A Tribe Called Red Hit the Canadian Road

BY David DacksPublished Aug 25, 2011

This weekend, Ottawa-centered first nations DJs A Tribe Called Red are set to commence their biggest round of touring yet, partly with their Electric Pow Wow night and as a project called A Tribe Called Two Toes with comedian Ryan "Two Toes" McMahon.

"He's kind of doing exactly what we're doing except with comedy," says ATCR's DJ NDN of McMahon in an Exclaim! interview. "It's an urban indian kind of feel to his show. He's making native comedy for natives and he's hilarious. It's a good fit."

Up first are the crew's first shows in Toronto and Montreal, with A Tribe Called Red playing the former on August 25 and the latter on 26. They appear in Montreal as featured guests at Poirier's Karnival party. From there, the band will head west for shows in Saskatchewan and BC, including an appearance at Vancouver's New Forms festival.

Recording-wise, A Tribe Called Red are furthering two collaborations with like-minded producers. One is with Mexican wunderkind producer Javier Estrada, who has already produced ATCR's "Indigenous Power." They're also working with Sacramento-based urban aboriginal explorers World Hood, who join them at Aboriginal Music Week in Winnipeg on November 4.

"They're working with the same kind of ideas we're doing but with Aztec and Mayan [influences]," says NDN of World Hood, adding, "We're becoming more and more cohesive as a unit, working on more and more tracks and putting together an original set, not just being club DJs. We're brothers here, we've got our families; we're in this for the long haul."

You can read Exclaim!'s newly published feature on A Tribe Called Red here, and check out all their upcoming tour dates below.

Tour dates:

8/25 Toronto, ON - Drake Underground
8/26 Montreal, QC - Le Belmont
9/10 Vancouver, BC - Waldorf Hotel (New Forms)
9/14 Saskatoon, SK - Scratch *
9/15 Regina, SK - Artesian on 13th *
9/22 Ottawa, ON - Ritual Night Club
9/23 Peterborough, ON - Trent University
10/1 Kahnawake, QC - The Edgewater *
10/19 Toronto, ON - The Century Room
11/4 Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret @ Windsor Hotel

* A Tribe Called Two Toes 
^ with A Tribe Called Red and World Hood

NDNs From All Directions from Bear Witness on Vimeo.

Latest Coverage