Rik Leaf & Tribe of One
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Rik Leaf & Tribe of One

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"Minister of Culture"

I appreciate the opportunity to hear your music and experience first-hand your artistry and unique contemporary approach to music and performance.
Manitoba possesses a wealth of musical talent and tradition as most recently exemplified through the achievements of Aboriginal artists who have emerged through our province's unique Aboriginal Music Program (AMP) administered by Manitoba Music (formerly MARIA). Through your involvement with AMP, you have joined with an elite group of rising stars representing the best and brightest Aboriginal recording artists from across the country.
It is my pleasure to extend my support, encouragement and sincere best wishes to Tribe of One towards its upcoming CD release and performances across Canada.
Sincerely,
Eric Robinson
Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport - Eric Robinson, April 7/09


""Tribe of One" CD Reviews"

"Rik Leaf is a category 4 hurricane slamming into the coast of Canadian Culture. Rik's latest album is a wonderful, eclectic, adventurous stomp. The songs radiate a blended atmosphere and a unique multi-cultural experience...a modern Canadian anthem!"
- Karla Adolphe, Jacob & Lily (Mar 09)

"Rik Leaf has a new CD out!! It's hard to imagine an album being more Canadian than this one....and the music is top-notch. Folksy, bluesy, rootsy...and you can dance to it! Rik leaves you thinking, too. Check it out, friends, this is good music!!"
- Paula Spurr, Blue Grass Orphans (Feb 09)

"A multi-layered slice of Canadiana - while others try to divide the country, Rik has captured the sound of Canadian unity."
- Broose Tulloch, 92.9 KICK FM Beer for Breakfast (Mar 09)

"‘What a unique show! Tribe of One will captivate you with music, dance and visual art which represent the love and pride these artists share for their country.’"
- Lynn Munilla, Artistic Director, Festival du Voyageur (Feb 09)

- Peer Assessment


"Activist Artist Minus the Rant"

Activist Artist, Minus the Rant
by Kurt Armstrong,
Spring Issue 2008 Art in an Age of Brutality

Rik Leaf doesn’t talk like you’d expect. For a self-described “cultural activist” he’s unusually reserved. He doesn’t cite disturbing statistics or quote Chomsky, and his tone is inviting, open and generous, a far cry from the kind of shrill rants I’ve often heard from activists. In the course of our conversation he talks about his kids, his neighbourhood, being on the road playing shows. Where’s the activist cause?

“Art is a conversation,” he tells me, “and if one side is constantly steering the conversation a particular way, it’s a pitch; it’s propaganda. I’m not interested in telling people what to think; I just want to encourage them to think, period.”

Leaf is a seasoned songwriter and performer, just back from another Canadian tour where he played in pubs, clubs, churches and schools, hosted performance workshops, and met with other artists. He’s lived in Winnipeg for 10 years, but tours steadily, playing solo and with Tribe of One, a performance collaboration where musicians share the stage with visual artists and dancers. Leaf walked away from a thriving but ultimately stifling Christian music career to try to open up conversations between otherwise exclusive or antagonistic identity groups.

Subculture art
“Subculture art is about identity,” says Leaf. “The primary role of subculture art is to reinforce the views and opinions of the subculture, which is why it rarely, if ever, breaks out of the subculture and impacts mainstream. It has all kinds of rules and restrictions, and that applies whether you’re part of a lesbian folk group or a Christian rock band. I want to be more inclusive, build bridges between cultures, backgrounds, ages, disciplines, beliefs.”

Tribe of One was a good way to start building bridges, combining a wide range of artists and artistic disciplines, the result being performances that are always surprising. Now Leaf has started JUST Artists, an affiliation of socially conscious writers, artists, musicians, performers and producers committed to improving the world through artistic contributions.

