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FESTIVAL MAINSTAGE
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Aztlan Underground
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Hailing from the streets of Los Angeles, Aztlan
Underground have been rockin' the mic with their unique
urban sound of funk 'n fury since the early 90's. Merging
the power of rock and the soul of hip hop with the roots
of indigenous traditional music, Aztlan's use of indigenous
instruments sets them apart from other "heavy/hip hop"
bands. This unique sound is the backdrop to the band's
message of dignity for all indigenous peoples of the world.
The band also touches on other themes, including police
brutality, imperialism, racism and the Zapatista movement
of Chiapas, Mexico.
It is rare to come across bands who refuse to tone down
their political beliefs as they develop a large and diverse
following. Emerging from the Los Angeles underground, the
band has cultivated a large grassroots audience across the
US, through both touring and word of mouth. Aztlan have been
featured in various independent films and have appeared
numerously on national US TV, including a pay- per-view
concert in San Fran with Run DMC. In the L.A. Weekly, L.A.
Times, and Bam magazine, they are referred to as one of the
strongest emerging bands from the L.A. music scene.
They have also toured in the Basque, Spain, and Portugal.
Last year they opened "The Battle Of Mexico City," the one
Mexican date of Rage Against The Machine's world tour.
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Chief Leonard George
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A man of vision and dedication, Chief Leonard George is the
primary and elected Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. He
travels regularly, and speaks to audiences large and small
across BC. As spiritual leader of the Children of Takaya Wolf
Clan, Chief Leonard George has annually taken the Festival
MainStage and brought forward issues and perspectives of
his people, the Tsleil-Waututh NationÑcommonly known by their
Department of Indian Affairs name, the Burrard Indian Band.
As we enter our second decade of producing the Festival of
Art and Social Change on the traditional territory of the
Tsleil- Waututh Nation, and we thank the Nation for allowing
us to have the Festival on such a beautiful site. We are
again honoured to present Chief Leonard George for a keynote
presentation.
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Veda Hille
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Hailing from her current residence in East Vancouver, Veda
Hille was by far one of the most under-rated Canadian artists
of the 90's. She has released six albums (including the
beautiful "Spine" and 1999's "You Do Not Live In this World
Alone"), toured throughout the world, as well as frequent US
and Canadian tours (including the "Scrappy Bitch" jaunts
(with Kinnie Starr and Oh Susanna) and has left a lasting
impression on everyone who has been lucky enough to watch her
perform. She has composed extensively for modern dance, the
largest project resulting in the album "Here Is A Picture",
a song cycle depicting the life of Canadian painter Emily
Carr.
Her skilled and devoted band members are Martin Walton
(bass and lap steel), the legendary Ford Pier (DOA) on
electric guitar and french horn and Barry Mirochnick on
drums.
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Matriarch Q Bee
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Hailing from the East, where she was deeply involved in
the underground jungle & hip hop scenes, QBEE has made a name
for herself in VancouverÕs community. Respected for her
fierce MC skills and intense live performances, she has
opened for an array of artists, including the Rascalz, DJ
Czech and Kardinal Offishall. Her first independent release
"Evidence Of Evolution" will be droppin' soon. Her partner
in crime, DJ Vinyl Richie is one of VancouverÕs most
innovative DJ"s and has been around longer than yo mama.
Currently on Nettwerk Records roster, he's got the funk
and with the Matriarch providing the rhymes, be prepared for
nothing short of a musical revolution when they take the
stage.
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Jeet K da Tripmaster AKA Mazeguider
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How often does this happen? An artist equally skilled as
rhymer and beatmaker. Powerful at both hip hop and
electronica. A soundscaper who can explore the exact point
of tension where light and dark meet. Jeet K is a unique
individual who represents the emergence out of the tunnel of
inner struggle and into the high oxygen of self belief.
"In these times of do or die, come to shine like the sun
that kissed the sky, come to open up your inner eye, I and
I".
Jeet K is deeply involved in the local community,
collaborating with a host of musical innovators including
Primordial Nature, Kinnie Starr and Third Eye Tribe. Having
performed at numerous outdoor events such as Vancouver Folk
Festival and in the Mojave Desert at "Gathering of the
Tribes", Jeet K understands how to channel the energy around
him, recycle it through his beats and rhymes and then offer
it back to the audience.
Under The Volcano and Jeet K have collaborated numerous
times over the past decade, so we'd like to celebrate the
longevity of our relationship by presenting Jeet K as the
closing artist on the evening MainStage.
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Primordial Nature
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Phatt Phunk Red Recording artist. Known on the West Coast
for incendiary live electronic performances in a previous
incarnation as the Sci-Fi Witch Doctor, this versatile artist
has now taken on new textures, forms & structures and
reassembled them with the fury of a dub technician gone
wild. His prolific studio output has led to collaborations
with many artists, including DJ Czech, Kinnie Starr, Third
Eye Tribe, and Daniel (Moontribe & Automat Records).
Organising outdoor gatherings around Vancouver (as Future
School Productions), has earned him a reputation as a
dedicated organiser in the local underground scene and has
led to invitations to perform at some of the most prestigious
open air gatherings on the West Coast, including a Mojave
full moon party with L.A.'s Moontribe Collective. Devoted
to elevating listeners and dancers to states of maximum
potential is Primordial Nature's mandate.
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Firebelly
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Kira Schaffer (Firebelly) performs as a solo artist as well
as part of the Spiral Kiss fire & stilts troupe. She's also
a choreographer of group performances and teaches classes
in fire dance. This yearÕs show with Jeet K presents a number
of Kira's students collaborating with other professional
fire performers. Fire, fury and beauty collide to close the
night.
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lotuslab
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An informal body/art project operating from "the paradigm
of higher evolution thru artistic exploration and
interdisciplinary co-creation". The more movement based
aspect (aka kineticalab) is recognised for bringing dance
into the underground music community. The performance will
be a culmination of explorations from a five day Cortes
Island jam between chanti, tasha faye evans and jade de
trey.
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Kia Kadiri
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Kia's musical career started in 1994 with Victoria-based
jazz/hip hop/fusion band "DIGG", who quickly gained
popularity and featured vocals by Kia and Oakland's MC
Scribe. After the demise of Digg, Kia continued to perform
with other artists and appeared on a Canadian hip hop
compilation called "Family Trees". She has opened for such
hip hop heavyweights as Rahzel, Mix Master Mike & Choclair.
Kia's awesome talent and fluid MC skills make her one of the
new breed of artists who are rising up from the underground
with strength and conviction.
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Kokoro Dance
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Formed in 1986, Kokoro Dance creates evocative, memorable
dance. Taking its name from the Japanese word kokoro
(meaning heart, soul & spirit) and inspired by the
avant-garde Japanese modern dance form called butoh, Kokoro
successfully fuses the aesthetics of east and west, with
an end result that is a highly original dance form unique
to kokoro. Revered and respected in the arts community,
co-founding directors Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi,
continue to push the boundaries of physical limitations
and along with the amazing dancers in their company, they
prove that power and intensity can come without any words.
next
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