Send us Fan Mail

Prominent music publicist and SiriusXM radio host Eric Alper explores the intersection of the music industry, systemic barriers for Indigenous artists and the way forward for truth and conciliation in Canada.

In this conversation with cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee, Alper reflects on his 30-year career, his lifelong passion for the magic of storytelling in music, and why he adopts the mindset of a "shameless idealist" when fighting to get musicians heard.

"I keep saying yes to doing things for no other reason that I just like and love music, and I like being around people that make magic happen, because I can't play a single note," Alper says. "I've never written a song before. You stick me in a recording studio, I've absolutely no idea, zero, what and how anything is done."

But what he does know is that the entertainment industry has historically excluded and exploited Indigenous voices. At the same time, he notes that classifying Indigenous music as a distinct genre undervalues the breadth of musical styles within the scene today.

Among the Indigenous artists and acts Alper highlights are Francis Baptiste, Tom Wilson, Crystal Shawanda, Northern Cree, Susan Aglukark, Mattmac, Mike Bern, Duke Redbird and Donita Large.

Also getting a special shoutout is the non-Indigenous group Sultans of String and its cofounder Chris McKhool for their groundbreaking collaborations with Indigenous acts in Canada, resulting in the album Walking Through the Fire.

McKhool has "kind of been a beacon" for people trying to right the wrongs against Indigenous communities and individuals in Canada, Alper says.

Support the show

Join our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/

Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/

Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneys

Questions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:
unsettledjourneys@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever stopped to think about what happens when you turn on the tap? University of Calgary researcher Kerry Black certainly has—and is keenly aware of how that access to clean, dependable water separates her from many First Nations families.

Cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee sit down with the engineer and settler to discuss the great water divide and how it connects to persistent and destructive colonial constructs.

"If I can turn on the tap, and I can leave right now, and I can keep it on for the next 48 or 72 hours, no one's going to come to the door and go, are you OK? By the way, you're seriously wasting some water," says Kerry.

"They're just going to send you a bill (and say), do you have a leak in your faucet? There's no urgency to that. And that, to me, is the definition of water privilege."

Support the show

Join our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/

Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/

Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneys

Questions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:
unsettledjourneys@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Ian Smith, director of business development with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering, talks about personal actions and impactful programs that tie into his own truth and conciliation journey.

Cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee talk with Ian about

• moments of revelation
• effective approaches, big and small, to truth and conciliation
• learning to be a musician, responding to criticism and trying again (Ian has a master's degree in music performance from Arizona State University)
• the need for more genuine initiatives and less box ticking
• and much more.

If you're looking for a simple entry point to your own truth and conciliation journey, Ian has a recommendation: "Go get some books. Read Indigenous authors. Read their perspectives. And that helps you understand more truth."

Also, if you've got a spare zero dollars to spend, take the University of Alberta's online Indigenous Canada course, he says.

Support the show

Join our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/

Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/

Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneys

Questions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:
unsettledjourneys@gmail.com