EARTH PARTNERS
Keepers of the Sacred Fire - Various Artists 2004
Hamilton's most glorious greenspace, the Red Hill Creek Valley, is in grave danger. Most of the current members of Hamilton's municipal government want an expensive, needless new expressway to replace the thousands upon thousands of trees, plant and animal species who currently inhabit the area. But the struggle to protect the Red Hill Valley isn't just an environmental issue, but one of First- Nation rights as well. A treaty signed all the way back in 1701 was supposed to preserve the wealth of the Valley for the Hotinonsionne people. The struggle to protect this sacred place continues today...
Fortunately, many Hamiltonians refuse to remain idle. Last February, Dave King and Gord Pullar gathered a group of concerned artists and musicians to work on a record to promote awareness of the issue. This project became the Keepers of the Sacred Fire CD.
Dave King patiently guided and participated in the recording sessions which took place in his converted cattle barn recording studio in Caistor, Ontario. Hamilton writer April A. Severin read with strong emotion her piece entitled "Voice of the Valley".Singing-guitarist Dave Hind teamed up with Keyboardist Ralph Michelli on "Tied to the Ground", with birds singing-frogs croaking on cue, courtesy the surrounding farmer's field . Environmentalist and top-notch singer-songwriter Ian Thomas rocks out on" Rise Above It" with the impromptu backup of Hamiltons most well seasoned musical talent including Genie award winning bass player Paul Intson, who were all assembled for the same cause. First Nations drummers and singers Roger LaForme, Victoria Zorzella, Paul Bouchard, Shawn Hansler, and Donny McAulay form the Fireside Circle drum group who pound out" Calling All Nations" on the mighty Grandfather drum , which had to be hoisted up into the hay loft to warm up in the sunshine before it could be played. The legendary Tim Gibbons (Sling-Blade, Trouble Boys) sang and picked-out the sweaty "Bordello of Time" on a recycled banjo. A contrast is offered by Kat Marunchak who penned " Diversion" the day before and recorded in one take, amazingingly enough, as were most of the tracks on this album. Established fiddler Stephen Fuller plays some 17th Century blues on" Princess Royal/ The Spirit of Stone" with Shawn O'Halloran on guitar and Paul Panchezak on congas.
Eclectic Hamilton bred New York based Dave Rave wrote "Blue Springs Highway" in his car outside the studio after being inspired by Tim's "bar setting" effort earlier in the day . Once again with assistance from the Sacred fire backup band. Red Hill Fire-keeper John Buffalo Shield walked in with his guitar and knocked off his straight forward "Red Hill Crime Scene" as a warning and left to go and place another log on the Sacred fire that has been burning In Red Hill for over 200 days. Dave King has played drums on stages and in studios all over the world and across Canada with Richard Newell aka"The King Biscuit Boy". Rob LaMothe's" Welcome to the 21st Century" created a stillness in the studio. Rob's son Josh on guitar, Tim Gibbons on piano, Steve Strongman on bass, Jamie Oakes on slide and Dave King on quiet drums made for a beautiful overlapping sound. Young Matthew DeZoetes put together multi-track "Flag Blind" by playing and singing everything.
Renowned Hamilton band led by East-Mountain boy Tom Wilson, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings contributed" Lean on Your Peers", a song which describes the hard ass Hamilton mentality . Shawn O'Halloran (ex Trick Bag bassist) who played guitar on Princess Royal, reappears on the CD via his dusty "Progress of Man". Donna Powless shared " The Creator Song", which she dedicated to the people of the Red Hill Valley. Finally Genie award winning engineer Roman Klun burned his eyeballs out staring at a computer screen all night to mix and master the project in a marathon session.
The CD is an important accomplishment, raising awareness about the importance to protect the Red Hill Valley, and also offering listeners an opportunity to own recordings of a cross-section of Hamilton's finest all on one very eclectic CD.
GP