As musician Aysanabee stood on stage finally 12 months’s Junos in Halifax accepting the award for various album of the 12 months, a reminiscence of the ultimate dialog he had together with his late grandfather was on his thoughts.
It was Could 2023. The Oji-Cree singer-songwriter’s grandfather informed him, “Do the things you say you’re gonna do.”
The remark caught with Aysanabee and as he gave thanks on the awards present to the individuals who opened doorways for him, he made a pledge.
“I’m going to try and take those hinges off and bring you all with me,” he mentioned.
Quick ahead to right now and he’s on his first headlining tour, which can see him play reveals in Japanese Canada over the following month, together with seven in Nova Scotia.
DeeDee Austin performs on the Marquee Ballroom in Halifax on Feb. 7, 2024. She’s opening 4 reveals for Aysanabee in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. (CBC Music)
To open doorways for different musicians, he’s having completely different Indigenous artists open the reveals, in addition to selling them on his social media channels. Aysanabee mentioned he additionally desires to be a useful resource to the openers and reply any questions they’ve.
“I just want to foster a music community where it’s just kind of healthy and people are trying to uplift each other,” mentioned Aysanabee, who lives in Toronto, however is initially from Sandy Lake First Nation in Ontario.
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Even when the opening slots are booked up, Aysanabee mentioned he desires individuals to contact him as there could also be alternatives sooner or later.
Mi’kmaw musician DeeDee Austin, who lives in Fall River, N.S., however is a member of the Abegweit First Nation, is opening 4 reveals in Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
“I feel personally that there’s so many Indigenous artists that get kind of just swept under the rug, so for Aysanabee to kind of help us break out from under the rug and kind of showcase us and turn us on to his audience, it’s really honourable,” mentioned the pop musician.
Mi’kmaw singer Emma Stevens performs in Ottawa on April 22, 2022. She’s opening Aysanabee’s present in Glace Bay, N.S. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Austin mentioned she observed most of the openers could be thought of up and comers, so that they want as a lot publicity as they’ll get.
She’s trying ahead to the reveals.
“Whenever you get an opportunity to open up for any artist, you kind of bring both communities together,” she mentioned. “And in fact, you get to kind of turn each other on to your audiences and you get to showcase each other to your music and your art.”
Emma Stevens, a Mi’kmaw musician from Eskasoni First Nation, is the opener for the Glace Bay, N.S., present. She hopes the chance permits her to succeed in a broader viewers past the East Coast base she’s established.
“Hopefully, I can bring him some of my audience and he can bring me some of his audience and it’ll be a blast,” mentioned the folk-country-pop musician.
How Dan Mangan helped encourage Aysanabee’s thought
Aysanabee is encouraging individuals to indicate up early and never miss the opening acts. In any other case, he cautioned there are some issues individuals will miss out on.
“That’s as far as I can go into that,” he mentioned.
Aysanabee says musicians like Dan Mangan made him need to assist different musicians. (Jonah Atkins)
For Aysanabee, the thought to showcase the openers can be rooted in experiences he had opening for different musicians, reminiscent of Dan Mangan and Allison Russell.
Within the case of a fall 2023 tour with Mangan, Aysanabee remembers worrying about how he must drive in a single day and thru the day to get to gigs.
However the worries have been moot as a result of Mangan invited Aysanabee to journey on the tour bus.
“He’s like, ‘No, man. You’re part of the team … just pay it forward down the road,’” mentioned Aysanabee.
