{"id":108892,"date":"2024-10-25T15:27:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T19:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=108892"},"modified":"2024-10-25T15:27:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T19:27:38","slug":"preview-sultans-string-premiere-walking-fire-visual-album-premiere-november-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/10\/25\/preview-sultans-string-premiere-walking-fire-visual-album-premiere-november-1\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Sultans Of String Premiere Walking Through The Fire Visual Album Premiere November 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image from Walking Through the Fire courtesy of Sultans of String<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A conversation leads to an album, which leads to a tour, which leads to a film premiere \u2014 that\u2019s the story behind Sultans of String and their Walking Through The Fire \u2014 Indigenous Collaborations. On November 1, the film version will premiere in Toronto.<\/p>\n

According to Chris McKhool of Sultans of String, the visual album is the end result of a much longer process. \u201cIt was many years in the making, many conversations over many years,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Walking Through the Fire<\/h3>\n

The Walking Through the Fire project really began when he started to work with Dr. Duke Redbird<\/strong>, an Elder from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, scholar, poet and filmmaker on their Refuge \/ Sanctuary Project<\/a> project a few years ago. As the project was wrapping up, Chris recalls that Redbird asked him, so what are you going to do about bringing awareness to Indigenous stories?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a direct call to action,\u201d he says. \u201cI really respect Duke.\u201d Together, they\u2019d begin to put together what would amount to an advisory panel on how to proceed.<\/p>\n

Along with Redbird, Chris started talking to frequent collaborator Shannon Thunderbird<\/strong>, a Coast Tsimshian First Nations singer-songwriter, and reached out to Indigenous musicians he\u2019d met over the years, like singer-songwriter Marc Meril\u00e4inen<\/strong>, among others. Slowly, the committee came together, \u201cto keep me on track,\u201d Chris says, as he put together an album that attempted to give voice to the diversity of Indigenous music in Canada.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the idea that emerged was to represent contemporary Indigenous culture literally from coast to coast. They began to choose artists from each area, adding the NWT and all the way east to Prince Edward Island to complete the list. Their art director comes from the Yukon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of great recommendations from some of the artists that I already knew,\u201d Chris says. He researched others, looking at JUNO nominees and winners, among other things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was two years in the making, and out came the album that I\u2019m super duper proud of,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The album represents a broad range of musical genres. Along with Thunderbird, other artists on the album include the M\u00e9tis Fiddler Quartet<\/strong>, The North Sound<\/strong> from the Prairies, Blues singer Crystal Shawanda<\/strong>, Heavy-Wood guitarist Don Ross<\/strong>, Northern Cree pow wow group, Dene singer-songwriter Leela Gilday<\/strong>, Inuit Throat Singers and others. The tracks includes M\u00e9tis fiddling, an East Coast Kitchen Party, rumba, rock, the drumming of the Pacific Northwest, and more.<\/p>\n

All of the lyrics were written by the Indigenous artists; Chris\u2019 contribution was to collaborate at the musical end of things.<\/p>\n