Aboriginal rock band breaks stereotype

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Where there's rock 'n' roll, there's drugs 'n' alcohol - a stereotype that the group Eagle Feather is trying to change.

"We are telling our youth that it's OK to enjoy rock music without getting drunk or even being in a bar," said J. Hubert Francis, lead singer of the band.

With the release of their third album a few months ago, Eagle Feather has been showing audiences that rock 'n' roll and drugs 'n' alcohol do not have to mix.

The newest release entitled, Message From a Drum, is made up of songs about life's experiences in a Native world. Songs of tragedy, triumphs, love and the environment are all performed in a rock 'n' roll style.

"Although this is the third CD, I call it my first because the others were mostly contemporary. This is the first successful one where every song is Native oriented," said Francis.

While performing on the club circuit, Francis came to see the horrors and self-destruction associated with drugs and alcohol. It was then he came to terms with his own alcoholism.

"One time when I was touring out west I saw a lot of our people in the audience being used for their money and being taken advantage of. I saw a woman about eight months pregnant. She was passed out."

That was the turning point for Francis.

"I felt like I was contributing to this. In 1991 to '92, I decided against it. I'd had enough," said Francis.

Choosing to go back to his roots, Francis sought guidance from the Creator and Elders. That was the beginning of his spiritual and cultural journey.

"I kept seeing myself in those people at the bar and realized our people needed more Indian heroes, especially the youth. They needed more positive role models in the music industry."

Through his music, Francis began to educate Native and non-Native people by incorporating his cultural and positive messages into his music.

"It's not about stardom anymore. It's about helping, teaching and healing the youth. Our youth are heading into some tough decisions in the future, they need to have clear minds."

Francis, with his band, decided it was possible to play great music and have fun without surrounding himself with alcohol and drugs.

"We don't do the bar scene anymore. We stick to festivals and other high profile gigs," he said.

Eagle Feather's new release combines a mixture of ancient Micmac chants with contemporary sound. The result, said Francis, is an original combination of South and North American Native contemporary Aboriginal rock.

Eagle Feather has become one of Canada's premiere Aboriginal music groups, with their last two albums being nominated for Junos and East Coast Music Awards. The band has been featured on CBC's Midday and Venture, and in the publication Billboard Magazine. As well, they have held their own next to performers Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Good Brothers, and Mickey Gilley.