Saskatchewan Métis singer/songwriter’s gritty new album Fly Away is out June 7
With the imminent release of Berk Jodoin’s new album Fly Away on June 7, he is offering another preview with “Weather The Storm,” a bluesy ode to all those struggling to survive in our current socio-economic times.
It comes on the heels of two previous singles, “Aces & 8’s” and “One Child,” which boldly made the case for the Saskatchewan-based, Métis singer/songwriter to be regarded as one of the most important voices within the North American Indigenous music movement. CBC Saskatchewan has recognized this as well, naming Jodoin as a musician “changing the sound of the province.”
In describing “Weather The Storm,” Jodoin says,
“The one truth in life is that it’s hard and it’s not fair. It’s one long test. The only thing we have control of is what we do when we are tested. Do we hide when the clouds gather or do we dance in the rain? Do we fold under the pressure or do we stand tall and weather the storm? Sometimes it’s the banker man putting the pressure on us, or the doctor man giving us bad news and all the while the preacher man telling us how we should live. I choose to weather the storms, because I know the sun will shine again. It always does.”
It’s that unflinching view of society that’s the hallmark of Jodoin’s songwriting, and is on full display throughout Fly Away’s 10 songs, from the tragic portrait of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in “Hastings & Main,” to the scathing, self-explanatory indictment, “White Man’s World.” It’s no surprise that Jodoin has experienced much of what he sings about. After a promising hockey career was derailed by life-threatening alcoholism, Jodoin turned his life around in his early thirties with the help of a British Columbia treatment centre. He then took up boxing, but after realizing that injuries were tempting him to return to his bad habits, Jodoin turned to music as his therapy, inspired by heroes like Steve Earle and Waylon Jennings.
Through his friends’ encouragement, Jodoin began recording his songs, and with the support of an SK Arts grant, released his self-titled debut album in 2020. Jodoin followed that up in 2022 with Half-Breed, which earned him a Saskatchewan Music Award as Indigenous Artist of the Year, along with a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.
Now partnered with Toronto-based Meriläinen Müsic, Jodoin is sure to expand his audience with Fly Away, a collection that presents cold facts alongside a pathway toward change. “All my songs are true,” Jodoin says. “I basically just take stories and write them, as I did with songs I wrote for my grandfather, who was a Cree man. The story of him surviving residential schools is a true story that needs to be told. We all have a platform. I use mine to raise awareness of things, which will hopefully inspire people to take action.”