For National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, punk-rocker / folk storyteller Evan Redsky is revealing the new single, “Cecilia Jeffrey”. “Three generations of my paternal family attended the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, ON,” says Redsky. “The same residential school that Chanie Wenjack attended and was written about in the late Gord Downie's Secret Path. I started writing this song quite a few years ago and never quite found the strength to record or share it until now.

“It’s a tough one to sing about from a deeply personal place. Having recently spent the last year in sobriety has truly given me the space I needed to share this one. Embracing all the scars and learning how to love myself one day at a time, as they say. I just hope it resonates with anyone in need of a bit of medicine. That's all this is to me now: a channel, or portal for the spirit to reside.”

Growing up on the Mississaugi First Nation reserve of Blind River, Ontario, Redksy was often compelled to hitchhike to Toronto to immerse himself in the city’s burgeoning punk and hardcore music scene. Redsky recalls sleeping under bridges and on construction sites, dedicated to making music happen. At 19 years old, Redsky started performing with punk outfit Single Mothers, going on to perform with the JUNO Award-nominated group everywhere from local clubs to Primavera Sound to the Pitchfork Music Festival. However, as the group saw increasing success, Redsky felt more and more empowered to explore other musical paths and tell his own stories.

Seeking inspiration for this latest record, The Language Of Fishermen, Redsky happened upon the works of celebrated Ojibwe author Richard Wagamese. Many of the songs on The Language of Fishermen were inspired by Wagamese’s stories, especially those from his autobiographical book One Native Life.

Redsky, like Wagamese, is Anishinabek, and the two share the experience of growing up in the bush, on reserve, and navigating between cultural worlds. Between honouring Wagamese’s words and sharing his own reflections, Redsky’s The Language of Fishermen contains a lifetime of feeling—including honouring the often overlooked positive moments of simplicity and fulfillment.

As for the stories in Redsky’s The Language Of Fishermen, his desire to share them can be traced to his prominent lineage of storytellers within his community. Notably, his great-grandfather, James Redsky, whose book The Great Leader of The Ojibway was published by the University of Toronto in the early 1970s. James Redsky was a prominent member of the spiritual group known as the Midewiwin and was one of the last people to possess ancient birch bark scrolls depicting centuries-old etchings that informed the community of much of their pre-colonial history.

The theme of healing on The Language of Fishermen — and questioning if, when, and how healing can be accomplished — comes from Redsky’s own journey in the past few years. Through meditation, sobriety, and music, “The healing journey is constantly transforming,” Redsky says. But having known many Indigenous people who need permission to forgive themselves, and allow the healing process to begin, this song feels boldly overt, honest.

A couple decades into making music, with many more stretching out ahead, Redsky’s story is one of staying committed over the years, trusting the process, and trusting himself. Like the rolling highways Redsky sings of the song, “Northern Road”, with a “starry night beyond those headlights that could go on forever,” Redsky’s journey goes on.