Shun Beh Nats’ujeh/We Are Healing Through Songs is Indigenous artist’s Kym Gouchie’s latest album that officially launches in Prince George on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Knox Performance Centre.
Creating the album did not come without its challenges, including the pandemic interrupting Gouchie’s research and writing songs for the album.
Behind the album, Gouchie said, were many members of the Canadian music industry, including Rae Spoon of Coax Records who helps underrepresented musicians and artists.
“Rae saw one of my performances quite a few years back and came backstage to say how blown away they were and how they wanted to help me to get my music into the world,” Gouchie said.
“That’s sort of where it all started and then in 2020 I received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and Rae helped me write the grant.”
They applied three times and the third time was the charm.
“That’s when the songwriting and gathering and meeting with mentors took place and then the pandemic hit and that threw a big wrench into the way I wanted to do my research and writing because I couldn’t actually sit down with the elders, so there were a few shifts that were made and then Rae got very sick and was near death’s doors a few times over the last few years and I was wondering what I was going to do because I really needed their guidance and Rae was going to be my project manager and potential producer for the album.”
Gouchie had musicians lined up to play on the album and Dan Barton, a drummer from Red Deer, was one of them. They ended up meeting every Tuesday night.
“And we just started getting things done,” Gouchie said. “We started hammering things out and I started getting into the groove of writing and finding other ways to connect with my elders, knowledge keepers and language teachers.”
When the pandemic dwindled Gouchie was able to write in the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation's Dakelh language.
“Sadly I lost three of my keepers of the Dakelh language,” Gouchie said, who lost her beloved grandmother Mary Gouchie in 2019 at 97 years old.
“Most recently my friend Edie (Frederick) and her mother Josie (Paul) and so this album means even more to me now and more to the world as I have documented some of the language of our nation here in Prince George.”
Gouchie said the songs started to flow and when she felt like she could move into the recording studio she had a virtual tour of Heath West’s studio in Red Deer.
“It was really important to me to find someone whose spirit aligned with mine,” Gouchie said. “And that the people who were coming in to play on this album had the spirit and intention of the song in mind and I found the dream team.”
Elijah Quinn, a Canadian musician, had just built a studio in Smithers so West’s gear went into Quinn’s studio to enhance the process and that’s where the songs were tracked over a week.
“We had so much fun and it was so brilliant to be in that space surrounded by mountains in the beauty of Smithers,” Gouchie said.
The musicians invited to play on the album are all known to Gouchie and that was so important to her, she added.
“I hand-picked the people that I wanted and we just created a lot of magical moments in that studio,” Gouchie said. “There were a lot of tears in that studio, there was a lot of laughter in that studio and there were a lot of naps taken in that studio. It was really a beautiful, beautiful process.”
All the final mixes and the final listening party was at Heath West’s studio in Red Deer.
“It was a beautiful, communal collaboration,” Gouchie said. “I feel like the people who contributed really gave their heart and soul and it’s really evident in the album.”
Within the album there are many genres of music showcased and there’s something for everyone, she added.
“I originally started out writing a children’s album and it has turned into a family album,” Gouchie said.
“I wish that audiences will feel a connection to Indigenous folks and think that it’s ok to play this music and I hope that children will be very curious about the language,” Gouchie said.
“It’s going to start the conversation and the music on this album is so universal that it carries the songs in a way that it will just cross over into the ears of folks who might never pick up an Indigenous record. If people don’t understand the language the music carries and emits that emotion of what the song is about and I think that’s what people are attracted to and then when the English words kick in it gives people something to hang on to and that was done with intention. I did not want to release an album 100 per cent in my Indigenous language because I am not a fluent speaker in any of those languages. This was a journey of reclamation for me and really digging deep and it's one of courage and stepping out of my comfort and speaking with my elders and asking them questions and receiving their direction because I did this album in three different languages and they are so different from one another.”
The album release party will be an evening filled with culture, connection and celebration as Gouchie and her six-piece band showcase the songs that go on a musical journey of healing and joy, weaving together Gouchie’s ancestral languages with contemporary sounds.
The party starts at 6 p.m. at the Knox Performance Centre, 1448 Fifth Ave. Enjoy cupcakes and healthy snacks while mingling during the pre-show social event, then the show begins at 7 p.m.
For more information and tickets visit www.knoxcentre.ca/KymGouchiealbumreleaseparty.
