Photo Credit : Emma Greenfield // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Evan Redsky is a songwriter, hailing from the First Nations Reserve of Mississaugi First Nation. Raised in Blind River and now residing in Toronto, ON. His music seamlessly weaves traditional storytelling, delicate nuance, and poignant commentary on the human condition into cathartic highway-song vignettes.
Drawing from early childhood memories of hearing classic Canadian roots music on one of his reserve’s few available radio stations, Redsky felt compelled to reclaim that form as a vehicle for recounting his own experience as a “Canadian”. Surviving a lineage plagued by the fall out of colonialism, his perspective on the plight of the Indigenous peoples of Canada is one that is deeply important in understanding the urgency of truth and reconciliation.
"Taking Shape” is “a call to action for the music community to amplify its Indigenous voices,” says Redsky. “The lyrics stare into the silo that the music industry has constructed for its Indigenous artists, and barks back. Using the very same FM Canadiana sound that I grew up on, ‘Taking Shape’ is a deliberate attempt to take back the narrative and tell a new story. Inspired by visual artist Kent Monkman's ability to reverse the colonial gaze, this is my reinterpretation and commentary on ‘Canadiana’ music."
WATCH / SHARE “TAKING SHAPE” HERE
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“Taking Shape” Single Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Growing up, Redsky was often compelled to hitchhike from Blind River to Toronto to immerse himself in the city’s burgeoning punk and hardcore music scene. Redsky recounts sleeping under bridges and on construction sites in order to stay as close as possible to the exciting culture. This commitment led to him joining up and coming punk band Single Mothers, with whom Redsky would remain a dedicated member for half a decade. Touring around the world and performing at high profile festivals such as Pitchfork Festival and Primavera Sound, provided Redsky with more context and perspective on his humble beginnings. He soon turned his focus towards advocacy for the injustices he and his family had faced their entire lives.
Redsky began hosting fundraising events for and bringing awareness to the clean water crisis which deeply affected his family still residing on the Shoal Lake #40 Reservation in Northern Ontario. Redsky’s desire to share the stories of his experiences can be traced to his prominent lineage of storytellers within his community. Notably, his great grandfather, whose work translating pictographs and novel, “The Great Leader of The Ojibway”, was published by the University of Toronto in the early 1970’s. His great grandfather was a prominent member of the spiritual group known as the Mediwiwin, and was one of the last people to possess ancient birch bark scrolls which contained etchings that date back hundreds of years. These scrolls informed the community of much of their history before being disenfranchised by the Glenbow Museum. He was also involved in building the Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, ON as a child. Infamously known as the school where Chanie Wenjack attended in Gord Downie’s Secret Path saga. The same residential school which Redsky’s father and grandfather attended.