When I ask Leaf what JUST Artists does he’s vague. “It didn’t start with an agenda,” he says. “I want to champion the voices in our midst whose work truly engages our imagination. Some artists want to be the next big thing, but most of the artists I know want to make art with all they’ve got. But it can be a pretty solitary experience, even for established artists. Pop culture is so overwhelming that it makes being an artist seem like a competition, like some other artist’s success comes at my expense. Sometimes artists are afraid to share ideas because someone else might use them.”

With JUST Artists, Leaf wants to connect artists with one another and bring others into the picture including politicians, community activists and church leaders. Last fall, just Artists organized a night of music, poetry, and photos by John Paskievich from his new book, The North End, hosted by the local member of parliament.

Activist
Maybe Leaf doesn’t push an agenda because before he’s an activist, he’s an artist. “Artists and prophets both work on the canvas of the imagination,” says Leaf, echoing themes from Walter’s Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination. “It should challenge the dominant narrative.” He wants to foster art rather than champion a cause and he believes it’s possible for art to be political without being partisan. “I saw clips from Rock the Vote before the election in the States in 2004. These artists go on stage and say, ‘Vote for Kerry, not for Bush. Vote for this, not for that.’ Art should give us new eyes to see ourselves and the world around us, not tell us what to think.”

Leaf wants to foster art that tackles problems that run deeper than who happens to be in office. “We’re bombarded with consumer culture’s version of art. I was in Kosovo in 1999 with Tribe of One and we met these Albanian university students who spoke perfect English and dressed like the kids on 90210. These are people who were banned from speaking their native language, but they can watch the same TV programs we do. Or up north in the most isolated Manitoba communities, the kids dress like they’re on MuchMusic, they listen to Limp Bizkit and Korn. Does pop culture give these kids a voice of their own? Is it empowering them at all?” It’s the closest Leaf comes to an activist rant.

Leaf is humble about his role as a bridge builder, modest and realistic about what he hopes will happen when art challenges the imagination. He speaks of his role in just Artists as a calling. “This is it,” he says, “this is what I do, this is who I am, this is what I’m capable of.” An activist with a vision, not an agenda.

http://www.geezmagazine.org/issue09/activist-artist-minus-the-rant - Geez Magazine


"The Leaf Doesn’t Fall Far From the Ocarina"

The Leaf doesn’t fall far from the Ocarina, January 31, 2008
BRYAN BIRTLES

Some artists like to have guitar, bass and drums onstage, while others are more at home when adding a tuba, three saxophones, some maracas and 27 other instruments. Winnipeg’s Rik Leaf is definitely the latter.

“Do you know what an Ocarina is? It’s kind of an indigenous clay flute—it’s usually a four-holed clay flute—I’ve got a couple of those. I have a stomp box for percussion, which I stole from an artist I opened for a couple of years ago in Vancouver. It’s great—it sounds like a bass drum. The Métis girl I play with [Marie-Josée Dandeneau] plays an electric bass that she can play standing up, plucked or bowed, and she plays a bit of mandolin too,” he says, trying to recount the multitude of instruments onstage with the two of them. “Lets see ... we have some shells and stuff ... a djembe.”

The sheer number of instruments onstage—all played by two people—coupled with Leaf’s interest in aboriginal sounds and culture have invited comparisons to Australian artist Xavier Rudd. (And, Dandeneau herself used to tour with Rudd.) Leaf says that he’s okay with that comparison.

“I started this band called Tribe of One—well, it was probably more of an artist’s collective than a band—there’s a lot of different artistic elements,” he says, explaining that dancers and even visual artists who paint while the music plays join him onstage. “As soon as I get back to Winnipeg it’s Festival du Voyageur and these aboriginal dancers will be joining us onstage. The more I have to do with Aboriginal and Métis cultures, the more I seem to say, ‘Hmm ... Xavier Rudd eh?’“

Also important to Leaf is increasing awareness of more just options for living. To that end he started JUST Artists Inc in 2006.

