Veronica Johnny of The Johnnys band,originally from Fort Chipewyan, held a benefit concert for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Legal Defense Fund at the Rivoli in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
The fund is in defence of the ongoing treaty encroachments and environmental destruction by the Canadian governments forceful hand in the tarsands oil development on their territory.The MC for the night was actor/director Glen Gould (who recently appeared in the film Rhymes for young ghouls) and who also performed some traditional drumming.
Duke Redbird opened the show with a beautiful prayer and several poetic recitations. Kanawake’s own Brendt Thomas Diabo performed a very soulful and well received set. Arthur Renwick musically backed Duke Redbirds poetry recitation brilliantly with Arthur doing some of his own social commentary about positive change and ignoring the negative.
The host band, The Johnnys, tore it up and the crowd was a rocking. The King Beez who were the headliners for the night, did a fusion of surfer, punk, and metal rock instrumentals that were incredible. The use of a highly captivating new light technology performed by ljosio Jj Fryrirrek and Rob Hogarth of Visual Poi was used for the first time in North America. Organizers of Fix our world (fixourworld.ca) were there with a banner for everyone to sign to present to members of parliament.
A viewing of the documentary film “Petropolis” presented by Crystal Sinclair of Idle No More was shown. Petroplis starts out showing a helicopter view of a majestic mountainside forest but then continues onto the bordering tar sands showing this horrendous visual over industrialized wastelands. For more info on the tar sands defence go to www.drawtheline.ca or email eriel.deranger@acfn.com.
