Art Napoleon profile picture

Art Napoleon

About Me

i like to create things in ways nobody has before including songs, stories, comedy sketches, films etc. i love to cook gourmet soul food, cree-style. a bit of a history buff, armchair philosopher and a decent papa. all my kids are my heroes! i love to sing and write about the beauty, pain and awe of the human experience but especially that of my people and culture. i'm here to learn, teach and contribute something to the world however small it may be...

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 24/09/2006
Band Website: www.artnapoleon.com
Band Members: With my cheap guitar, harmonicas and hand-drum, I'm comfortable solo but i also have a cool duet with marty jones on some bass/cello contraption. i use my band when i can afford them. we love vocal harmonies and i sing partly in cree because i need to do my part in preserving this beautiful language.
Influences: my modern influences are storytelling songwriters like lyle lovett, bob dylan, neil young, guy clark, john hiatt, greg brown, the beatles, bruce cockburn, los lobos, johnny cash, hank williams,van morrison, CCR etc. i like a lot of cross-cultural music, blues, cajun, R&B... anything with soul and character. i love soul-stirring chants & sacred music!
Sounds Like: what chief big bear and his drummers might have sounded like if they jammed with the cowboy troubadors of old. mostly, it depends on my mood. my traditional cree songs come from places i don't even know. i just try to stay in the groove and let the spirits sing & dance...
Record Label: Unsigned but marketed by Pacific Music/Warner

My Blog

Wilderness Retreat: Off to do What Bushmen Do...

from the last weekend of july to the 3rd week of august i will be on my annual cultural/wilderness retreat in northeastern BC (the boreal woodlands & northern rocky region). this is where i'm from and...
Posted by on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Art Napoleon at Studio 40 · CBC Radio 2 - Concerts On Demand

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20081113artn... a little concert with marty jones & beverly mckeen who just joined us. we only had 1 practice so it was a bit rough but still lots of fun with the...
Posted by on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:06:00 GMT

off to the land of the midnite sun

happy new year to all,in one of my much earlier gigs in the yukon i asked someone local for a kiss and i'll never forget her answer..."i'd lov to but let's wait until it gets dark"...of course it was ...
Posted by on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:38:00 GMT

UPDATE..Vent..Rant etc.

howdy friends,well it's sure been a while since i did this..feels kinda silly really but thought i should update somebody if not myself. congrats to all the winners and nominees at the CAMAs! my kids ...
Posted by on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:42:00 GMT

MOCIKAN Nominated for WCMAs

My first official kid's CD Mocikan:songs for learning cree has recently been nominated for best children's recording at the Western Canadian Music Awards..kinda cool i guess to be nominated along with...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:02:00 GMT

New songs from CD Siskabush Tales

tansi friends, it took a while but songs from siskabush tales are finally available for your amusement. a full release will happen early this fall during the season of the bullmoose rut. sis...
Posted by on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:43:00 GMT

A Little Update-Spring '08

howdy friends,been everywhere in BC this winter and i think i've covered almost all back roads by now. played for kids, youth and adults and i love them all along with the communities and their variou...
Posted by on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:12:00 GMT

MOCIKAN: Songs for Learning Cree

tansi, new cree language CD for the young at heart is now available. this project, done in partnership with the nihiyaw language & culture society, is a fun mix of songs, narratives, les...
Posted by on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:51:00 GMT

NOMINATED FOR A 2007 NAMMY

don't know what my chances are against all those long knives south of the line but i just got nominated in the"best folk" category at the NAMMIES(www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com) to be hel...
Posted by on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:31:00 GMT

Off to the land of Music, Barbecues and Whisky

Just heading off to Memphis TN for the North American Folk Music Alliance thanks to the work of NARIA who got a handful of us in to showcase at the 12th hour. Will be showcasing with Andrea menard, As...
Posted by on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:25:00 GMT