First Nation band Midnight Shine is a positive success story with their popularity continuing to climb. Midnight Shine is comprised of musicians from Northern Ontario First Nations Communities (lead singer and frontman Adrian Sutherland from Attawapiskat, bassist Stan Louttit from Moose Factory, lead guitar Zach Tomatuk from Moose Factory, and drummer George Gillies from Fort Albany).
Northern Man is Midnight Shine’s current single. It was performed live on Canada AM on May 5, 2016, and released to Canadian radio the same week.
Attawapiskat Band Midnight Shine Chases Mainstream Dreams from Northern Ontario. CBC News
CBC News | Aboriginal
May 06, 2016 | David Friend, The Canadian Press
The band Midnight Shine is comprised of musicians from Northern Ontario First Nations Communities, left to right, bassist Stan Louttit from Moose Factory, lead guitar Zach Tomatuk from Moose Factory, lead singer Adrian Sutherland from Attawapiskat, and drummer George Gillies from Fort Albany. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press)
Shedding positive light on First Nations issues was one of band’s priorities from the start
Travelling as far as they have, the bandmates in the northern rock band Midnight Shine consider just standing together in a Toronto rehearsal space a major accomplishment.
This week marks the first time the James Bay foursome has met to play since last August. Like many bands, life got in the way, but so did the 200 kilometres between their homes in Moose Factory and Attawapiskat.
“Logistics is a huge challenge for us,” says lead singer Adrian Sutherland, who lives in Attawapiskat with his family.
“Even just to get together to jam, never mind get to shows.”
Bassist Stan Louttit was almost left stranded while en route to Toronto when a sudden snowstorm threatened to ground his chartered helicopter ride from his island to the local airport.
They all have good humour about it. After all, that’s life in the north.
But it also makes Midnight Shine’s time together at Canadian Music Week in Toronto so precious to them.
Interview with Attawapiskat Band Midnight Shine. CBC News
CBC | The National
May 06, 2016
The suicide crisis in Attawapiskat, Ont. has brought new attention to the remote First Nation. A band hailing from there, Midnight Shine, is proving good music and good stories are coming from their community.
