Legendary Taino/Tuscarora singer Pura Fé, returns with "Sacred Seed" the title track and lead single from her forthcoming solo album on Nueva Onda Records.
Pura Fé is perhaps most well known as the founding member of the Indigenous women's a cappela group Ulali, but she is an accomplished singer and an acclaimed songwriter in her own right.
Having recently been discovered by the Nueva Onda label in France, she has gained a whole new audience for her work—and a new group of creative collaborators.
"Sacred Seed", the lead single and title track from her new album, is a beautiful slice of Indigenous blues — a celebration of ancestral memory, sacred stories, and cycles of renewal. Pura Fé's vocals powerfully carry the stripped down tune into a piano and electric guitar-soaked haze of harmony. A soulful taste of things to come.
Sacred Seed will be released on January 27th and Pura Fé will be touring through France in 2015. Tour dates below.
From Pura Fé and John Trudell's recent European tour, this video has emerged of the duo in France performing a rendition of Trudell's Wild Seed.
Starting at the end of January, Pura Fé and John Trudell embarked on a European tour that took them to France, Scotland and The Netherlands, including stops at the Sons d'Hiver Music Fest in Paris and the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.
The pairing have just completed the tour, but for those of us who didn't get to see them live this time around, this video is a sumptuous peak into the great collaboration between two of our most beloved artists from Turtle Island who are taking Indigenous music culture to world beyond.
Intro
Kashtin - Tshinanu (Our People)Radmilla Cody - A Beautiful DawnTerri-Lynn Williams-Davidson - A Call to the AncestorsRobbie Robertson featuring Ulali - Mahk Jchi (Heart Beat Drum Song)
Wab Kinew - Anishinabemowin Word of the Day - NinagamWab Kinew - Anishinabemowin Word of the Day - KetenagamonanWab Kinew - Anishinabemowin Word of the Day - Nagamok!Wab Kinew - Anishinabemowin Word of the Day - Diwe'igan
Outro
Today Lumbee singer-songwriter Jana Mashonee released a new single, Stay With Me Baby. In this exclusive audio interview, Jana chats with RPM about her career path as an Indigenous female musician and her dedication to promoting her culture in this audio interview.
Jana also speaks about her work as a mentor and the creation of her non-profit organization Jana's Kids, which you can read more about in our feature Music Mentor: Jana Mashonee, Lumbee Musician.
Here's a great podcast featuring an in-depth interview with and music from Tuscarora blues artist Pura Fe.
Pura Fe is interviewed by Raven Redbone on the Olympia, Washington based radio show Make No Bones About It on KAOS 89.3 FM. Pura speaks about her beginnings in music with a musical family, her musical influences and inspirations and her musical process.
Listen to An Evening With Pura Fe On Make No Bones About It here:
As always, accompanying our RPM Podcasts, here’s a YouTube playlist on our RPM YouTube Channel featuring some very awesome and amazing Six Nations Indigenous artists.
Derek Miller - Devil Come Down Sunday
APTN - The Mix - Murray Porter Profile
Robbie Robertson - Fallen Angel
Pappy Johns Band - Them Changes (LIVE)
Tru Rez Crew - I'm A Lucky One
Charlie Hill at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival
Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora. In our sixth episode we look at the music from the Six Nations.
The Six Nations are a cultural and historical force. Part of that strength in the abundance of musicians who have come from this artistically concentrated area over the years.
RPM talked to blues artist Murray Porterabout the Native influence on blues, multi-disciplinary artist and radio host Janet Rogers on her continuation of traditional oratory through spoken word (and feeling "lucky to be be born brown"), and newcomer guitarist/songwriter Joel Johnsonwho is continuing in the long line of fantastic Six Nations blues artists.
Also, Oneida comedy legend Charlie Hilloffers a few wise words.
As a side plate to ourNew Traditional podcast, here's a YouTube playlist of some incredible Indigenous videos on YouTube.
Robbie Robertson and Ulali - Mahk Jchi (LIVE)
Russell Wallace - Gathering Song - Tzo'kam
A Tribe Called Red - Red Skin Girl
Moana & The Tribe
David R. Maracle - Pollution
9 Year Old Rocks Hand Drum (Aaron Potts Letendre at Alexis First Nation)
Traditional Expression - Jasmine Anderson and Joanne Soldier
In our fourth episode, RPM looks at New Traditional, beginning with the question: What is it? And how can something be new and traditional at the same time?
Perhaps it is music made new today but in a traditional style, perhaps it is any music that comes from our people.
