With Adrian Sutherland living in Attawapiskat, and Stan Louttit in Moose Factory, both band members have to fly out of their communities for every single Midnight Shine performance and professional opportunity.

We rely extensively on Northern airlines, and Air Creebec provides a reliable and comfortable way for us to travel to and from shows, while safely shipping their musical equipment along with us.

Oh, and they make good coffee, too! 

Air Creebec was established in June 1982, and today, is completely under Cree ownership. The airline employs employs over 350 people, and operates 19 aircraft registered with Transport Canada. Air Creebec is committed to providing top-quality airline services in Quebec and Ontario, and continue to pursue excellence in their field.

Thank you Air Creebec for your support!

The post Air Creebec: Northern Airline appeared first on Midnight Shine.

Growing up in Moose Factory with my parents, my sister Eva was the first one to get me a mandolin when I was about 12 years old. I’m not sure if it was a birthday or Christmas gift, but it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that I liked it. I don’t know what happened to the original, I think my late brother-in-law Gerry Barbeau took it home with the idea to fix it up. I did neglect it for a short time.

In high school, I really grew to like the sound of the mandolin after hearing the great John Paul Jones, bassist and keyboardist from Led Zeppelin, play it on Going to California. As well, I especially liked Jones’s mandolin playing on Battle of Evermore from the Zeppelin four album. I remember I would lay on my bed listening to the way Jones would accompany Jimmy Page’s awesome acoustic guitar playing on these songs. There is a real skill to being an accompaniest on the mandolin to other acoustic guitars and instruments. I think it takes a certain ability to know when to play, what notes to choose, and how to play them that embellishes a song in a particular way. It can be happy, sad, or dark.

In terms of a band’s identity, it was interesting for me to hear such a heavy rock band like Led Zeppelin play traditional English folk songs on acoustic guitars, mandolins, and harmonicas, and use various tunings. Their acoustic songs and sensitive, almost country-inflected style, always impressed me. In my mind, Led Zeppelin made playing acoustic instruments very cool! As well, I think as a musician, if you can show or use some of your other skills other than your main electric instruments, it is a worthy goal to pursue. So I have tried to incorporate some mandolin and acoustic guitar into some of our Midnight Shine live shows.

Today, I use a Godin mandolin and a Gibson Jumbo acoustic series guitar with another band that I play with in Moose Factory. The band is full electric with drums, but they also use mandolin, acoustic guitars, and a box-like cahone drum for quieter acoustic live shows. I’m learning more country-infused bluegrass style mandolin playing, as its never too late to learn new styles.

To me, the mandolin is still an important part of the instruments I own. In fact, if you had a chance to see it on youtube recently, you’ll see me playing mandolin to James Bay with high school students from Delores D. Echum Composite School in Moose Factory, for the CBC Music Class Challenge.

The post Playing Mandolin Strikes A Chord With Me appeared first on Midnight Shine.

Back when I was in high school (a long time ago, haha!)  I was into music and did well in music classes and school performances. I also really liked art classes and made wall murals and other Pink Floyd-like images. I wasn’t the best, but it was a fun way to express some of my tastes.  

 

My approach to photography is loose and unplanned. Sometimes I’ll go for days or weeks without seeing something that I think would look interesting.

 

When I find a sky or sun that looks dramatic, I will grab my camera and take multiple shots of the scene. Since light and movement change slightly every second as the earth is in motion, I try different camera speeds and different F-stop settings, to let in more or less light. 

The post Shooting The Landscapes Of Moose Factory appeared first on Midnight Shine.

“A Gibson Les Paul”, he answered.

At that moment, I knew I wanted that guitar.

I would always snoop through my older brother Robert’s CD’s and tapes in attempt to discover cool music. When I was 11 or 12 years old, watching his Guns N’ Roses Live at Tokyo concert on VHS and quickly became a fan of their music.The thing that stuck out to me was the guy with the big curly hair, rocking a Pepe Le Pew t-shirt and several Les Paul guitars throughout the show. There was something very mysterious and sexy about the shape of that guitar. To me, it was like seeing a beautiful woman. I asked my parents for that model guitar for Christmas, to which I was told, “That’s $2000! Sorry.” I don’t blame them. I didn’t even know how to play guitar at the time.

Fast forward a few years. Me and my buddy Reese are high-school freshmen (minor-niners) and big-time into Metallica. James Hetfield was and still is the man to me. We ended up taking weekly guitar lessons from my older cousin, Nelson. I always thought Nelson was the coolest because he had a Gold-top Les Paul himself. I was in awe whenever I saw the guitar. He taught us the basics and we flew from there.

