Juno-winning rock act Eagle & Hawk will be making its way to the Native American Music Awards or NAMMYS next month. The group is the only Canadian act scheduled to perform during the show, which will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on June 8, 2006.
“We’re really excited to go down there for a couple of reasons,” explains bandleader Vince Fontaine. “It gives us an opportunity to play in front of a new audience, access the US market and network.”
The NAMMYS are in their eighth year of operation and according to their official website, the show has been earning a great reputation in the American music industry. Their latest press release includes a quote from the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, which compares their production value and professionalism to those of the Grammy Awards and American Music Awards.
These sentiments were echoed to Fontaine by an established Native American recording artist who has attended the event in the past. “I spoke with Keith Secola (known for the Native American classic “Indian Car”) and he was saying that the NAMMYS are really picking up momentum,” Fontaine says. “A lot of the high profile people in the Native American music industry usually attend the show, so being booked to perform is an honor for us.”
Eagle & Hawk is also up for two awards at the NAMMYS. The band's fifth CD, Mother Earth has been nominated in the Best Pop/Rock Recording and its hit song "Sundancer" is up for Song/Single of the Year. “We actually just released our sixth CD, Life Is, but Mother Earth was released a little later in the U.S., so we were able to get it in for the NAMMYS this year,” explains Fontaine.
Eagle & Hawk is no stranger to awards and recognition. In the last two years alone, the quintet has won two Indian Summer Music Awards (2004 and 2005), three Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (2004) and have been recognized by the Junos (2004) and the Western Canadian Music Awards (2004) with nominations in their respective Aboriginal recording categories.
Manitoba’s Red Shadow Singers and Little Hawk have also been nominated in the Best Traditional Recording and Native Heart categories, respectively.
The NAMMYS feature a diverse group of over 125 nominees with origins as far as Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand. There are 25 categories and music fans are encouraged to participate in the adjudication process by voting for their favorite artist on the NAMMY website, www.nammys.com.
Indigenous Music