Ostwelve talked with two giants in the field of New Traditional music -Jennifer Kreisberg, a Tuscarora artist from the groundbreaking all-female drum group Ulali and Lil'wat musician and composer Russell Wallace, one of the first Indigenous artists to experiment with samples of traditional music - to get their take.
Representing the East and West Coasts of Turtle Island, Jennifer and Russell offer many insightful - and a few differing - views on the subject.
Pura Fe’ and the Pura Fe’ Trio are taking on the Blues world with a new LIVE double-CD and an ambitious international travel schedule that’ll be remembered in the annals of Blues music history.
Consisting of Cary Morin on lead guitar, Pete Knudsen on percussion and Pura Fe’ on vocals and slide guitar, the Pura Fe’ Trio is a collective that can roll with the best of the Blues music world and still bring you a pure Indigenous sound that will shake your spiritual core. On her fifth solo album project, Pura Fe’ shares with us a live performance from Spring of 2011 in the form of a double-CD album - A Blues Night in North Carolina.
Born in New York City and raised within a family of talented traditional Tuscarora singers Pure Fe’ has been groomed into musical mastery since a young age. Her mother, Nanice Lund, was a classically trained opera singer who toured with Duke Ellington and his Sacred Concert Series. With her traditional roots stemming from the Tuscarora Nation in North Carolina in addition to the history of integration between Indigenous peoples and the slave trade, Blues music has become a large part of who Pura Fe’ is to this day
As the founder of the world famous female drum group, Ulali, Pura Fe’ was afforded the chances to travel the world and be a part of a greater musical movement while playing to crowds around the globe. During this time of Ulali’s world travels, the group went on to work with people such as Robbie Robertson on the song Mahk Jchi which was featured on the Jay Leno show and also reached platinum status in Italy. She has performed in huge showcases such as the World Festival For Sacred Music for the Dalai Lama, was featured on the soundtrack for the Miramax film Smoke Signals and has opened for artists like Neil Young, Taj Mahal and George Duke to name a couple.
After pursuing a solo career, she learned to play the acoustic lap slide guitar, which is an instrument identified with a large part of the native music culture in North Carolina. Teaching herself to play songs on the slide guitar, she proceeded to record the album Follow Your Heart’s Desire on the Music Maker label. From there she has gone on to win a Nammy in 2006 and a L’Académie Charles Cros Award (France’s version of the Grammy) for “Best World Album”.
Now touring with her group the Pura Fe’ Trio, she brings to the musical universe her live performance album that features Justin Robinson of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Deer Clan Singers, mixing Blues and traditional sounds along with her vocals to create this double-CD masterpiece. Released in February 2011, this album is sure to be part of music history for both the Indigenous music community and the Blues circuits worldwide.
Pura Fe’ says she is now splitting her time between sun dances, community work with women and families and canoeing the rivers of her traditional territories. Starting this September, she will be teaching at the University of Toronto and then will begin touring with her trio in the upcoming spring into the summer.
Now working on stage with her pedal looper, she is creating innovative sounds using percussion and traditional vocals, proving that new techniques can be employed into traditional styles and evolved into something that is both beautiful and inspiring.
In today’s climate of commercially marketed music, Pura Fe’ shows us that raw heart and soul can create the most amazing music. As an Indigenous woman in the arts, she proves herself to be of ultimate talent while maintaining her self-determined identity within both the Native and non-native music community.
To learn more about the Pura Fe’ Trio, check out her website Purefe.com
To purchase A Blues Night in North Carolina, visit her page on iTunes.
When I first think of Gary Farmer, I think of (and love) his roles as Arnold Joseph (Victor's Dad) in Smoke Signals and Nobody in Dead Man. But his acting career started twenty years before those 90s films and continues to this day. We're big fans here at RPM and were thrilled to learn that Gary is also a fantastic songwriter and musician! Gary sent us this sneak peak from his upcoming blues/rock album Under the Water Tower and we're honoured to spread the good sounds. The album drops this fall - we'll keep you posted - but in the meantime, get your groove on with Make a Change.Download: Gary Famer & The Troublemakers – “Make a Change”
RPM Records
Revolutions Per Minute is a global new music platform, record label, and boutique agency for Indigenous music culture. RPM’s mission is to build a visionary community of Indigenous artists and to introduce Indigenous music to new audiences across Turtle Island and around the world. Our main site, RPM.fm, has featured the work of more than 500 Indigenous artists and shared their music across our social networks of more than 275,000 followers.
RPM Records is the first of its kind: a label for contemporary, cross-genre Indigenous music, run by Indigenous people. Selected by The FADER as one of “5 New Canadian Record Labels The Entire World Should Know”, RPM Records artists include Ziibiwan, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Exquisite Ghost, and Mob Bounce.