“It’s related to fair trade issues, environmental issues and the like, but I’ve found it doesn’t really relate to typical activist movements because it’s not about what we’re running from, it’s about what we’re running to,” he says. “I was finding I wasn’t the only one that these things were stirring inside, so I wanted to have a shorthand label to describe these feelings.”
http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=7810

- Edmonton's Vue Weekly


"now is the winter of our discontent"

In 1997, Rik Leaf left the Okanagan for Winnipeg. That's kinda weird, but so's Leaf. He's also kinda talented, and his latest album is proof of that. Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent is the creation of a thoughtful poet with a gift for words. “Your love has ruined me/And I know you’d say the same/Still I can’t wait to feel you again,” Leaf sings on Our Love, and that lyric alone should be enough to send you thumbing through the liner notes for more gems. Musically, What We’ve Been Waiting For is the best cut. Leaf adds a little fuzz to the guitar, throws in a synth and plays with dynamics to create a groovy foot-tapper that calls for repeat listens. Other songs put violin, viola, mandolin and didgeridoo to good use. Mike Warkentin - Uptown Magazine 30/03/06


"CD Review"

Don't be fooled by the cutesy/creepy cartoon cover art, 'cuz Rik Leaf's latest album is far from insubstantial. Buoyed by a swooping, elastic voice that recalls Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield, Leaf dabbles in Celtic-sounding folk-rock, piano-based acoustic gems, funky dance jams and straight-ahead guitar rockers, all with a level of gutsy aplomb and intensity that belies his background as an activist. His songwriting chops are finely honed, he knows his way around a hook, and the back-up musicians he surrounds himself with all rise to meet his highly set standards. If this is winter to Rik Leaf, we can’t wait for the first signs of spring. **** David Schmeichel - Winnipeg Sun - August 31/06


"in 2 deep 2 stand"

The healing tone of in 2 deep 2 stand is much more poignant when you consider the dark places from which Rik Leaf derived it. A trip through war-torn Kosovo with his band Tribe of One (actually more of a local collective, incorporating musicians, dancers, visual artitsts and poets) and the death of a dear friend, whom Leaf describes as 'a man very much a father to me,' shape this album of universal human emotion. What remains then, is a raw form of rumination and reflective pain, laced through hopeful melodies and uplifiting lyrics. There are strong messages of faith, but thankfully, not the preachy kind. This is an intimation from one not dispirited after witnessing the unfathomable and who perservered in spite of a crushing loss. In the end, the album finds a kind of peace. Turn the lights down low with this one, and you will too.
Susan Krepart, Uptown Magazine - Uptown Magazine


"in 2 deep 2 stand"

As front man of Winnipeg-based Tribe of One, which seeks to combine a fusion of musical styles with professional dance to create a stunning live show, Rik Leaf is most clearly a musical innovator. Given the inviting space of a whole solo album, Rik imaginatively conjures a variety of edgy sounds that are as novel as ZARA’s cover design, which makes this reviewers task none too easy! Showing his familiarity with a whole range of styles within the musical spectrum, Rik experiments with the likes of rock, techno, soul/funk, dance, tribal and more. Lyrics, too, are drenched in Leaf’s own, poetic originality, as he transparently throws out spiritual thoughts, ideas and heart-inspired prayers. ‘Rescue Me’ is an ambient shuffle graced by gentle piano. The following ‘Simple Answer’ is an ethereal cry from Rik’s soul, exploring the deep meaning of love. Then there’s ‘Prepare the Way’ a brooding and intense piece combining strong percussion with searing guitar, and the more joyful ‘So Obvious,’ given texture by way of its quirky accordion vibes. Other less-obvious tones adding richness to this venture include Andrew Smith’s harmonica and mandolin (Andrew also provides first-class production) slide guitar and (as well as programming) a good half-dozen or more traditional forms of percussion.
Musically this album twists and turns from track to explorative track. The result is not a pretentious and inharmonious melee of noises, but an intriguing 60 minute tapestry of true diversity/ingenuity.
Tom Lennie, Gold USA.com
- Tom Lennie, Gold USA.com


