Kevin James Howes: the Grammies, Willie Dunn and all things Voluntary In Nature

Kevin Howes, 2021 photo by Jennifer Forward Frost

There is something singular about the Native North America anthology. A collection of First Nations folk and rock, on some level - as I suggested in the Willie Thrasher interview I did for the Straight - has arguable parallels with the 1952 Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music; it collects forgotten and neglected musics of considerable resilience, packages them beautifully (including a well-researched and informative booklet), and had a role in resurrecting the careers of a few people - like Thrasher himself, whom I compared, in that piece, to Mississippi John Hurt, one of many bluesmen whose careers were revitalized, perhaps indirectly, because of the anthology. 

I was happy to draw these comparisons, stand by them, and am further happy that Kevin James Howes (formerly known as "Sipreano") - the man who curated the anthology -  understood what I was doing and was pleased with the comparison... which I think is probably the most flattering thing I've ever written in my years of fawning over cultural producers, really; I mean, the Smith anthology had a huge impact on the American music scene on the 1960's, laying the grounds for a huge revival of interest in American folk musics. It changed the landscape of both its time and ours - an ambition which the album art clearly reveals was intentional, showing as it does a hand reaching from the heavens to adjust the tuning of a stringed instrument identified with the world itself (Smith had many issues, apparently, but an excess of humility was not among them).  

 

...but there's still something a bit hyperbolic, maybe a bit hopeful about my comparison, I admit. Despite the Howes anthology being nominated for a Grammy, given a second lease on life through Light on the Attic, and serving as the first salvo in a series of related reissues by Morley Loon, John Angaiak, Willie Thrasher and most recently Willie Dunn (the liner notes for which album were themselves nominated for a Grammy recently), it remains to be seen just what the impact of the Native North America anthology will be. The Smith anthology only earns the reverential tones with which it is spoken because Smith's hubris was right on the money; just like the cover art suggests, the hand reached down and the world and its musical landscape were permanently and irrevocably re-tuned. But that required a whole lot of people paying attention and taking action, from tracking down surviving blues artists like Hurt to perform at the the Newport Folk Festival (or to record again) to inspired fans picking up instruments and/ or spreading the word about this stunning, nearly forgotten music. The importance of the anthology begins with Harry Smith - but once the set existed, was in print on vinyl and circulating, it was up to others to carry on the work, to make sure the music on it would not fall prey to neglect again - because things that can be forgotten once can also be forgotten again! 

Photo by Alanna Edwards

Thus my hyperbole. because from where we sit now, it is unclear what the actual impact of the Native North America anthology (and subsequent releases) will be. Will it spearhead a renaissance in musical production from First Nations artists? (Are there groups or musicians now who were inspired by its release, who would not have been making music otherwise? Other artists besides Thrasher have seen resurgences of interest in their music, playing Native North America concert events and elsewhere - but it remains to be seen where this newfound interest will take them). Will major names emerge, in the manner of Dylan, van Ronk, Ochs, Stampfel, etc? Will the musical landscape be permanently changed? ...because it seems a lot harder to do that, now, than it was in 1952 (and even then, it took over ten years for the world to really feel the impact of Smith's release). Things like the Grammy nominations, which normally would pass unnoticed by me, can actually help spread the word about these remarkable albums, help keep them in print (by no means a guaranteed thing). It's a rare case where it actually matters to shaping the course of musical history - even if only a little bit. Generally who wins what Grammy matters not at all, except to the people who win...

Willie Thrasher, 2016, Amanda Leigh Smith photograph

With all of these things in mind - as well as news of Howes' non-First Nations find, the Catseye album, and the creation of his own platform for distro'ing music, Voluntary In Nature - I fired a few questions off to Kevin, who gave a thoughtful, detailed reply...

Willie Thrasher and Linda Saddleback, 2016, Amanda Leigh Smith, photograph

Allan: What was being nominated for a Grammy like for Native North America Vol 1? (Do you know anyone else personally who has been nominated for a Grammy? I believe you didn't win, that time... who did you lose to, in what category? 

Kevin Howes: The Grammy nomination for Native North America (Vol. 1) in the “Best Historical Album” category was a total surprise. I remember waking up that morning, perhaps a little later than usual, checking my phone, and it had exploded, all of my devices had exploded, with texts, screen shots, phone messages, links, and words of congratulations. There were media requests as well: print, radio, and even television. I received a call from CBC Vancouver to appear in person and in studio on the nightly news, which I did, being interviewed by an extremely professional broadcaster, makeup and all. Personally, I recall laughing at/with myself in the shower that morning in almost disbelief. I called my engineer and close friend, Greg Mindorff of Suite Sound Labs, who was also acknowledged in the nomination, but after the initial excitement, a type of dread kicked in. While it felt good for my hard work to be recognized  - and it was very hard work, a true labour of love, the “Historical” nomination recognizes the album, producer, and engineer, not the artists. I felt that there was not enough inclusion for the musicians, families, and communities themselves in this acknowledgement, the people who really made the project possible and that there was no way that I could attend the award ceremonies in Los Angeles. I consulted Elder Dr. Duke Redbird in Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario) about my concerns. He told me to go to L.A. and take lots of pictures. This put me at ease. Thanks again Duke! 

