Northern Haze - Second Album!
Donation protected
Northern Haze, is the most hard core band in the North/the world, are recording their second album in Iqaluit, Nunavut and NEED YOUR HELP!
Hailing from Igloolik, Nunavut, the band will work with Michael Wojewoda, a Toronto based producer whose credits include Buffy Sainte-Marie's Polaris Music Prize-winning 2015 album Power in the Blood and the classic Barenaked Ladies' album Gordon.
This recording will be history in the making.
To cover the costs of basically building a studio in Iqaluit, crazy travel in the north, and releasing the album internationally so the whole world can know how awesome this band is, we are asking fans to DONATE some cash.
Welcome donations of any amount!
Donations of $20 will get a digital copy of the album BEFORE release day!
Donations of $100 will get a special edition SIGNED CD of their re-release first CD (10 available)
Donations of $200 will also get a SIGNED special edition Northern Haze COFFEE MUG! (Super limited Supplies 5 or 6 available)
Donations of $500 will get a special edition signed Northern Haze Tshirt! (Super Super limited Supplies like 2!)
Donations of $3000 will get a special credit on the album!
Bio:
It was the early seventies in Igloolik, a tiny Canadian Arctic hamlet with a population of about 1000, when a group of young Inuit men began learning and playing some real, gritty rock and roll music. The self-taught musicians - Kolitalik Inukshuk, Naisana Qamaniq, James Ungalaq, Elijah Kunnuk, and John Inooya - played with various other bands before coming together to form their own ensemble in 1984, called Northern Haze. Jamming at first on homemade guitars and a plastic Disney drum set, the band gained local recognition while performing at community dances in their hometown.
In 1985, Northern Haze released their first record, the self-titled Northern Haze, through the CBC. All of the original music featured lyrics in Inuktitut, making this the first Indigenous-language rock album recorded in North America. Rousing guitar riffs reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin mix with traditional Inuit songs and stories to make a sound that is uniquely theirs, and a special representation of Canada’s far North.
After the release of the record, Northern Haze were invited to perform at large festivals across the country, including Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife and the 1986 Expo in Vancouver. They also continued to perform in Northern communities, including their hometown of Igloolik.
Northern Haze was hit with a double bout of tragedy in 2007, when Elijah passed away that year from cancer, and Kolitalik was murdered just a few days later.
The band’s three remaining members - James, John, and Naisana - continue to play and record music, with the addition of new bassist, Derek Aqqiaruq.
Hailing from Igloolik, Nunavut, the band will work with Michael Wojewoda, a Toronto based producer whose credits include Buffy Sainte-Marie's Polaris Music Prize-winning 2015 album Power in the Blood and the classic Barenaked Ladies' album Gordon.
This recording will be history in the making.
To cover the costs of basically building a studio in Iqaluit, crazy travel in the north, and releasing the album internationally so the whole world can know how awesome this band is, we are asking fans to DONATE some cash.
Welcome donations of any amount!
Donations of $20 will get a digital copy of the album BEFORE release day!
Donations of $100 will get a special edition SIGNED CD of their re-release first CD (10 available)
Donations of $200 will also get a SIGNED special edition Northern Haze COFFEE MUG! (Super limited Supplies 5 or 6 available)
Donations of $500 will get a special edition signed Northern Haze Tshirt! (Super Super limited Supplies like 2!)
Donations of $3000 will get a special credit on the album!
Bio:
It was the early seventies in Igloolik, a tiny Canadian Arctic hamlet with a population of about 1000, when a group of young Inuit men began learning and playing some real, gritty rock and roll music. The self-taught musicians - Kolitalik Inukshuk, Naisana Qamaniq, James Ungalaq, Elijah Kunnuk, and John Inooya - played with various other bands before coming together to form their own ensemble in 1984, called Northern Haze. Jamming at first on homemade guitars and a plastic Disney drum set, the band gained local recognition while performing at community dances in their hometown.
In 1985, Northern Haze released their first record, the self-titled Northern Haze, through the CBC. All of the original music featured lyrics in Inuktitut, making this the first Indigenous-language rock album recorded in North America. Rousing guitar riffs reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin mix with traditional Inuit songs and stories to make a sound that is uniquely theirs, and a special representation of Canada’s far North.
After the release of the record, Northern Haze were invited to perform at large festivals across the country, including Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife and the 1986 Expo in Vancouver. They also continued to perform in Northern communities, including their hometown of Igloolik.
Northern Haze was hit with a double bout of tragedy in 2007, when Elijah passed away that year from cancer, and Kolitalik was murdered just a few days later.
The band’s three remaining members - James, John, and Naisana - continue to play and record music, with the addition of new bassist, Derek Aqqiaruq.
Organizer and beneficiary
Aakuluk Music
Organizer
Iqaluit, NU
Andrew Morrison
Beneficiary