Indigenous singer entertains with traditional and urban beats
By Kelly Anne Smith
North Bay – The Red Ride Tour 2016 started off with musical greatness on Nipissing First Nation.
Rosary Spence was the opening act at Aanmitaagzi’s Big Medicine Studio followed by The Johnnys – a high-energy rock band fronted by singer, guitar player Veronica Johnny with drummer Dave Johnny. Veronica is of Cree and Dene heritage from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
Rosary Spence is an indigenous singer, infusing contemporary sounds and urban beats. She tells her audience she sings back up for the ‘Big Drums’.
Spence has an almost suspenseful presence onstage, as you wonder what style she will sing next. She is fluid moving from Indigenous folk, calling her guitar “Ben” to a strong blues songstress.
Her first song is on her CD. Sung with a drum, it was written for her son when he was a baby. She calls him Makoons, Ojibway for Little Bear.
Spence’s first album it titled Maskawasiwin, a Cree word for strength. “It’s a 10 track album. It took me quite a long time to write that. I was composing the music back in 2009.
The album has a mix of who I am as an artist. I do a lot of traditional indigenous singing. Much of the music I compose comes from that place. The album is 50% Indigenous music and the other half is a contemporary Indigenous sound.”
Spence pours herself into her song writing. The good feedback encourages her to continue to compose more music. “Each and every song has a story of personal experience. Song creation is a healing journey in itself. I receive some form of healing from each song.”
Lyrics such as “Money can’t be eaten” and “See beauty all around you with conscious eyes” show the wisdom of this young songwriter.
Spence credits her grandparents with encouraging her to sing. She dedicated a song to her grandmother. “I think of all the things that she taught me to keep me focused.
“I started singing when I was really young in the church choir and singing in school performances and singing around the house with my Granny.”
Rosary didn’t start singing with a hand drum and composing traditional style music until she was in her early twenties. “It has been quite the journey and I must say it’s probably my most favorite thing to do.”
Spence is comfortable in her surroundings on the North Bay shore of Lake Nipissing — her home after Fort Albany and before Toronto. She has an intimate relationship with her audience, almost as if she was singing to her closest friends.
A highlight for me was when Rosary invited an old friend from the audience up, Tasheena Sarazin, along with her cousin Darren Nakogee on drum, to accompany her in a social song. The singers pitch, strength, and synchronicity were wonderful and powerful.
The Red Ride Tour’s Kristi Sinclair and Aanmitaagzi’s Clayton Wyndat are talking about another big music festival. Wyndat’s company Zakide which brought the Red Ride in is working on an annual Indigenous music festival for North Bay.