Kettle and Stony Point First Nation musical duo win big in Tennesee

By Colin Graf

CHIPPEWAS OF KETTLE AND STONY POINT FIRST NATION— After only a year as musicians, two brothers from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation find themselves riding a wave of success that’s carried them all the way to a big contest win in the heartland of country music.

The Brothers Wilde, Nolan, 21, and Ethan, 16, recently won the award as New Country Duo of the Year at the North American Country Music Association contest in Tennessee, months after playing and singing together as a serious musical group.

The duo entered the contest after a handful of gigs, starting at the local theatre in Forest, a town near Kettle and Stony Point in southwestern Ontario, recalls lead singer Nolan.

“We never thought we’d be doing this, but we’ve just loved it,” says lead guitarist Ethan Wilde, adding that they have received much support from family and community.

The road to the Tennessee competition actually began for the brothers with a setback last Nov. Competing for the only spot for Ontario in the international contest, the Wilde brothers lost to another pair by one point. Ethan Nolan says that although it was a sad moment, the disappointment evaporated when the event’s organizer told them, “They really felt talent in us”, and invited them to compete anyway.

While they are largely self-taught, the Wildes credit their family with kick starting their musical career. Their father Garnet, who plays various instruments, has been “a huge influence,” says Nolan, and helped them with some guitar playing “after we took the initiative,” he adds. Ethan says their Dad has been in various bands “as long as I can remember”.  To help them along, Garnet opened his instrument collection in the music shack next to their house to his sons, giving them a place to learn and practice.  Ethan was the first to play guitar, says his brother, with Nolan “feeling it out” a little later.

Another influencer for the pair is their manager (“really I’m just their aunt”) Candace Scott-Moore.  As talent coordinator for the Indspire Awards, Scott-Moore has heard many First Nations musical performers, and is working to give the brothers a boost.  When she first heard Nolan sing an Ed Sheeran cover just for fun, she was shocked at the quality of his voice.  When that combined with Ethan’s guitar playing, she realized there was something special happening.  She convinced them to sing for their father’s birthday a year ago, and soon had them playing at local gigs.  While she freely admits to being anything but impartial, Scott-Moore says Nolan’s voice “can capture you instantly,” and Ethan is “a born performer”.

The brothers asked if she could get them more gigs, and soon Scott-Moore found herself in the manager’s role, keeping their schedules and booking contracts.  “Now we have multiple offers in weekends,” including a Canada Day performance on Manitoulin Island, a show on the beach in Grand Bend, “which will draw a huge crowd,” she says, and a couple of possible shows in Toronto.  They will also be sharing the stage at Westfest in Ottawa with Canadian country music legend Charlie Major on June 8.  Before then they have to put together a band, says Ethan, who is still finishing Grade 11.

The young musicians also have felt some extra wind in their sails thanks to their community. That support has “lit a huge fire under us.  Everyone wants us to see us do well; the Chief, the Council.  For us, it’s huge because they are always supporting us, everyone is so kind and supportive, we’ve never had any doubters along our early road so far,” according to Nolan.

While preparing for the Tennessee competition, the Brothers Wilde had to decide whether to play it safe with cover versions of familiar country songs. In the end, the instinct that told them the judges would “probably like something original” led them well, says Ethan. They were given two slots and filled them both with the only original songs they had prepared then, “Roots”, and “Write You a Song”.

That win is propelling them on a new stage in their musical career, preparing for both the summer shows, and for recording next fall with First Nation country performer Crystal Shawanda as producer. After hearing their music, Shawanda approached the young men via e-mail, offering to help mentor them and produce their first commercial recording in Nashville next Sept.

While the duo is “working with what we’ve got” right now, they’re interested in exploring ways to incorporate their heritage in their music in the future. Not only are they considering asking traditional singers from their community to add their voices, but they have also written a song with Scott-Moore’s husband, Richard Scott-Moore, Indigenous Songman from Australia. They hope the song will be released soon, says Nolan.

While Richard wrote most of the lyrics, the brothers crafted the music, which will also feature Scott-Moore’s didgeridoo playing. As a mental health and addictions worker, Richard’s lyrics are about “struggle in life” and the importance of connecting to the support of ancestors, according to Candace.

“Some hand drumming and chanting will also be part of the mix of the song, expected to be released soon,” she says. “The song carries a positive message, which is the mark of the brothers’ writing.”

“There’s a lot of bad stuff in the world right now,” says Nolan. “[Music] floods out the bad stuff a lot of the time in people’s’ lives. When people are upset or sad they often turn to music, and we want to give people a chance to escape from the bad things.”