TORONTO—If he keeps on winning awards music will not only be a passion, but could be a full-time profession for Graeme Jonez, a member of the Sheguiandah First Nation, who has very strong family ties to Manitoulin Island.
“It was very exciting to receive the call recently that I have won the Single of the Year Award from Merilainen Music for 2023,” Mr. Jonez told The Expositor last week.
“I’ve been writing songs for 20 plus years and have really taken my music seriously for the past 12-15 years,” said Mr. Jonez. “I am a marketing director in my day job in Toronto, but yes, my musical career is quickly turning into a career.”
“I released my first album, ‘Creatures and Criminals,’ in March 2023,” said Mr. Jonez. “This was my first actual release,” he said, noting he has released a few independent CDs in the past.
“My mom, Saralyn Trudeau and her siblings were raised in Whitefish Falls First Nation, and she moved to St. Thomas, where she met my dad, Paul Jones. I along with my sister were born and raised in St. Thomas.”
“My grandparents were Burt and Sarah Trudeau,” said Mr. Jonez. “My grandfather was from Wiikwemkoong and my grandmother lived most of her life in Little Current, later living in Sheguiandah.”
“Music was always played in our household. I loved music like Motown, Elvis (Presley) and the Beatles,” said Mr. Jonez. “My dad took me to see Bob Dylan in concert when I was about 15 or 16 years old and seeing him in concert changed me. I had been fascinated with the 1960s counterculture movement and the music that came out of it. Within two weeks of seeing his concert I went out and got a guitar.”
“Writing songs is my main passion,” said Mr. Jonez who said although his music has been described as folk rock, country and indie rock, “I consider myself a folk musician.”
He reached the top of the Indigenous Music Countdown for the week of March 9-15 with his song titled, ‘The Flood.’ The Indigenous Music Countdown features the Top 40 songs of the week and is aired on various Indigenous radio stations across North America. “It’s unique how the countdown works. The fan base can vote for your song every day.”
Mr. Jonez, who has lived in Toronto for the past 20 years, asked friends and followers for their support in the countdown.
‘The Flood’ debuted on the Indigenous Music Countdown in January at Number 38. From there the song kept going up in the charts, eventually hitting the top. The song is about a fictional flood in New York City. “It was inspired by what happened when Hurricane Katrina hit and the humanitarian discrimination it created. In the song it talks about social inequality and has a unique cast of characters to illustrate the message I’m trying to get across.”
Before he became a solo artist, Mr. Jonez was in a band called Davey Parker Radio Sound.
Mr. Jonez, who is 45, lives “with my partner in a condo in downtown Toronto. I am a member of the Sheguiandah First Nation and have lots of family and friends on the Island and the vicinity. I do get to the Island during the year, probably a couple of weeks in Whitefish Falls every year. It feels like home to me. My favourite trip last year was to Sheguiandah for a basketball tournament that was held on the new court in the community.”
As for his music, Mr. Jonez has started recording the first few tracks for his new album which will be in production in the next few weeks.
