The Far North is not at the other end of the world, it is in the center of mine.
Inuk-Montrealer Elisapie shares Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules, the first single off her upcoming album to be released in September via Bonsound. The singer-songwriter/director will perform at the Monument-National in Montreal on September 27th.
Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules is the first stone that triggered the whole creative process around her new album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl. Before creating this album, I was going through a rough time, says Elisapie. I was feeling weak. I had an important artistic block. Every time I wanted to write something, it felt heavy. I could see myself sinking. Then I stopped writing and started to listen to old folk music from home, songs I’d listened to as a kid, songs that made me who I am.
The album Spirit Child (1981) by Inuk folk-singer Willie Thrasher was a major influence on Elisapie’s work. It almost became an obsession for her. Willie Thrasher gave me strength. I was finding myself in him. Somehow, his life was torn from him. He was sent to a residential school in the south. He lost his language and his traditional Inuit way of life. Willie Thrasher did not have an easy path, but he is a fighter.
Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules echoes Willie Thrasher’s life. The song is a tribute to survival, to nomadism and to the free spirit of the Inuit people. It’s also an ode to the animal life and spirituality. It’s a song about resistance, about the land that saw us born and helped us grow.
This first single (mixed by Howie Beck) is a return to the essential for Elisapie. The folk sound, full of personality, leaves all the necessary space for her to express her sensitivity. The guitarist-singer Joe Grass, who lends his warm voice to the chorus, admirably accompanies Elisapie on the track. Other contributors include Nicolas Basque (Plants & Animals) on guitar, Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) on drums, and Jason Sharp on saxophone.
To visually accompany Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules, Elisapie produced a collage of archival footage filmed up north during the 60s. The montage explores the winds of change descending upon the Inuit community at that time.
Watch and share the video for Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules via YouTube. Elisapie’new song is available on all digital platforms.
Tour dates:
08/09/18 Lavaltrie, QC // Café Culturel de la Chasse-Galerie
20/09/18 Toronto, TO // Burdock
27/09/18 Montréal, QC // Monument National
04/10/18 Sorel-Tracy, QC // Salle Georges-Codling
11/10/18 Longueuil, QC // Théâtre de la ville
12/10/18 Trois-Rivières, QC // Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau
13/10/18 Sainte-Thérèse, QC // Cabaret BMO
01/11/18 Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, QC // Théâtre le Patriote
02/11/18 Victoriaville, QC // Carré 150
03/11/18 Cowansville, QC // Église Emmanuel
14/11/18 Rimouski, QC // Salle Desjardins-Telus
15/11/18 Dégelis, QC // Bistro du Centre culturel du Témiscouata
16/11/18 Carleton-sur-Mer, QC // Studio Hydro-Québec du Quai des Arts
24/11/18 Saint-Jérôme, QC // Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
29/11/18 Ottawa, QC // CNA - Quatrième Salle
30/11/18 Laval, QC // Maison des Arts de Laval
01/12/18 St-Hyacinthe, QC // Espace Rona du Centre Juliette-Lassonde
15/12/18 Québec, QC // Grand Théâtre de Québec
31/01/19 Terrebonne, QC // Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
01/02/19 Sherbrooke, QC // Théâtre Granada
07/02/19 Gatineau, QC // Salle Jean-Desprèz
08/02/19 Ste-Geneviève, QC // Salle Pauline-Julien
09/02/19 Val-Morin, QC // Théâtre du Marais
26/02/19 Sept-Îles, QC // Salle Jean-Marc-Dion
01/03/19 Roberval, QC // Auditorium Fernand Bilodeau
02/03/19 Alma, QC // Boîte à Bleuets
03/03/19 Chicoutimi, QC // Bistro Café Summum
22/03/19 Beloeil, QC // Centre culturel de Beloeil
23/03/19 Shawinigan, QC // Salle Francis-Brisson
09/05/19 Ville-Marie, QC // Théâtre du Rift
10/05/19 Val-d’Or, QC // Salle Félix-Leclerc