Indian City

Indian City
OriginWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genres
Years active2012 (2012)–present
LabelsRising Sun, Warner Music Canada
Members
  • Gabrielle Fontaine
  • Jay Bodner
  • Rich Reid
  • Lawrence "Spatch" Mulhall
Past members
  • Vince Fontaine
  • Don Amero
  • Neewa Mason
  • Pamela Davis
  • Karen Barg
  • Jeremy Koz
  • Gerry Atwell
  • Marty Chapman
  • Steve Martens
  • Buffy Handel
  • Tik Mason
  • William Prince
  • Ray Stevenson
Websiteindiancity.ca

Indian City is a Canadian folk-rock musical group[1] best known for their 2017 Juno Award–nominated album Here & Now.[2] Originally formed as a side project by Vince Fontaine of the band Eagle & Hawk, Indian City is a rotating musical collective sometimes described as "a sort of indigenous version of Broken Social Scene".[3] Members and contributors have included Don Amero, William Prince, Jim Cuddy, Chantal Kreviazuk, Pamela Davis, Gabrielle Fontaine, Neewa Mason, Marty Chapman, Atik Mason, Gerry Atwell, Jamie Carrasco, Jay Bodner, Jeremy Koz, Rena Semenko, Steve Broadhurst, Rich Reid, and Shannon McKenney.[4]

History

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Indian City formed in 2012, and the band's debut album Supernation was released in August of that year, accompanied by a concert in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[4][5] Supernation won Best Pop Album, and Amero won Male Entertainer of the Year for both his work with Indian City and his solo album Heart on My Sleeve, at that year's Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.[6] They followed up with a second album, Colors, in 2013.[7][8] In 2015 Indian City released a single, One Day, which reaches out to those having thoughts of suicide.[9]

Here & Now, their third album, was released on 15 February 2017. The song, "Through the Flood", won Best Music video performance from the Native American Music Awards (NAMALIVE). Three of the songs from the album won the Indian Summer Music Awards in 2017: "Tree of Life" as Best Country; "Seasons" as Best Pop; and "Here & Now" as Best Rock.[10] The album was nominated for the 2018 Indigenous Music Album of the Year for the Juno Awards.[2] One of the songs on this album, "Through the Flood", features Don Amero and directly addresses the issues of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.[3] In 2018 the band performed at a concert to raise awareness of the issue.[11]

Code Red, their fourth album, was released during the fall of 2021. This album featured guest artists Jim Cuddy, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Don Amero. However, in January 2022 their band leader, Vince Fontaine, passed away from a sudden heart attack. The band decided to continue with Code Red, and the album was re-released by Warner Music Canada on 30 September 2022, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Code Red was nominated for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards.[12]

Now led by Vince's daughter, Gabrielle Fontaine, the groups continues to write and perform music as a collaborative of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous artists - in the spirit of reconciliation. Their newest album "Tomorrow" was released on National Indigenous Peoples Day 2024. The album features guest artists, Julian Taylor (singer), Kelly Bado, and Goody Grace. The album finished with "Sunrise Song", only of the last songs written by late band leader, Vince Fontaine.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Winnipeg Band Indian City to Play Ottawa on Canada Day". CBC News. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Juno Nominees Include 10 Indigenous Artists and Groups". CBC News. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Brophy, Aaron (26 June 2017). "Indian City Song Addresses Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women". Samaritan Mag. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Scammell, David (4 September 2012). "Concert Review: Indian City". The Manitoban. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Vince Fontaine's Indian City Scores Seven Nominations". Winnipeg Free Press. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Aboriginal Performers Honoured". Winnipeg Free Press. 3 November 2012. p. A13.
  7. ^ Graham, Sandy (20 August 2015). "Indian City: Colors". Cashbox Canada. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018.
  8. ^ Thacker, Sandra (1 February 2014). "Indian City Releases Second CD Called Colours". CBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  9. ^ King, Kevin (21 June 2015). "Aboriginal Artists Lend Voice to 'Endemic' Issue". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  10. ^ "2017 Indian Summer Music Awards (ISMA) Winners" (PDF). Indian Summer Festival. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2018.
  11. ^ Billeck, Scott (25 August 2018). "Concert for Missing and Murdered About Support, Awareness". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  12. ^ Jenna Benchetrit and Arti Patel, "The Weeknd picks up 4 wins on Junos 2023 opening night". CBC News, March 11, 2023.
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