As I discovered other bands, I found that many other players were into Gibson Les Paul’s as well. Guys like Zakk Wylde, Gary Moore, Jimmy Page, Al Di Meola, Randy Rhoads, the guys from Thin Lizzy, they all slung the Les Paul. Every time I would hear these guys play, it fed my desire to obtain my personal holy grail.

Fast forward a few more years. It is now 2005 and I am working at the Wawatay Radio station as a technical trainee in Moose Factory. It was there I met and worked with George Witham. All of us younger guys had referred to him as “that kick-ass drummer.” He taught me many things in the technical field and being a musician himself, offered a lot of advice and insight on music. It was a fun job and I even got to be the disc-jockey on Friday afternoons.

It was also this job that I was able to save up money for THE guitar. I was always browsing the Gibson website and drooling over the guitars, and knew I wanted to get the Standard model.

After sleeping on it, I decided to go with the Desert Burst finish. I almost chose the Iced Tea finish. Those flamed maple tops always took me in a trance, like staring at the sand in shallow water.

I called up Steve’s Music – Toronto, and inquired about their Les Pauls. They told me they didn’t have any standards with the Desert Burst in stock, but they would be receiving a shipment within a week and they would call me back. So I waited… and waited… and waited…

BAM! They call me back a week later. The longest week of my life. I finalized the order and was told I should be getting the guitar in a few business days.

Now, it’s kind of an unwritten rule with guitarists to NOT pay for a guitar without trying it out first, but I was 850 kms from Toronto so I couldn’t exactly just walk down the street and try it out. Not that I gave a shit at the time. The clerk said thank you and told me the “guitar is beautiful.” For $2,500, I sure hope it was. A little more waiting. The suspense was killing me. “I hope it will last.”I called the train station freight department in Moosonee a week later and was told they had a box that said GIBSON on it with my name. HOLY SHIT!  I ran straight to the docks and hopped on a boat taxi to take me across to Moosonee so I could pick it up.

From the moment I got the box, I was smiling ear to ear for the rest of the day, maybe even the rest of the month. I returned home and opened it up as my mother and younger siblings had gathered to witness the unveiling. It was like being a kid at Christmas. It was here. The guitar and instrument I had idolized everyday for several years had finally arrived. I played with it for the rest of the day, even polishing it twice before going to sleep, eager to pick it up again in the morning.

I’ve had the guitar for 12 years now. And although I have other guitars to play/practice with, “Dez” (Desert Burst) is still my favourite. It’s probably been through a billion notes by now. It has been recorded on both Shine albums and played at dozens of shows.

New goals and challenges arise as time goes on. The guitar not only sounds and feels like home, but it also serves as a reminder of the fire that I had in my belly as a young, worry-free teenager, and to never stop chasing and working toward my goals.

The post The Dream: My First Gibson Les Paul appeared first on Midnight Shine.

Jack’s last days at home in Moose Factory were spent surrounded by the love and comfort of his family, friends and community members. Though battling illness, he listened to the Cree hymns and prayers with grace, strength, and fearlessness. He passed away with the same honour that he lived his life. I’ll never forget his words: “I guess I’m going home now.”  

This same fearlessness, grace and strength had been with Jack all his life, and served him well. He enlisted in the military in 1944 at 18 years old, and was honourably discharged in 1946 after serving in England, Netherlands and Germany.  He was an infantryman and bombardier during his service in the War. After returning home to Moose Factory, Jack began married life with Doreen Louttit (Stan’s aunt), and raised a son Billy and daughter Irene.

Uncle Jack, as he was called by many, was proud to be involved with St. Thomas Anglican Church. He could be found there every Sunday ringing the church bell – something he did for 50 years.

In the last few years, Jack always took part in local Remembrance Day ceremonies, and could be seen smiling with his gentle, warm, embracing personality, standing proud with his War uniform. He always had a happy “hello there” for you if you met him on the street, or in the stores.  

Midnight Shine would like to thank “Uncle Jack” for the ultimate sacrifice, courage and strength that he embodied in showing us, and so many people, how you should rise to every challenge in your life.  He would want us to be strong, work hard, respect our parents and grandparents, and love ourselves. Just like he did in his life. Meegwetch “Uncle Jack.”  

The post Remembering Moose Cree First Nation Elder Jack Wynne appeared first on Midnight Shine.

A friend was just getting into long distance running, and suggested I read a book on running and start learning how to successfully incorporate that into my life.  As I discovered, there’s much more to it than strapping on the running shoes, getting out the door, and running down the roads. You need to be aware of body parts, you need to hydrate with water, maybe electrolytes and energy gel packs.

