TORONTO — Iqaluit-based musician Andrew Morrison says for years his band the Jerry Cans battled the forces of Canada’s music industry to stay true to their roots.
Twice nominated at the Juno Awards, including for breakthrough group of the year, the act sang alt-folk music in a mix of English and Inuktitut, but Morrison says concert organizers, radio stations and marketers often urged them to maintain a certain identity.
Sometimes they wanted them to sing more in English and less in Inuktitut.
Morrison says his new solo project, performing under the name Echoes Of…, rejects past influences and “genre pressures” he feels were laid upon the Jerry Cans, who are now on hiatus.
His album “Euphemisms” captures him performing with many Arctic musicians, including Greenland’s Naja P, Igloolik artist Terry Uyarak and James Ungalaq, a member of the influential rock act Northern Haze.
With an ambient-rock edge, the songs address an array of issues, such as conflicts with the government and Nunavut’s staggering suicide rates, with many of the songs performed in Inuktitut.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
