Music & Friends: Silver Wolf Band

Music & Friends

Award-winning Silver Wolf Band, buddies who have grown up together and whose sound never gets old.

By Wendy Rose

Silver Wolf Band emerged in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 2007, but their story goes back much further. Members Jamie Jackman (guitar, vocals), Matthew Barrett (piano, keyboards), Justin Jackman (drums, percussion) and Brandon Pardy (bass guitar) have been friends since childhood. The pals spent their teenage years playing in other bands before teaming up to create the Indigenous folk-pop band we know today.

They’ve been together for so long that some of the details are lost in history, like the first song ever written and the first gig ever played.

The first real meaningful one, to us, was at a spot called Tribeca in Halifax,” says Jamie. “We had just moved out to Prince Edward Island while I was finishing my last year of university in Charlottetown, and we were so excited to play in Halifax [Nova Scotia]. We travelled there together from PEI, and a lot of our friends from back home [in Labrador] who were going to school there came out to the show.

Jamie continues, “We were super nervous, but we had so much fun… Gigs were hard to come by for us then, as we were really just getting started and trying to find our voice. We did a great job, considering. It was a catalyst for us to keep going.”

They have certainly kept going. Three albums later, Silver Wolf Band have won Indigenous Artist of the Year at both the MusicNL Awards and the East Coast Music Awards, and received nominations for Rock Artist of the Year and Group of the Year from MusicNL, and Inuit Group of the Year from the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival. Over the years, they’ve performed locally at the NL Folk Festival; Trails Tales Tunes Festival; Petapan First Light Indigenous Arts Symposium in NL; Spirit Song Festival; Labrador Winter Games opening ceremonies; and on the mainland at the Northern Lights Arts Symposium in Ottawa and the ECMA Artist Showcase in PEI, just to name a few.

The band did, however, take an extended break from 2011 to 2016. They eventually reunited after Jamie, Justin and Matthew moved back to Labrador.

“Although we didn’t officially disband, we all kind of went our separate ways. For me, personally, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t pursue music anymore in a serious way,” Jamie recalls. “I don’t remember who initiated it, but I think we realized there’s no reason we couldn’t still get together and play. We did so with no plans other than to hang out and play music together, purely for enjoyment and with no plans or expectations.

Lifetime Achievement Award for The Flummies

In November 2021, MusicNL bestowed upon multi-award winning Labrador band The Flummies an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award.

Since 1978, this Indigenous traditional folk band has been producing and performing songs of Labrador. Deeply rooted in the Big Land, even their name has cultural relevance – flummies were the bread made in the woods by Labrador trappers. Over their career, the band has produced seven albums and won numerous awards, including MusicNL Aboriginal Group of the Year (2002) and ECMA Aboriginal Group of the Year (2003 and 2009). Based in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, original members Alton Best and Richard Dyson have, over the years, been joined by Tunker Campbell, Leander Baikie, Sim Asivak and Raymond Montague.

“One thing led to another, and some people reached out to us to play for a local fundraiser, and we did, it went well, and we were just hooked again. We absolutely love playing together and everything that comes with playing music live.”

With his original tunes collecting dust, the band refocused their creative energies on recording and releasing their second album, Pockets Filled With Rocks, in 2018.

“The rest is history. We haven’t slowed down and I think we’re much more comfortable now that we are older, have more experience and are working from home in Labrador.”

In 2020, the band released Storms & Prayers to immediate critical acclaim. The album was described as “punctuated by classic odes to Labrador” and “a love letter to the place the band calls home” by The East arts and culture magazine.

Last year was also “a huge success” for the band, says Jamie, with award nominations giving them the “encouragement and affirmation that we’re going in the right direction,” he says. “We are becoming much more sure of ourselves, and we’re pleased with the opportunities that come along with these awards. At the end of the day, we’re working hard on our music and growing as musicians and as a band.”

In 2021, Silver Wolf Band joined a slew of local legends on the album Covers From Away, a compilation of songs from the famous “Come From Away” musical.

“We jumped at the opportunity because we saw it as a chance to have a Labrador contribution to this fantastic project. Some people may not be aware, but Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which is our hometown, also hosted several airplanes from around the world during 9/11,” Jamie says. The band recorded a version of “Lead Us out of the Night,” throwing in some new lyrics as well as the Lord’s Prayer in Inuttitut, the Inuktitut dialect spoken in Labrador.

“We draw a lot of support and inspiration from the people and places of Labrador. Labrador is a huge place and it’s difficult to travel within the region, but we manage to play here a lot because of the support we get from our community,” Jamie continues.

“We have a regular gig at Maxwells in Happy Valley-Goose Bay; we play Labrador City a couple of times a year; and there are lots of festivals, conferences and other opportunities to play here. Everyone loves live music, and we want to play for Labradorians all over the Big Land.” The band hopes to tour Labrador’s isolated coastal communities this spring, travelling up the north coast to areas only accessible by plane.

“The people there are huge supporters of our music, and Brandon, Justin and I are from there originally. It’s a shame that we don’t get to play there more frequently. In fact, few artists ever do,” he muses.

We owe it to them to make that effort, and it’s been a dream of ours for a long time to do so. We have played in Makkovik and Rigolet in the past, and those shows have been some of our most memorable gigs. So we’re eager to play in those communities and, hopefully, this Labrador North Coast Tour will inspire other artists from around the province to do the same,” he says. “Labrador is a major part of this province, but still few actually get to go there, and it still remains a mystery to many people.

Details of Silver Wolf Band’s next album are not a mystery, however. They are currently working on a new record, set to release this spring. “The record is being produced by Amelia Curran, which we are absolutely thrilled about. She is one of my favourite songwriters, and it’s just been an absolute pleasure for all of us to work on this project with her. Just like our last album, we’re recording it again with Krisjan Leslie at his studio in St. John’s,” Jamie shares excitedly.

“We have plans to do a lot of touring in 2022 to promote the new record, including the Labrador North Coast Tour, which is daunting, but equally as exciting,” he says. “Hopefully we’ll see some of you folks on the road soon!”

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