"Member of Parliament Review"

June, 2009 - Member of Parliament Review
"Rik Leaf’s latest CD ‘Tribe of One’ is one of those rare CDs that is both artistically excellent and spiritually uplifting. It is music that resonates emotionally, connects the listener to the meaning of community, and provides a window into the soul of our nation.
As the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg North since 1997, I have witnessed the strength that flows from cultural diversity and from the presence of talented artists passionate about their own community. Rik Leaf is one of those artists and it is his passion to connect music with the history and identity of a neighbourhood that has had the effect of empowering others and effecting positive change. It was Rik who saw the potential for building community through the arts and who was instrumental in establishing the North End Artists Collective.
Rik’s latest CD is an important contribution to communities everywhere like Winnipeg's North End. It is also an invaluable addition to Canada's music scene with its beautifully written lyrics and instrumentals that create an honest depiction of our nation's history and its peoples' struggles, from our First Nations' communities, to our French/English duality, to our ethnocultural diversity. I don't know of any other effort that has so completely captured the essence of Canada. From the beat of the powwow drum in "Hope" and "Silver Lining", to the haunting melodies in "Lonely" and "Blue Skies" depicting the vastness and beauty of our nation, to the bilingual songs of "Je Me Souviens" and "Beau Sommeil", to the typically Canadian cynicism in "Democracy in Drag," this CD just about says it all in terms of Canadian heritage and identity. Every song resonates esthetically and emotionally but none more than "The Maple Leaf" which ranks right up there with "This Land Is Your Land" as a national trademark of Canada.
- Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP MP, Winnipeg North


"U of S English Professor- Review"


Rik Leaf's latest album, Tribe of One, is a collage of musical styles as varied as the Canada it celebrates in the opening track, “The Maple Leaf,” a toe-tapping, coast-to-coast road-trip of personal reflection. Any hope of easy patriotism and sentiment, though, is soon dispelled by the next track, tellingly titled “Hope,” a blues song about the perils of trusting in the (White) Man which appropriately marries slide guitar and harmonica with First-Nations chanting and drumming. This opening juxtaposition sets the tone for the rest of the album, which examines the struggle for intimacy amid conditions of estrangement and persistent longing for home, of both “dark night [and] silver lining.” These songs are at once personal and political, detailing the struggle to find and maintain community in a complex world of social and personal complications. Built around a musical core comprising Rik Leaf (keyboards and guitar) and Marie-Josée Dandeneau (bass), a collective of Winnipeg-based musicians add inflections of East-Coast, Québecois, and First Nations elements to a broad range of musical derivations, from jazz and folk to funk and blues. Rik Leaf has carefully positioned himself as a song-writer on the margins speaking hope diffusing joy to the disenfranchised and dispirited. This album represents a maturing of that voice and a musical presence that gives us ears to hear. - Brent Nelson, PhD. University of Saskatchewan


Discography

Rik Leaf 'Tribe of One' 2009
World Roots music featuring English, French, First Nation and Metis musicians and singers.

"...now is the winter of our discontent" 2006 Full-length independent release, engineered, produced and recorded by Rik Leaf at Tribe of One's Cellar Studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

‘Foolscap’ 2003, Rik Leaf & Kim McMechan, Independent Release
(Empty Bottles, Lay Down Lover, Precious Little, Sometimes, Sweep Me Away)

‘The Mystery’, 2002 Compilation CD, Vineyard Music Canada, (internationally distributed, CMC Distribution Canada, EMI, U.S., World, BMG Entertainment, COPYCARE, Sweden, U.K., Spirit Music, South Africa) (Every Day, I’ve Got a Friend, Rescue Me, Oh Lord, I Believe)

‘in 2 deep 2 stand’, 2000 Full Length Solo CD, (national distribution, CMC Distribution)

‘Trailerpark Opera’, 1998, Full Length Tribe of One CD, (national distribution, CMC Distribution) Included book of original poetry, song charts, paintings, and interactive CD-ROM featuring performance videos, virtual art gallery.

