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Jace Martin talks making music over the pandemic and headlining the Six Nations Unity Festival

A man wearing a dark blue shirt with a multicoloured pattern poses in front of a dark blue backdrop.
Jace Martin's recently released new single "Honour Song" remembers and is dedicated to those children lost to the Canadian residential school system. Photo courtesy of Jace Martin's Facebook page.
Andrew Dow - CJKS - Ohsweken • ON | 11-07-2022
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Jace Martin, a Six Nations local musician, is looking to continue his already productive 2022 year into the summer months. Martin, a singer and producer of local talents like James Wilson and Semiah Smith, will look to bring back live music locally when the Six Nations Unity Festival takes place later this month. 

Martin said the pandemic has been a transition period for musicians leading them to find different avenues to explore when trying to create new music. He got to experience a first over the pandemic when he worked with some others to create a song remotely.

“It was definitely a bit different, with always having live music, and live musicians around me rehearsing things out, recording live off the floor," he said, recalling the experience. "To come from that history, and have so much success that way and to see this way, it's a little bit different but you just trust and you can still do your thing from just where you are."

Martin is also serving as the Six Nations Unity Festival’s creative director. The festival will take place on July 22 at the Gathering Place By the Grand with performances from local Six Nations artists including Juno-award winner Derek Miller, Logan Staats, Lacey Hill as well as Martin himself, and more. 

“It’s so important to have that stage and that festival every year. We drew 4,000 people at one festival, to Chiefswood Park, so it can be done. We can bring massive audiences to the reserve to enjoy Indigenous artists, and enjoy other big artists like The Trews," he said, speaking on the excitement surrounding the festival. "We’ve had so many great artists come through here. So it’d be nice to be able to revive that because, for me, that's what the impact is to have the stage to mix with all these mainstream artists with our artists from around here and networking it’s just a great time."

Martin has a new single out called Open Doors which is available on Spotify and he's currently working on new music and hopeful to have his new album Martin & Keys out sometime this fall. More Details about The Six Nations Unity Festival can be found on their Facebook page here.

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