A Tribe Called Red rocks the Grand

SIX NATIONS — In partnership with Six Nations Tourism and Thru the Red Door, A Tribe Called Red added Oswe:ge to their Rez Tour 2018 and filled the sky with lights and the air with innovative sound in Chiefswood Park on Tuesday, May 29.

Both Tim “2oolman” Hill and Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas performed as a duo before a sea of fans, family and supporters with traditional and contemporary dancers performing just feet in front of them on stage.

Tim “2oolman” Hill, Mohawk, explained that this stop on the tour was a goal that they wanted to reach.

“Playing for home town is something that we definitely wanted to accomplish during the Rez Tour,” said Hill. “We’ve been blessed to do it two times now with both Rez Tours. It’s just a great feeling to be able to give back — to come back home and give back.”

As the performance attracted hundreds, Hill was quick to point out that the shows just seem to be getting bigger and better.

“The shows have been getting progressively more and more amped, and we have two really big shows coming up,” he said. “it’s been a great run for our last couple of dates, and we’re really excited to play in Kahnawake next because that’s a new Rez Tour stop that we haven’t done yet.”

Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas, Cayuga, also voiced his own excitement for the upcoming show as the crowd that filled Chiefswood Park might create some competition.

“There were eight stops just in Canada and Six Nations was stop six,” said Thomas. “Our next stop is Kahnawake, and I think Kahnawake is gonna hear about how big the show was tonight and try to get more people,” he said with a laugh.

But as the show had an accommodating time, youth were largely present in the crowd and Thomas took notice.

“The responses have been really good, I think that the biggest goal — or even a goal that we didn’t realize was doing the show for kids, for the youth. Young people have really come out and represented at all of our shows; even taking over some of our shows. So in that sense this tour has been an amazing success.”

If you’ve never heard their music before, the group is an electronic DJ collective. Their sound can be described as a powerful and tasteful intertwining of hip-hop, reggae, dubstep and First Nations vocals and drumming which has shaped a new genre for indigenous music altogether.

The group has been commended for making the Polaris Shortlist in 2012 and Longlist in 2013, winning awards for Best Group and Best Album at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards in 2013, and the Juno Award for Breakthrough Album of the Year in 2014.

The up and coming Victoria Island show is also expected to be a “big deal,” which will be their last stop on the tour.

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