Saltwater Hank - "Ba'wis"

First Nations Ts'msyen artist Saltwater Hank has a new single that combines his love of blues and roots music with his heritage. "Ba'wis" is sung in the Ts'msyen language Sm'algyax, and is based on his great-great grandfather's experience with a Ba'wis, which is a Sasquatch of British Columbia. "Ba'wis" is a dirty blues song with plenty of fuzz, but rooted in more traditional music. The result is a fascinating and unique take on the genre that is endlessly compelling. There is also some indie rock and punk attitude in the song that gives it an even better edge. Saltwater Hank is going to be an artist to keep a close eye on.

Saltwater Hank says of his great-great grandfather's encounter with a Ba'wis:

"The mentioning of Hadi’ix comes from a story of what happened long ago. Hadi’ix is my great-great grandfather. He used to go for walks and smoke his pipe around the village by himself. People wondered why he was laying flat on his back on the boardwalk, and unconscious. When he came-to he told the people who were helping him that he had met the Ba’wis, and it had breathed in his face, and he went unconscious as a result of that."

You can listen to "Ba'wis" below. G̱al’üünx wil lu Holtga Liimi is due out July 1, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Saltwater Hank, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

Saltwater Hank - "Nii Wila Waalt"

Saltwater Hank is a First Nations Ts'msyen artist that combines his love of country and roots music with his own heritage. His upcoming album is written entirely in the Ts'msyen language Sm'algyax, and the first single is "Nii Wila Waalt." The song defies anything that you're expecting to hear. It's driven by a heavy, electric blues guitar along with some country style fiddle. "Nii Wila Waalt" is surprisingly heavy, and the combination of blues guitar with country fiddle would be enough to sell us on the song. But then you add in Saltwater Hank's traditional singing, and it just adds in an entirely new element. Sure, you're heard blues songs, country songs, and traditional First Nations music before, but never put together quite like this.

Saltwater Hank says of his new song:

"This is a series of natural events that indicate when we are supposed to harvest things. These protocols have been passed down since time immemorial, and are really indicative of how the gregorian calendar just does not make sense to us. We go after salmonberries when the ripening bird sings, and that’s that. We only harvest in good weather, because the weather is a very powerful thing that is meant to be respected. We always harvest our seaweed first because we have to dry it right away. If we strip cedar bark, the old people say it will rain, and we can’t dry our seaweed outside if it’s raining. If we strip the cedar bark too early it will also hurt the tree."

You can listen to "Nii Wila Waalt" below. G̱al’üünx wil lu Holtga Liimi is due out July 1, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Saltwater Hank, check out the artist's website.