Friday, July 8, 2022
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Bowker Creek Walkway
(just north of the creek, between Oak Bay High School and Hampshire Road)
Lekwungen welcome by TEALIYE/Brianna Bear
Poetry by Tharani Balachandran
Music by Safiya Labelle and Ghostly Hounds
Watch a recordings of the concert here, here and here.
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Bowker Creek Walkway
(just north of the creek, between Oak Bay High School and Hampshire Road)
Lekwungen welcome by TEALIYE/Brianna Bear
Poetry by Tharani Balachandran
Music by Safiya Labelle and Ghostly Hounds
Watch a recordings of the concert here, here and here.
This event took place in Lekwungen Territory.
TEALIYE (ta-a-th-le-ut) is an Indigenous woman from the Songhees/Lekwungen Nation in Victoria through her father’s side with roots to the Namgis Kwakwaka’wakw people in Alert Bay through her mother’s side. She is the oldest of eight siblings from four parents whose backgrounds are Lekwungen, Kwakwaka’wakw, Mowachaht/Muchalaht & Nuu chah nulth. TEALIYE was brought up around her father’s territory of the Lekwungen people, learning many of the teachings from her grandfather Skip Dick and family members. Within the past six years she has taken on the role of Welcoming people to the territory and opening for events in the ways that her grandfather Skip Dick and her Uncle Bradley Dick have taught her. TEALIYE is a community knowledge keeper, an artists who has worked on murals, logo designs and more. www.facebook.com/BriannaBearArt
Tharani Balachandran (she/her) is a first-generation Canadian, lawyer, tea enthusiast, reader of books, lover of gossip and writer of poems who was born and raised on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen peoples in Victoria, British Columbia. Her work has appeared in Quail Bell Magazine, Anti-Heroin Chic and the Racket Reading Series and she recently self-published her debut collection of poetry entitled Love in the Time of Corona. www.instagram.com/brown.girl.adventures
Safiya Labelle is a multifaceted creative with a passion for weaving community together through the arts. As a musician who plays a range of instruments, each sonic offering is unique. Whether she is taking you on a journey with her violin, mbira, or guitar and voice, each song is an invitation to dive inward, listen deeply and soften the heart. She draws inspiration from the wisdom of nature, the potential of humanity, and the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. www.softfirearts.com
Ghostly Hounds combines strings, horns and powerful vocals to create dark, soulful folk music. Singer-songwriter-banjoist Francesca Mirai collaborates with a variety of musicians, most often Suzanne Stirling on trumpet and mandolin. Formed in Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal and often on the road, the band currently resides on St̕ey̕əs/ Pender Island, BC. Francesca’s deeply personal song writing, with focus on themes of love and grief, has evoked adoration from listeners across Canada and the United States. Their skill as a songwriter, their unique and powerful voice, the intimacy and vulnerability of their songs, and the band’s original and soulful arrangements have earned Ghostly Hounds enduring and enthusiastic support from their fans. The band has toured so-called Canada extensively, delivering hundreds of performances from PEI to Vancouver Island. Ghostly Hounds’ forthcoming album ‘In The Rubble’ is set to release September 2022 with singles dropping this Spring. www.ghostlyhounds.com
Financial support from: