ll try to reference my material in
everything we print.”
nêhiyawak recorded their first three songs on
Vancouver Island with Colin Stewart, who has
recorded notable artists Black Mountain and The
New Pornographers. Stewart’s home studio is just
north of Victoria and provides a luscious backdrop to
“hide out and drink a lot of tea.” Surrounded by 80 ft.
trees and near the ocean it seemed to be the perfect
place to create their first full length album which is
still very much in its infancy. “Colin gets it,” Tyler says
of his longtime friend and producer. “We all come
from an indie rock background. I’ve worked with him
on a bunch of albums and I trust the guy. He has no
fear and he’s respectful. We’re bringing in something
that’s a bit different and he makes good decisions
with it. I trust him.”
During our conversation, Harper also mentioned
the notion that the band’s voice is slightly more
feminine in nature, which comes from an ideal in
indigenous culture that women are at the forefront
of decision-making. “I could never really feel like I’m
bringing forth that much of a new idea. We’re still
representing ourselves as three male individuals on
stage. That’s not very new musically or sonically per
se,” explains Harper. “But I do think what we’re trying
to say and trying to involve in ourselves and the circles
we’re trying to meander through are very different
than those kind of male dominated scenes. I feel
like that idea of women being the focal point of the
conjecture, the ideas, the ideologies is not necessarily
being represented here but we need to acknowledge
and allow space for a voice that’s not our own.”
Adding further clarity to that thought, Tyler
continued, “We ask for guidance from our youth and
from our elders on how to do this in a respectful way
and bring them into the circle. If we live in an echo
chamber, a vacuum, it becomes really fake, really
quick. There’s a reciprocity that is really important in
what we do. I love the process of learning from each
other; it’s more than just a band. It feels like there’s
something we need to say.”
nêhiyawak are also eagerly awaiting the release
of a documentary this spring by local filmmaker
Connor McNally called ôtênaw, which they
designed the score for. The film captures the
storytelling of Edmonton educator Dwayne Donald,
who keeps the multi-faceted layers of history
within Treaty 6 land alive.
“We haven’t recognized all these places of burial or
where we’re coming from on this land. We walk on
the history every day. It’s heavy. It was very enlightening
to be part of this project and hear Dwayne speak,”
added Harper.
“Before we did the music, we saw the first cut of
the documentary then went on one of the walks the
movie is about. We were told about paintings and
the idea of everything being as multi layered as a
canvas being repainted over and over again. It was a
great way of thinking about the land we’re on,” Tyler
concluded with a smile, “we’re just a snapshot on one
of those layers. It gave me a bit of perspective and
respect for before and after this blip in history.”
Catch nêhiyawak at Fort Edmonton Park March 17th
as part of Stories on the Hills. Their third single, Starlight,
comes out the same day on Bandcamp.
26 | MARCH 2017 • BEATROUTE