Then there was the label, Light in the Attic, who I had clashed with during the production of the album. The last words the co-owner and founder said to me as we wrapped the project, was to paraphrase: “Kevin, you are insane. F%ck you. We are never working with you ever again…” And this was after 10 years of extremely generous offerings on my part to help create some of the landmark titles in their catalogue, so the nomination was also a vindication in that sense. All of a sudden I was the “golden child.” From my perspective, and with many of the artists still active with their music, poetry, and art, NNA was never going to simply be an album in the shops, which went out of print very fast and stayed that way until earlier this year, even with the extensive road work. Over 15 Native North America gatherings, which still continue to this day, over seven years after NNA’s release, have created stages and opportunities for many of the album’s artists. This was the victory, against the corporate music business, against the system, against the colonial mass media, and the racist nature of Canada itself. At the Grammys, we lost to Bob Dylan and The Band (The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11). It cracked me up a bit because I don’t believe that the lead producer of that project had even met Bob Dylan. Duke Redbird, ever astute, said it was ok because at least an Indigenous person, Robbie Robertson, was honoured.

Ha! Indeed. Let's move on to Grammy nomination #2. The Willie Dunn liner notes are really unique. What liner notes have you been inspired by/ modeled yourself on? Do you have any favourite liner notes...?

 Thank you. In my time, I’ve written quite a handful of liner notes for the likes of Sixto Rodriguez, Thin Lizzy, and Jackie Mittoo, but I remember veteran Canadian music publisher Tony Tobias once saying that in his opinion I’ve never bettered my first set, penned for the re-release of 1970’s Wayne McGhie and the Sounds of Joy in 2004. I just might agree. By then I had been writing for Vancouver’s The Georgia Straight newspaper for a couple of years and had long since graduated from Simon Fraser University (1996). That is to say, many words had already been written by then. Still, it was the early-to-mid 90s era when I was really delving into a breadth of liner notes. Apart from original 1960s write ups by the likes of Derek Taylor (Beatles For Sale) and descriptions on various jazz jackets, the words of Linton Kwesi Johnson and Steve Barrow on 1993’s Tougher than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music, a four-CD box set that was released by Mango/Island Records, Tribute to Jackie Mittoo by Brian Keyo (Heartbeat Records, 1995), and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ One Love (Leroy Pierson, Roger Steffens) (Heartbeat Records, 1991) were very affecting. Honestly though, I prefer well selected photos and lyrics over supportive words, and the music most of all. To note, the Willie Dunn Notes were inspired by Akwesasne Notes, a seminal Indigenous newspaper that originated from the Mohawk Nation in the late 1960s. The idea is always to try and honour the original era of the recordings through our presentation.

Eric Landry, 2016, Amanda Leigh Smith, photograph

What is the process of being nominated like? Is it like the Oscars, where the studio submits contenders to the academy - did Light in the Attic suggest you to them, or did someone else?

At one point in their journey, Light in the Attic Records started submitting some of their projects for Grammy consideration in the appropriate categories, a Lee Hazlewood retrospective box set in 2013 and 2014’s Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985. I guess that put my contributions on the Grammy people’s radar, which led to my participation as a voting member of The Recording Academy and their annual craft committees. Considering the lack of industry engagement with my work at home here in Canada, it felt good to be acknowledged and to participate in their process. My second nomination was in the “Best Album Notes” category for my Willie Dunn Notes essay. Once again, the competition is steep and I went from being “difficult to work with” to the “great Kevin Howes.” Echoes of the final days of producing Native North America still ringing through my head.

In a case like this, do you check out the competition, to see who you're up against? What are the other nominees?

Well, there’s an incredible amount of talent in this year’s “Best Album Notes” category, so I hope that any interested academy members who are participating in that specific field take the time to read them all. It would be extremely nice to win, but it’s something that I can’t entertain the thought of. The nomination is always the victory and it pleases me greatly, but I am focused on my work. Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology was eight years of effort for me and the focus is now on Voluntary In Nature, a grassroots and organic artist-to-artist initiative. To begin, our albums won’t be presented in a way that even fits into award categories. Perhaps, one or two projects that I can think of down the road, but not yet or anytime soon. I want to focus on the music itself, not the stories or even the format… Unless it can put money into artists' or families' pockets…  

Shingoose, 2016, Amanda Leigh Smith, photograph

So are you done with boutique labels from here in? Do you have plans to collaborate again with LITA? What does that bode for the follow up to Native North America Vol. 1?

VIN is the focus from here on out, my life's work. I would never offer an original archival production to LITA ever again (or any other label for that matter) other than to follow up on projects that I have already done (NNA Series, Jamaica-Toronto series, Willie Dunn Anthology, etc...), but only for the benefit of the artists/families involved...

