MEDIA ALERT (view PDF)
June 14, 2024
Aysanabee signed guitar up for auction in support of music therapy programs for Indigenous mental health
WHAT: An acoustic guitar signed by celebrated Canadian artist Aysanabee is up for bidding in support of Toronto-based non-profit Make Music Matter. 100% of net proceeds will support Make Music Matter’s innovative Healing in Harmony music therapy program in Indigenous communities. The Denver acoustic guitar was donated by Long & McQuade.
WHEN: Bidding opens June 14 at 1pm ET and ends June 23 at 8pm ET
WHERE: Online at https://go.rallyup.com/makemusicmatter-aysanabee
About Aysanabee
Aysanabee is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer songwriter currently based in Toronto. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario.
His debut album, Watin (Nov. 2022), was released through Ishkōdé Records, one of the first Indigenous and women-owned labels in Canada. It was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2023. On Mar 23, 2024, Aysanabee made history as the first ever Indigenous Artist to win the JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and the coveted Songwriter of the Year, for his second album, Here and Now.
Solemn and soaring, backed by a swirling blend of indie, soul and electronic soundscapes, mournful saxophone and pulse-quickening finger-picking, Aysanabee’s striking sound is equal parts hypnotic and melodic which has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon and Sam Smith.
About Make Music Matter
Make Music Matter (MMM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to using the power of music to heal and empower communities affected by trauma and violence. Its innovative Healing in Harmony music therapy program offers a safe space for expression, healing, and growth. Participants emerge with a renewed sense of agency and self-worth. Their original songs are professionally produced and serve as advocacy tools to promote their rights and combat stigma.
In Canada, MMM is working with Indigenous partners Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto and Kehewin Native Dance Theatre in central Alberta to help break barriers to accessing mental health support, bringing together experts in trauma-informed interventions, arts-based youth empowerment programs, and music therapy for traumatized communities.
From survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo to young Syrian refugees in Turkey, and survivors of intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities in Canada, Healing in Harmony has helped transform the lives of over 15,000 individuals in nine countries worldwide. https://makemusicmatter.org in
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For further information, please contact:
Rebecca Purver, Media and Communications Manager, Make Music Matter
rebecca@makemusicmatter.org