CREATION NEVER SLEEPS, CREATION NEVER DIES: THE WILLIE DUNN ANTHOLOGY and NATIVE NORTH AMERICA (VOL. 1) PRESS RELEASE

*More info/pre-order HERE and HERE! PEACE

I'm Lost in the City (Thinking of John Angaiak)

Ever so often, I'll receive a phone call from Alaska. The caller is always the same, Mr. John Angaiak. John is a singer-songwriter, artist, and family man of Yup'ik descent. In 1971, he combined his love of song and language into a unique long player called I'm Lost in the City, originally released through the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, in 1971. Featuring voice and guitar,  I'm Lost in the City has two distinctive sides, one sung in English, and the other, in his native Yup'ik language. Up until that point, Yup'ik was primarily an oral language. The album was an initiative to assist in and help preserve his people's voice in the written form for future generations. I'm Lost in the City has a deeply emotional core, reflected in the haunting black and white cover. It speaks of community, history, change, nature, and love. The results will touch your heart and soul.

I found my first copy of I'm Lost in the City in Peterborough, Ontario, many moons ago at Blue Streak Records and it immediately took a special place in my collection. I'd never heard anything quite like it. Of all the songs, "I'll Rock You to the Rhythm of the Ocean" and "Hey, Hey, Hey Brother" resonated something fierce with me and I was eventually able to share them as part of the Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985 compilation in 2014. Later the following year, I was able to help get John back on stage again at NACC in Yellowknife as part of a NNA V1 event, a very rare treat.  He played us new songs that evening (which I will share in the future) as well as his classics and had the audience with him all of the way... Laughing, thinking, and feeling. Subsequently, we were able to re-release I'm Lost in the City as a full length LP/CD/Digital reissue on Light in the Attic Records, replete with a beautiful original painting by John on the inside of the gatefold sleeve.

John has been very kind to me over the years as a supporter of his music and I'm extremely honoured to have met and worked with him for the love of music, spurred on by an album that he recorded before I was even born. I look forward to our next conversation and learning more about his incredible life.

The opening lyrics of "I'll Rock You to the Rhythm of the Ocean" are as follows:

"If you ever want to travel, come to my home. I know how it feels to see something different, the time is now..."

For those who have yet to hear the music of John Angaiak, please dig in. Whether you're in Tokyo, London, Austin, Los Angeles, Halifax, or Melbourne, John's voice and guitar will be there to welcome you to his reality. I know that the seekers, heads, and travellers world-wide will resonate with his timeless vibrations...

John Angaiak - I'm Lost in the City (1971)

Available: May 6th, 2016

I’m Lost in the City (1971) is the sole vinyl LP offering from Yup’ik singer-songwriter, John Angaiak. Born in Nightmute, Alaska, in 1941, Angaiak began playing guitar at a young age, quickly learning the basics before serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Stationed in Vietnam and far away from home, Angaiak forged an astute outlook on his region, his country, and the world itself. Upon his return, Angaiak enrolled in the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where he became active in the preservation of his native language as part of the school’s Eskimo Language Workshop.
Inspired by the program’s work and a friendship with music student Stephen Halbern, Angaiak recorded I’m Lost in the City, a project that helped to document and promote the previously oral Yup’ik language into a written one through a series of songs. Each side of the album, which showcases John’s intimate vocal and guitar style, shares a part of Angaiak’s culture and history: Side One is sung in Yup’ik, while the material on Side Two is delivered in English. Both are equally emotional, deeply personal and extremely affecting.
Over 13 songs, Angaiak speaks to his community and also to the world. “Ak’a Tamaani,” for one, became a regional hit in Alaska and reached as far as Greenland where Angaiak later performed in concert. Though I’m Lost in the City garnered a small mention in industry bible Billboard, regardless of the album’s cultural value, it sold poorly outside of Alaska and other northern communities, never finding a broader audience. In addition to his work as a painter and author, Angaiak is a proud family man and a source of great knowledge of his people and the changes they have faced over the years, shifting from a subsistence hunting, fishing, and sharing lifestyle to an increasingly urban influenced cash-based existence. An important statement on indigenous life and the human condition, I’m Lost in the City showcases Angaiak’s first hand perspective on this challenging transition, something that we can all learn a great deal from.

Pre-order link: http://lightintheattic.net/releases/2253-i-m-lost-in-the-city

Morley Loon - Northland, My Land (1981)

Available: May 27th, 2016

Northland, My Land is the full-length vinyl debut from Cree singer-songwriter, actor, and force of nature, Morley Loon (1948–1986). Born in Mistissini, Quebec, Loon became active in music at an early age. Drawing from his Cree culture, language, and environment, Loon developed an organic style that inspired many Indigenous musicians. News of his talent even reached producers at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in the late 1970s. Two 7” EPs of original Cree language compositions were laid down first and later compiled into the Northland, My Land album, which was released to the public in 1981. Accompanied by percussion and flute, Loon taps into a spiritual place with this material, achieving a transcendent quality rarely heard in music. “N’Doheeno,” which translates to “The Hunter” reflects the hunting and gathering traditions of Loon’s people and region. If you close your eyes and absorb the music’s pulse (even without knowledge of Cree), it’s easy to visualize the subject of this mesmerizing song. In this quote from the original Northland, My Land liner notes, we learn more:
The call of the loon—haunting, evocative, across northern lakes and rivers, has been chosen as a signature effect by Morley Loon in his first recorded appearance. Morley and his people are close to the land and to the wildlife as part of the dominant theme of nature itself. The people have great respect for the wild creatures which they hunt, but on which they also depend. This closeness to the natural world is reflected in sentiments expressed in Cree about the traditional pursuits of the Indian.
Though a strict traditionalist who wore his hair and clothes in accordant fashion, Loon was also a seasoned road warrior, performing across Canada, the United States, and Europe. He approached things with a special joy, celebrating and promoting his Cree culture to all. Loon was active as a musician until his untimely cancer-related death in 1986. We are honored to help share Morley’s music with the world.

Pre-order link: http://lightintheattic.net/releases/2413-northland-my-land