For me, money is not the issue, it is respect, for myself, and to those who made the music...

Native North America Vol. 2 is currently in production and I would have to let LITA speak on that. It will be awesome no doubt and especially so if they treat the artists w/ the deep effort and acknowledgment that they deserve (beyond paying for PR)...

Are there physical releases planned for any of the Voluntary In Nature releases? (I thought I had read there would be Catseye vinyl).   

Formats (vinyl, etc...) on VIN releases are being created w/ the sole focus of putting money in artists/families pockets and ensuring that I don't lose my shirt in the process. I am of two minds: 1) the $100 LP at a limited number (250 or so) all direct sales or 2) a pressing of 500 given away for free like business cards... The latter does not help artists/families bar "promotion" and "exposure" and that doesn't put food on the table... The LITA/Numero-style option: Distribution, record stores, $25-60 retail prices do not serve artists to the level that is acceptable to me AS an artist...

Hence, no artist on VIN will have to recoup. Physical formats (w/ unique artwork) will be released in their natural time, the music must marinate in people's minds first, I think... It's what's important! Music over format any day of the week...

I wrote this on FB yesterday on a friend's post. Perhaps it might apply... [Note: Kevin added the mention of Amazon only after Neil Young's endorsement of them the other day as an alternative to Spotify]. 

To me, it's a shame that artists in positions of great power (Neil, Joni, etc...) are not leaving Spotify for that reason (greater streaming rates for all artists). Since it's beginning, the music business has rarely been fair or equitable (there is a vast gulf between those two words, music and business), but it's sad to acknowledge that it is the audience itself who has perhaps spoken loudest in regards to this dire situation. People prefer to pay a simple subscription fee to access an extremely large number of songs than to pay individual artists/groups a percentage of a living wage through the purchase of their music, whether that be through digital or physical music sales... The struggle of the independent artist or group continues, perhaps amplified through Spotify (and exacerbated through the pandemic, especially those who perform live), but nothing new. I view putting music on Spotify as a service where you are paying for your audience's convenience as well as an advertisement for your music as one would have done in a magazine, radio, TV, or newspaper ad back in the day... Unless one is generating millions of streams, it's equally hard to generate funds on any of the other streaming platforms (Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon, etc...) who give a slightly higher rate. Having just started an "outlet for sharing" on Bandcamp (deemed as perhaps the most equitable of the online platforms, but who also take a serious cut of sales in combination w/ Paypal who process the funds, and less usability in terms of listening "offline"), I can report that it's brutal everywhere (even w/ some positive mass media support for our releases)...

[End interview!]

Willie Mitchell, 2016, Amanda Leigh Smith, photograph

The Grammy Awards have been relocated to April, so we have yet to see what the effect of that nomination will be. Meantime, there are three new releases from Howes' Voluntary In Nature imprint: the funky Wayne 1976, which follows up the previously-mentioned Wayne McGhie release; Indian/ Inuit Country, by Willie Thrasher (1994); and the psych-folk of Catseye (from 1973). From the press-release for those albums (written, I presume, by Howes himself...): 

Wayne McGhie – Wayne ’76 (VIN 001)

An unknown album and a future landmark, the 1976 follow up to 1970’s soul, funk, and reggae masterpiece, Wayne McGhie & The Sounds of Joy, recorded by the legendary Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter/guitarist before succumbing to overwhelming mental health challenges and retreating from the music that he once held so dear. With the blessing of Wayne during his lifetime and continued family support and encouragement, we are honoured to share Wayne ’76 with the world!

Listen/support (and more information):

https://wayne76.bandcamp.com/

Willie Thrasher – Indian/Inuit Country (VIN 002)

A small-run regional, 1994, independent cassette by an Inuvialuit road warrior who has been traveling across Turtle Island since the 1960s and every bit as important as Canada’s much celebrated Stompin’ Tom Connors. Willie Thrasher sings songs about his people, their traditional culture, the human experience, and mother nature. It’s time for everyone to show Willie that “We believe in Native music!”

Listen/support (and more information):

https://indianinuitcountry.bandcamp.com/

Catseye – Self-titled (VIN 003)

Intimate, analogue, progressive folk reflections by two Canadians singer-songwriters in England, who, along with two British musicians, recorded a 99 copy demo album in 1973 aimed at the stars. Their disc received support from none other than the BBC’s John Peel and Elton John’s Rocket Records, yet missed the mark on the first go round… Or did it? Only the Catseye knows!

Listen/support (and more information):

https://catseyealbum.bandcamp.com/

VIN links:

Official website: https://www.voluntaryinnature.com/
Bandcamp: https://voluntaryinnature.bandcamp.com/
Blogger: https://voluntaryinnature.blogspot.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voluntaryinnature/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voluntaryinnature
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VoluntaryIn
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/voluntaryinnature
Contact: voluntaryinnature@gmail.com