Amanda Rheaume Album Release w/ Mitchell Makoons
Amanda Rheaume Album Release
Roots, folk. Anthems of underdogs.
For fans of Diana Krall, Sierra Noble, Don Amero.
Recipient of the 2024 Spirit of Folk Award, 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year and the 2023 Capital Music Awards’ Album of the Year, Amanda Rheaume’s rootsy, guitar-driven ballads introduce crucial dimensions to the world of Heartland Rock. In a genre characterized by anthems of underdogs, assumptions and unfair advantages, Rheaume’s sound and story radically expand the boundaries, both geographic and cultural, to make space for new perspectives on resistance and resilience. A Citizen of the Métis Nation, and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume’s music is indeed from the heart, and the land.
First a songwriter, Rheaume comes from a long line of tireless, transformational organizers and activists. She carries this lineage forward in her ever-growing role as a crucial builder of Indigenous music infrastructure and community. From the International Indigenous Music Summitand Ishkode Records, to the National Indigenous Music Office, the goal of raising Indigenous sovereignty in the music industry drives all of Rheaume’s work.
Rheaume has released 5 full-length albums and four EPs, all while fostering a self-managed career travelling on numerous tours and achieving many milestones. 2013’s Keep a Fire was nominated for a JUNO Award and won a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. As a follow-up to 2022’s The Spaces In Between, Rheaume is currently writing her next full-length album, set to release in 2025.
Mitchell Makoons (he/him) is a Roots/Rock musician from Brandon, Manitoba, who currently resides in Winnipeg. At the age of seven, Mitchell began playing the guitar to accompany his grandfather and brother as they played Metis fiddle tunes. Makoons continues to be an active member of the Manitoba Metis community and writes songs that combine traditional Ojibway music and culture with modern influences.
Makoons has toured several times across Western Canada and has begun to break into the Canadian festival scene. In 2024, he performed at Dauphin’s Countryfest, Harvest Sun Music Festival, Gentlefest, and Winnipeg Fringe Festival, to name a few.
Makoons released his debut album “Lady Boots” in April of 2024. Of the 8 tracks on the album, 4 have reached the top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown with “Courage” and “Changing Man” becoming his first and second No. 1’s. Mitchell’s music is spun frequently on Canadian and American radio and receives international play on Sirius XM. Since 2022, Makoons has been nominated for 9 Manitoba Country Music Awards and won the Emerging Artist of the Year Award in 2024.
