The inaugural Rock Aak’w Indigenous Music Festival held its opening ceremonies beneath the mural of Elizabeth Peratrovich on the Juneau waterfront, with drums and singing ringing out across the Gastineau Channel.<\/p>\n
This year’s festival is the first in what organizers hope to be a recurring event highlighting Indigenous artists, according to Stephen Qucang Blanchett, Rock Aak’w’s creative director, who told the Empire in an interview he has wanted to hold this kind of event for 20 years.<\/p>\n
Standing on the waterfront Friday evening, Blanchett said he teared up as one of the acts finished their performance.<\/p>\n
“It’s been two years of hard work and the community coming together,” Blanchett said. “I didn’t expect to get that emotional.”<\/p>\n
The songs on the waterfront Friday were meant to welcome the artists, and invite them to share their gifts. All of the artists performing in the festival stood alongside Blanchett and his bandmates during the song.<\/p>\n
Dozens of people turned out for the performance, including Josh Jackson, a teacher at Harborview Elementary School. Jackson came with his three daughters, Micahelyn, 8; Karmyn, 6; and Jayelyn, 4.<\/p>\n
“It was very cool,” Michaelyn said. “I don’t think I’ve seen people out in public sing that much.”<\/p>\n
This year all of the performances are virtual, but Blanchett said he wants the festival to run every other year, opposite Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biennial Celebration event.<\/p>\n
Blanchett is a member of the band Pamyua and said in his own experience in the music industry, Indigenous bands are almost never given center stage at large music festivals.<\/p>\n