Project by Jordan Small and Aryn Toombs
Contributions by Brandon Wilson and Tracy Luc-German
As June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day, artists of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, also known as Mini’Thni, a reserve between Canmore and Calgary on Treaty 7 territory, are featured this week.
Three bands populate the Stoney Nakoda community – Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley – and together they have formed a long and rich culture known for song and dance.
The Rocky Mountain Outlook celebrates some of Nakoda’s up and comers who are forging forward and making positive change through art, advocacy and leadership.
Eli Twoyoungmen
Chiniki First Nation, Suquamish Tribe, musician, change maker“Rock and roll, baby.” – Eli Twoyoungmen
With a pair of drumsticks in hand, Eli Twoyoungmen is the thunder behind Panic Station, an alt-rock band from the Bow Valley.
Coming by way of Morley, the opportunity to be a voice for the Indigenous community and musicians is an important one to the rocker and it’s expressed through his art form.
“To me, art is as natural as breathing,” Twoyoungmen said. “It’s a huge part of our lives, whether consuming it in music form or at galleries, and it’s part of the very nature of my whole being a person.”
As a teenager and just starting to hit the drum kit, Twoyoungmen wanted to rock out in the mountain
town of Canmore.
There was a little problem, though – he was having trouble finding other musicians who wanted to play the grungy, alt-rock style his idols dished out.
He first heard the genre growing up in Morley, when the radio was on and music flowed through the house. If the radio was on, Twoyoungmen was tuned in to whatever was playing.
At first, the pop tunes of boy band Backstreet Boys caught his ear, but as a teen, the likes of alt-rock bands Nirvana and Soundgarden spoke to how Twoyoungmen felt – especially growing up on the reserve.
His first taste of playing instruments came in the form of a traditional powwow drum that belonged to his father, Marcus. When the opportunity came to pound away on it in the basement, Twoyoungmen took full advantage.
“My father likes to turn everything into art,” he said. “My father is the biggest influence in my life, along with my mother. She shaped me to be the person I am.”
Twoyoungmen eventually got his very own powwow drum and a Yamaha keyboard kit, but the young man’s heart was “dead set” on a drum kit.
“I begged my parents for a drum set and finally got it at 16 … My mom instantly regretted it,” he said, with a laugh.
Twoyoungmen had no formal drumming lessons, but the addictive drug of music ran hot through his blood.
“I had hoped to express how I was feeling, and the ideas I couldn’t quite articulate, through music,” he said.
While attending Canmore Collegiate High School, Twoyoungmen was seeking people to jam to the same alt-rock style he did.
It was at a high school party where he met Panic Station bandmate and singer/guitarist Adam Bronsch.
“This is my guy right here,” said Twoyoungmen after their first meeting.
They quickly formed an allegiance with each other, sparked by an identical taste in music. Since that day, Panic Station has turned into a 10-year project between the two friends, which includes countless gigs and a performance at artsPlace in March 2018.
“Making it out to Canmore, as a Morley musician, it’s hard to get out there and coming out here and representing the Native community, it’s important I have this opportunity to bring a voice to our people and Native musicians,” he said.
For more information or to book Panic Station, visit the Facebook page Panic Station Bow Valley.