‘Fragrant Oil’, 1998 Compilation CD, Howling Prairie Records (internationally distributed, Vineyard Music Group, CMC Distribution) (Gift to be Real, Create in Me)

Photos

Bio

Tribe of One
“The consummate art experience” Uptown Magazine
Tribe of One is a group of 4 unique artists who combine their creativity and cultures to create an incredibly rich, one-of-a-kind concert experience. Rik Leaf is a recording artist and slam poet who has been featured on six internationally released compilation CDs in addition to four of his own. Rik is joined by Marie-Josee Dandeneau, a Metis multi-instrumentalist and long-time musical collaborator. Playing over a dozen instruments between them, Rik and MJ layer First Nation pow-wow drums, hand drums, didgeridoo and ocarinas over Rik’s percussive acoustic guitar playing and MJ’s soulful, funk fretless/upright bass to create their unique World Roots sound.
Buffy Handel, an Anishinabe performer and one of Canada’s top Aboriginal dancers uses hoop, fancy shawl, jingle, salsa and capoeira to physically interpret the songs through a combination of traditional and contemporary choreography. Professional visual artist and performance painter, Tina Newlove completes a painting from start to finish throughout the show. Tribe shows are designed with enough colour, sound and movement to engage every sense simultaneously.

“I was actually moved to tears, stricken with emotion and the beauty of not only the music and the visuals, but of the message they so effortlessly convey. I have never seen a group that could at once, be both joyous and driving, yet dark and haunting. The amount of sound coming off the stage was incredible, and the dancers complimented that sound perfectly.” Ken Jaworski, Artistic Director, Brandon Folk Festival

“Rik’s latest CD is artistically excellent and spiritually uplifting. It is music that resonates emotionally and provides a window into the soul of our nation.” Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Member of Parliament, Winnipeg North

Click the link at the bottom of this page for a performance video or visit www.rikleaf.com for more information.

Reviews

"...you have joined with an elite group of rising stars representing the best and brightest Aboriginal recording artists from across the country. It is my pleasure to extend my support, encouragement and sincere best wishes to Tribe of One.
- Eric Robinson, Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism & Sport

"Rik Leaf has carefully positioned himself as a songwriter on the margins speaking hope to the disenfranchised and dispirited. This album represents a maturing of that voice and a musical presence that gives us ears to hear. "
- Brent Nelson, Ph.D. English Professor, English Department, University of Saskatchewan

‘The sheer number of instruments onstage – all played by two people – coupled with Leaf’s interest in Aboriginal sounds and culture invite comparisons to Australian artist Xavier Rudd.” Bryan Birtles, Edmonton’s Vue Weekly

“Buoyed by a swooping, elastic voice that recalls Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield, Leaf dabbles in Celtic-sounding folk-rock, piano-based acoustic gems, funky dance jams and straight-ahead guitar rockers, all with a level of gutsy aplomb and intensity that belies his background as an activist. If this is winter to Rik Leaf, we can’t wait for the first signs of spring.” David Schmeichel – Winnipeg Sun

“now is the winter of our discontent is the creation of a thoughtful poet with a gift for words.” – Mike Warkentin

“Rik Leaf is most clearly a musical innovator. Given the inviting space of a whole solo album, Rik imaginatively conjures a variety of edgy sounds… musically this album twists and turns from track to explorative track. The result is not a pretentious and inharmonious melee of noises, but an intriguing 60 minute tapestry of true diversity/ingenuity.” – Tom Lennie – GoldUSA.com

“It's mellow tune-making that travels effortlessly into jump-up-and-get-down territory.” – Marg Lagton – Hamilton Spectator