Iqaluit Rock City

December 21, 2017 7:44 PM

Uphere.ca Magazine's Northerners of the Year are the musical group The Jerry Cans. Known for songs like Ukiuq, (featuring throat-singing band member Nancy Mike) (English Version), the Celtic-tinged Mamaqtuq, the anti-domestic violence song Arnalukaq, the jaunty Iqanajarumanngittunga and Pai Gaalaqautikkut, the anti-PETA song Dear PETA, and the love song Aakuluk. But The Jerry Cans are not the only musicians heating up Canada's Arctic, many of them signed by the Iqaluit-based Aakuluk Recording Label.

While Tanya Tagaq rightfully gets the lion's share of attention for new northern music (and is a great follow on twitter), other bands are worthy of a listen, such as Saali and the Ravenhearts, with the bluesy Sapiqangitunga, rolling Sapiqangitunga, and vaguely celtic Ummatiga; Kelly Fraser with the poppy Isuma; Anuri, a throat-singing duet from Iva and Riit, younger sister of Nancy Mike; The Trade Offs - Qaumariaq; Hulangailaa by Agaaqtoq, featuring Iva; Celina Kalluk and Marie Belleau (at Iqaluit Pride 2014); and Nukatugat - The Friend Song. Honourable mention goes to Greenland's Nanook.

These contemporary musicians follow in the footsteps of Arctic & Sub-Arctic pioneers such as veteran rock/metal band Northern Haze (e.g. ), Slayvz, Kashtin, and Charlie Adams.

posted by Rumple (15 comments total)

Lucie Idlout - E5-770: My Mother's Name
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:56 PM on December 21, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thank you for this post! I love the Jerry Cans! And Tanya Tagaq is force to be reckoned with. And Kashtin was great, too. I had one of their cassettes (back when people had cassettes.) I will listen to all these great links while I clean my house tomorrow!
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:05 PM on December 21, 2017

This is wonderful -- can't wait to dig into all of this. Thanks, Rumple!
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 8:05 PM on December 21, 2017

Oh shit yeah, Lucie Idlout is incredibly talented.
posted by Rumple at 8:09 PM on December 21, 2017

Great post!

I saw Tanya Tagaq this summer when she played for free at the Canada Games in Winnipeg (Jerry Cans played first). I'd been a fan but never saw her live... it was quite something. Definitely a highlight of the year for me and my family.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:11 PM on December 21, 2017

Thanks - yah arctic!

I saw Riit on Steve Paikin's show - really like her music. Much to explore.
posted by parki at 8:15 PM on December 21, 2017

Great post! Thank you.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:21 PM on December 21, 2017

This is a Pink Floyd style of music that I really like - I hope you do too:
    Inuit - Silarsuarmut Sassalerputit
(it means "just stepping out into the world")

Great subject for a post Rumple
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:22 PM on December 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

I was lucky enough to catch the Jerry Cans two years back at the Vancouver Folk Fest. They were charismatic, funny and talented. Within two or three songs, they had strangers square-dancing with one another, kicking up dust in the setting sun.
posted by kmkrebs at 8:52 PM on December 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

I love the Jerry Cans! I played them for my indigenous literature class this semester and my students really liked them too.

And Tanya Tagaq...I saw her live a couple of years ago and she was electrifying.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:35 PM on December 21, 2017

Thank you so much for this post! All these bands are new to me and I am super excited to check them out!
posted by daisyk at 3:29 AM on December 22, 2017

I got a chance to see the Jerry Cans live this summer at the Kaslo Jazz etc Festival and they were fantastic. They also did a throat singing workshop later in the day and sat in on some other shows, as happens sometimes. Aside from their music, they also talked a fair amount about cultural preservation and what it's like to grow up in the North.

My daughter's school used their song "Northern Lights" as their entry in the CBC's Music Class Challenge and they got the whole school to do the throat singing. (Here's a Link to the performance if you like watching elementary school kids sing and play)
posted by sauril at 8:52 AM on December 22, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sauril, that was a sweet performance! The kids did a great job!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:33 AM on December 22, 2017

Oh sauril, that was so good! Did you get all teary? I did. What an amazing music teacher, too!
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 10:39 AM on December 22, 2017

Thanks you two! I did get all teary. My girls had integral parts too, so that made it even more special. And our music teacher is amazing. We're lucky to have a dedicated music teacher at a small elementary school (I think about 180 kids this year)
posted by sauril at 11:08 AM on December 22, 2017 [1 favorite]