SOUNDTRACK: BLACK PUMAS-NonCOMM 2019 (May 14, 2019).
A couple of years ago I had a pass to NonComm, but ultimately I decided not to go. I had never been to World Cafe Live and, while it sounded like a fun time, it was just so many mid-week nights and lots of leaving early, that it sounded more exhausting than fun.
I have now been to World Cafe Live and I can imagine that the (less divaish) bands are hanging around talking to people (and radio personalities) which is probably pretty cool.
I love the idea of these sorta personal concerts, too. But I have since come to see that they are 20-45 minutes tops. Hardly worth driving 90 minutes (one-way) for.
But since the shows are streaming you can watch them live. Or you can listen to the recorded version online.
Black Pumas was the opening band on the opening night. They play and exciting and fun psychedelic soul.
It is hard not to be moved by Eric Burton’s powerful voice. Joining Burton onstage was production partner and guitarist Adrian Quesada, as well as a bassist, keyboardist, and two backing vocalists. The whole band moved as a unit, but each member added their own unique talents, making Black Pumas’ sound undeniably theirs.
The set mostly comprised of songs from the band’s upcoming self titled debut, due June 21st.
“Next 2U” had some great keyboards and Burton’s impassioned vocals. “Colors” showcased their ability to slow things down a bit and to lean into improvisation. There was a grooving guitar solo and a cool keyboard solo. There was even more grooving on “Black Moon Rising.” I enjoyed Burton giving us the occasional falsetto “AH!” at the end of the verses.
I really couldn’t believe how young these guys turned out to be because their sound is really old-school, but with enough of a modern twist to keep it from being retro.
“Fire” opened with a cool guitar riff before backing away from the rock a bit to allow the big harmony vocals to really soar.
The final song “Etta James” was surprising because it was more like a Rock n’ Roll shuffle–a fast bass line running through the quick verses. It’s when the soulful chorus comes in that Etta James surfaces both in the lyrics and in the soul of the song. Although the scorching guitar solo brings the song back around to its rocking sensibility.
Black Pumas sound like a great live band that would be even more fun to see than to hear.
[READ: May 2, 2019] “Tax Niʔ Pik̓ak (A Long Time Ago)”
The July/August issue of The Walrus is the Summer Reading issue. This year’s issue had three short stories and three poems as special features.
This story was written by Troy Sebastian / Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓, a Ktunaxa writer living in Lekwungen territory based in Victoria. It’s not often that I read a story with a glossary, but it was very helpful, because this story uses a number of Ktunaxa words.
- tax niʔ pik̓ak—a long time ago
- Ka titi—grandmother
- suyupi—white people
- ka·pi—coffee
- Kupi—owl
- Ktunaxa ʔamak̓is—Ktunaxa lands
The story starts fairly simply, a long time ago. Uncle Pat says that the suyupi have built a statue of David Thompson.
I didn’t know who that was, so Wikipedia tells me he was an explorer. “Over Thompson’s career, he traveled some 90,000 kilometres (56,000 mi) across North America, mapping 4.9 million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles) of North America along the way. For this historic feat, Thompson has been described as the “greatest land geographer who ever lived.” He was born in 1770 and died in 1857.
Obviously, the Ktunaxa are not as impressed by him.
Uncle Pat went to the unveiling of the statue because of the ka·pi. He loved it and there was some available there.
Ka titi didn’t approve of his ka·pi drinking, “ka·pi is for ceremony and blessings.” But Uncle Pat replied, “Every day is a blessing.”
Ka titi also doesn’t approve of suyupi in general. Since they showed up with their teevees, “a lot of us Indians don’t believe in miracles.” She also says that she was alive when David Thompson happened upon the land. He was hungry lost and afraid. She wasn’t impressed then and still isn’t. Her memories span from the first glacier winter to the first Hockey Night in Canada.
Uncle Pat headed to he outhouse and he heard Kupi call his name. This startled him, but Ka titi said that all the ancestors in the woods need to use the outhouse too.
When he settled in, Ka titi told him the truth about David Thompson. Thompson had heard this story of Uncle Skin.
Uncle Skin was crazy in his own way–he knew things that were happening far away and he knew things before they happened. One season, when the tribe was short of meat, Uncle Skin went for a walk. Everyone assumed he wouldn’t come back. But that wasn’t his intention. He walked to a place called Lethbridge (about 1200km from Victoria). When he got to Lethbridge he went to the grand opening of the new Overwaitea (a grocery store chain founded in 1915) He walked in. The suyupi had never seen a Ktunaxa before and were impressed “as we Ktunnaxa are known for our well-developed bodies and easy-going attitude towards sex.”
He asked for a beet salad and some chicken which they, unsure what to do, gave to him. When he returned, they tribe feasted on this offering.
The suyupi were so impressed by Uncle Skin that they built a statute to him. And this is what David Thompson wanted to emulate.
So don’t be so impressed by the suyupi, even what you see on teevee.
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