Episode 103: I Pity the Country – The Life and Legacy of Willie Dunn

After a long winter hibernation, The Rebel Beat is finally back and ready to roll out some new episodes this spring!

On this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Lawrence Dunn, the son of the late folk singer Willie Dunn. Willie Dunn was of mixed Scottish/Irish and Mi’ma’ki ancestry, and wore many hats throughout his prolific career. He was a powerful anti-colonial songwriter, a film director, an activist, and even took a run for elected office once. Some say that his music didn’t get the attention that it deserved during his career, but now his son Lawrence Dunn has teamed up with Light in the Attic records to release an anthology of Willie’s work, “Creation never sleeps, Creation never dies“. Lawrence joins us for a heart-felt discussion on his father’s music, activism and legacy.

Like this podcast? Then support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/rebelbeatradio

Playlist

Willie Dunn – Charlie

Willie Dunn – The Ballad of Crowfoot

Willie Dunn – The Carver

Willie Dunn – O Canada!

Willie Dunn – Louis Riel

Willie Dunn – Broker

Willie Dunn – I Pity the Country

Willie Dunn – The Pacific

Further resources

The Rebel Beat episode 013 – Native North America

The Ballad of Crowfoot (1968 film, National Film Board)

Theme music for the Rebel Beat by Cee from Test Their Logik

Episode 091: 18 Year Old Xiuhtezcatl Throwing Down for The Land & People

 

What’s up! Welcome to the latest edition of The Rebel Beat for November 2018! Our special guest on the show this month is Xiuhtezcatl! Xiuhtezcatl is maybe the busiest, fiercest, and most accomplished 18-year old we’ve ever spoken with. He’s an Indigenous hip-hop artist based out of Boulder, Colorado, a youth activist, and he’s even written a book on resisting climate change. A huge inspiration dropping beats that the next 7 generations can revolt to.

 

**If you like this podcast, then support us! http://www.patreon.com/rebelbeatradio

In our Turn It Up segment, we give mad respect to Benjamin Zephaniah, a British dub poet who recently turned down an offer to be the UK’s poet laureate. Check out the article, and Zephaniah’s righteous response here.

Playlist

Narcy – Fake news

Marc Ribot & Steve Earle – Srinivas

Xiuhtezcatl – Young

Xiuhtezcatl – Magic

Xiuhtezcatl – Broken

Xiuhtezcatl – Sage Up

Xiuhtezcatl – Break Free

Benjamin Zephaniah – I am a revolutionary

The Rebel Beat 089: Alanis Obomsawin – Legendary Abenaki Musician and Filmmaker

 

On this month’s show, we bring you into the studio and into the mind of the legendary Abenaki Indigenous musician and filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. Alanis is 85 years young, and has a prolific career with over 50 documentaries under her belt. But while many know her as an inspiring documentarian, fewer knew her as a musician. Until now.

Her album Bush Lady, originally recorded at CBC in the 80s, was just re-issued this year on Constellation Records, and we got a chance to have an intimate and emotional conversation about this brilliant work.

**If you like The Rebel Beat, support us on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/rebelbeatradio

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An iconic still from Obomsawin’s documentary “Kanehsatake: 270 of Resistance” from the NFB

 

We also catch up with Frank from Submedia to talk about their latest episode, and we’ve got an exciting announcement about Aaron’s new podcast, Changing On The Fly.

In our Turn It Up segment, we give a shout-out to Jeremy Dutcher, an Indigenous Wolastoq musician whose album “Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa” just won the Polaris Prize for best Canadian album of 2018! Mazel tov, Jeremy!

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Obomsawin in her office at the NFB, holding the sleeve of her album “Bush Lady”. Photo: Aaron Lakoff

 

**Playlist**
Marc Ribot & Tom Waits – Bella ciao
Alanis Obomsawin – Odana
Alanis Obomsawin – Bush lady pt. I
Alanis Obomsawin – Bush lady pt. II
Alanis Obomsawin – Theo pt. II
Jeremy Dutcher – Mehcinut

 

 

 

*For more on sports and radical politics, check out our episode with Dave Zirin:
rebelbeatradio.com/2017/03/15/the-…edge-of-sports/

 

The Rebel Beat 085: Dio Ganhdih

 

Welcome back to the latest episode of The Rebel Beat podcast!

Our special guest on the show this month is Dio Ganhdih! Dio Ganhdih is a queer Indigenous MC, with roots in Awkwesasne Mohawk territory, and now based in NYC. She’s part of the epic Revolutions Per Minute family, and spits absolute fire on the mic. Check her out!

In our Turn It Up segment, we look at artists who are standing alongside Palestinians, both in Palestine and in the diaspora. Check out the initiative of Montreal-based artists in solidarity with Palestinian refugee Omar Ben-Ali.
www.tadamon.ca/omar

And finally, Kareem Samara from Firebrand Records is taking over the Firebrand social medias this week to talk everything Palestine & BDS related. Follow along as you rock to the brand new EXCLUSIVE premiere of the single “Nil’in” by Kareem, Ryan Harvey, and Shireen Lillith.

If you like The Rebel Beat, support the podcast! Throw us any amount you can through our Patreon:
www.patreon.com/rebelbeatradio

**If you sign up to support us for only $2/month during the month of May, we’ll send you a beautiful Rebel Beat metal pin in the mail!

