A Tribe Called Red w/Sweet Lew, Shevy Price
Wed, Aug 21, 9:30pm
The Marquee Ballroom, 2037 Gottingen Street
$27.99/$32.99
ATribe Called Red won't be offended if you melt into the dance floor at its upcoming show. In fact, it's encouraged.
The powwow-dubstep duo is set to play at the Marquee Ballroom on August 21, and is stoked to play its new bop, "Ba na na." With a Caribana-laced, summery-pop sound, "Ba na na" is a change from ATCR's heavy electronic beats. "It's sort of like a relief song after hearing some of the heavier bangers. Not that the track doesn't bang, but you can really see the feel in the crowd change when it comes on," says ATCR's Bear Witness.
Featuring Toronto-based rapper Haviah Mighty (who's one third of the city's hip hop super-group The Sorority) and the powwow drum group Chippewa Travellers, "Ba na na" navigates being an eclectic dance track while still holding true to its Indigenous roots.
ATCR's other half, 2oolman, co-produced Mighty's recent album, 13th Floor (which made the Polaris Prize shortlist). Witness says collaborating with Mighty was simply "inevitable."
"We didn't even have to talk about that. We had the song and she fine-tuned it right away. She's super-easy to work with and talented as she is professional." While "Ba na na" will definitely make you want to hit the dance floor, Bear Witness adds it's not "just" a dance song.
"We're also making it for those people who are out there standing up for our rights and our cultures. Those people have to have fun, too. You can't fight every day of your life. It's also good to know when it's time to rest, to take a break and release." A party jam with a message, Witness says he's ready for Halifax to "rock the middle" and get its party on before summer's end: "We're gonna be hot and sweaty, so they better be, too."