When I first got out the door, I tell you, I couldn’t run the distance between two telephone poles without huffing and puffing! Don’t forget I had been pretty inactive for many years from high school to adult life, so running was a complete shock to my system. Even just getting out on Moose Factory streets in full view of people who could see me doing something so out of my routine was hard. I felt self-conscious, almost embarrassed to be out there running. I would see people smiling, some even making fun of me! But I persevered, kept at it every day.

I started off one telephone pole at a time, and by the end of the week, I was progressing to 4-5 telephone poles. Eventually, I felt empowered as the distances I could run increased, and people started giving me the thumbs up! My friend kept encouraging me, too, and that also kept me going. I was really feeling like I had climbed a steep, hard hill and was now at a plateau where I could run 5k, 6k and even 8k distances. Every time I hit a new distance I would thrust my fist in the air when no one was watching! It felt like a victory! At last, I could run 10k distances, three times a week.

Over the next three years I trained to complete two half marathons – one in my beloved city of Toronto, and the other in Ottawa.  Running the streets of Toronto, with no one I knew, and alongside 10,000 other runners, was intimidating. The only person there to encourage me was a lawyer friend that worked with the Moose Cree people. He yelled “Go Stan!” as I ran by him on the Lakeshore front. I’m happy to say I finished those two half marathons, and achieved an awesome personal goal!

Running is now an important part of my life. I run when I’m on business trips. I can be found most of the time on the dusty, pot-holed Moose Factory roads running for good mental and physical health, and empowering strength.

Running has helped me think about being a better bass player as well, in how I approach playing with other musicians.  My focus and attention is a lot better in trying to be in the moment during each song, just like focusing on rhythm and pace during a run and not thinking about how many more kilometers are left. Just staying in the moment and let everything else flow.

To all the kids out there, and everyone reading this blog… find something positive to build into your personal health. Remember only you can be responsible for how you treat your body. Be proactive about your health, and do it soon. Don’t waste as much time as I did. Your body will thank you for it later.

The post Running For My Health appeared first on Midnight Shine.

I had to travel to Toronto last weekend, before the start of Canadian Music Week. We had rehearsal space booked, and also had several media interviews lined up in advance of our CMW showcases. In order for me to get off the island, my only choice was to charter a helicopter and be airlifted to Moosonee, where I have to go to catch airplane flights. And I wasn’t even sure if the helicopter would be flying, because it was snowing at the time, and it’s often grounded when it snows!

The helicopter pilots and crew made sure I got to the airport on time. The two connecting airplane flights went well, too, and after a long day of travel, I was excited to finally touch down in Toronto – one of my favourite cities. It has so much to offer in terms of great live music, entertainment, restaurants, and a bustling energy. It’s awesome to be here, be part of Canadian Music Week, and to feel like you’re part of one great city as you walk its streets and use its transit system.

The subway and streetcars make it easy to travel around, and quickly, too. Coming from a small town and entering the underground subway is a great way to feel like you’re part of the city and its culture. I’ve met helpful people willing to offer directions if you’re not quite sure you’re on the right line.

Toronto is very different from Moose Factory, that’s for sure. The photos here… one one taken on my street just last week, showing what the weather was like when I left Moose Factory. The other is a photo of the subway at Bloor and Yonge – a definite contrast to where I live.

The post Toronto-Bound From Moose Factory appeared first on Midnight Shine.

Writing this post makes me realize how excited I am to be playing live with the band again. The four of us live in different towns in Northern Ontario, so it’s difficult to get together and rehearse. We each have our own lives to live, with bills to pay, jobs to do, books to study, etc. But, whenever we do get together it feels like a breath of fresh air, one that differs from the 9-5 routine.

We’ve been trading song ideas and demos for some time. It helps keep us up-to-date with each other musically. This past summer, we debuted two new songs at The Big River show in Moose Factory. The songs were met by the crowd with great response and has only inspired us to keep moving forward. It felt good to play live and loud again. I live in an apartment building, so I never get to turn up the amp past 10 (insert Spinal Tap reference) without annoying my neighbours. Playing on stage and finding that sweet spot is a savoury time.

When writing new songs, I try to keep a live-performance mindset — will this riff get heads bobbing? Will people sing along to this melody? Will this beat have feet tapping? I believe that aside from the technical side of playing an instrument, you also have to practice writing songs as well. With Stan, Adrian and George by my side, I know that we will only get better. Here is to more songs and more stages.

The post Itching To Play Live… appeared first on Midnight Shine.