**Playlist**

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Dio Ganhdih (Photo:  Elena Kulikova)

Seun Keuti & Egypt 80 – Struggle sounds
Benjamin Zephaniah feat. Logic – I am a revolutionary
Dio Ganhdih – Native New Yorker
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – KKKanada
Dio Ganhdih – Indigenous lyricist
Dio Ganhdih – Pussy vortex
Alas feat. Savage Fam – Go away
Dio Ganhdih – Do it ourselves
Kareem Samara – Take away the right
Ryan Harvey, Kareem Samara, Shireen Lillith – Nil’in

 

The Rebel Beat Se2 Ep10 – Alas Spits Decolonizing Fire

Welcome back to the latest edition of The Rebel Beat!

Our special guest this month is Alas. Alas is an MC who is consistently spitting out pure revolutionary fire, and when she’s not on the mic, you can probably find her on the front lines of the struggle to decolonize Turtle Island. You might already be familiar with her work with Savage Fam, who we’ve also interviewed on this show, and we had a chance to talk to her about the time she spent at Standing Rock in so-called North Dakota last winter. Check out her Bandcamp page!

Also, if you like this show, please support it! The podcast is free, it always will be, but if you wanna support revolutionary music being pumped into your ears and podcast apps every month, please consider throwing us a 1 or 2 bucks per episode. You can support us on our Patreon page: www.patreon.com/rebelbeatradio

Or if you want to make a one-time donation, we’ve got a big Paypal button at the top of our website, which you can find at rebelbeatradio.com.

For our Turn It Up segment, we look at 2 very different but very important struggles:

-The battle to save Radio Centre-Ville, a long-running multi-lingual community radio station in Montreal. To find out more, visit:
www.facebook.com/frauderadiocentreville/

-The “Battle of Berkley” on April 15, when anti-fascists confronted neo-nazis, fascists, and other Trump supporters in the Bay area. For more info and reporting, visit:
itsgoingdown.org/igd-black-bloc-d…ve-nazi-salutes/

Enjoy the show!

** Playlist **

Snoop Dogg w/ BadBadNotGood – Lavender (Nightfall remix)
Sa Roc – I am her
Mob Bounce w/ Boogey the Beat – Vision quest
Alas – Outlaw
Alas – A game (the poor can’t afford to play)
Alas – Tourist
Savage Fam w/ Alas – Walking with the Dead
Alas w/ Savage Fam – Go away
Dio Ganhdih feat. Chhoti Maa – Indigenoust lyricist
Moscow Death Brigade – Papers please

 

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The Rebel Beat Podcast 055 – Drezus on a warpath

 

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Welcome back to the latest podcast of The Rebel Beat!

This week on the show, our special guest is Drezus (aka. Jeremiah Manitopyes), a Plains Cree Indigenous MC based out of Calgary. Drezus has been making waves across Turtle Island over the last few years, especially after he took home multiple awards at last year’s Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg, including Best Rap Album, Indigenous Entertainer of the Year, and Best Video (for his track “War Path”).

We spoke about his life, his family, his music, and some of the most pressing issues facing Indigenous communities today. Continue reading

The Rebel Beat Podcast 045 – Submedia breaks it down with Savage Fam

 

 

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Welcome back to another weekly edition of The Rebel Beat from CKUT! We’re back here for another monthly collaboration with Frank from Submedia.TV. Frank came in with his usual raucous selection of rebel hip hop tunes from across Latin America, plus a wicked interview with Indigenous MC Ant Loc of Savage Fam. Continue reading

The Rebel Beat podcast 039 – Liberté, égalité, résistance!

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French/Mahgrebin hip-hop crew Ministère des Affaires Populaire (M.A.P.)

Click here to download this podcast

Welcome back to our weekly podcast of The Rebel Beat. Well, fuck. Violence everywhere. Paris. Beirut. Baghdad. Yola, Nigeria. Violence against so many Black and Brown people across the world, yet it’s the violence against white colonial countries that garners so much of our attention, sympathy, and solidarity.

What more can be said about last Friday’s Paris attacks that hasn’t already been said? Not much. But we decided to do an in-depth look through music into the world of French colonialism, racism, but also resistance. What follows on this edition of The Rebel Beat is some of our favourite hip-hop, punk, and reggae from France (and former French colonies in Africa).  Music reacting to the systems of oppression that often lead to the senseless violence we saw in Paris last Friday. Continue reading

The Rebel Beat Podcast 024 – Mohawk Resistance, Metal, & Movies

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Welcome back to another weekly podcast of The Rebel Beat!

Our special guest on the show this week is long-time Mohawk Indigenous activist and filmmaker Clifton Nicholas. Clifton hails from the Mohawk reserve of Kanehsatake, located just north of Montreal. Kanehsatake made world headlines in 1990, during what is now known as the Oka Crisis, when Mohawks took up arms and blockaded their land in the face of a full-blown Canadian military invasion. The goal – to defend a Mohawk burial site from being destroyed and turned into a golf course. Continue reading

The Rebel Beat Podcast 021 – Oh Canada, Our Home On Stolen Native Land

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Oka Crisis, July 1990

 

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July 1st is “Canada Day”. Canada is a racist, genocidal, imperial, ecocidal pile of stinking shit. So, so celebrate “Canada Day”, here is our 2 hour mix. As Godspeed You! Black Emperor Would say, “we love you so much our country is fucked”. Enjoy! Continue reading