FPCC Arts Music Grant recipient connects with family and culture in the creation of a new album that bridges traditional and contemporary music.
Xualupathut Patrick Aleck’s new album Xualupathut Connections is well-named since his community, family and friends were all heavily involved in the project. Produced with support from the Creation and Sharing option of an FPCC Music grant, the album is due to be released soon.
Patrick’s ties to his ancestral communities run deep with connections to the Hul’q’umi’num’ speaking peoples of Stz’uminus First Nation on his father’s side and Penelakut Island on his mother’s side. He currently lives on Snuneymuxw First Nation territory (Nanaimo), where he brings his music to many community and cultural gatherings and events.
“My songs carry deep connection to my family, the land and Indigenous Peoples and are a way to bring people together,’ says Patrick. “I think of my music as a community artistic practice where I share my songs in drum circles with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”
Family is a big part of Patrick’s musical journey, with his grandmother, Marguerit James, at the centre.
“My grandmother is my teacher. She has helped me throughout the years to compose music together. As my teacher, she has always guided me and nurtured my gift and continues to do so as I undertake the professional exposure of my music. In my culture, our Elders guide us and teach us the ways. She helped me write three of these songs in our language. The knowledge passed down to me is now in these songs that will be shared with my community and the world.”
Patrick’s sisters are also featured on the contemporary album, both as leads on a song titled “Our Women Are Sacred” and as back-up singers on other tracks.
“It has been a very community-oriented project whereby a bunch of creatives just came together. It was definitely an encouragement piece for my friends and friends of friends and my sisters. It was absolutely fun and some beautiful work has resulted from it,” he says.
Xualupathut Connections is actually a double album. One album includes five traditional songs featuring Patrick and his drum. In between songs he talks about the meanings and stories behind the songs and gives descriptions of some words in Hul’q’umi’num’. The companion album includes acoustic, blues and rock ‘n’ roll versions of the songs on the traditional album.
Reflecting on the album project, Patrick feels he was able to grow as a musician in many ways:
“This project contributed toward my own personal creative and professional development, as well as that of each artist/producer who was involved. I had never recorded my songs in a studio setting before. Learning about all the different aspects of how to do this in the best way definitely deepened my professional experience.”
Patrick encourages anyone considering applying for an FPCC Arts grant to do so and “don’t be afraid”:
“Just go for it,” he says. “You have to trust the process and know that we deserve this as artists. Sometimes we’re so independent that it robs us from unwrapping these gifts. I say unwrap the gift and allow for people to believe in you. It’s really important that we can live beyond our visions, and this helps take the pressure off of wondering how am I going to network and how am I going to do things without funds. Instead, you can relax a little and just be an artist. Funding helps with our self-determination and is not just going to help one person, it’s going to help communities.”
Xualupathut Connections will be released in Spring 2025. Below is a video of Patrick singing “The equality song”, to be included on the album.
For more information about our Music Program please visit fpcc.ca/music. Funding for the Music Program is supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.
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