The roots/rockers who have been lighting up the music world all the way from the James Bay in remote Northern Ontario have just released their highly-anticipated third album, HIGH ROAD, on February 23rd. It's an album about resilience, something Midnight Shine's frontman Adrian Sutherland knows firsthand.

“Growing up in Attawapiskat was a real challenge. Kids can be cruel to each other, and I was bullied a lot,” says Sutherland, who'd seek escape though music, or by spending time out on the land, learning about his Mushkegowuk Cree culture and traditions. “Resilience is something I had to learn at an early age, and it became part of who I am.”

“Living in Attawapiskat today, as an adult with a family of my own, requires even more resilience. There's no hiding the truth about life in the North, and the fact that many of our communities are in a horrible state. We face frequent hardships, and struggle every day to find our way through it all. But we still have a choice to feel hope, and to empower ourselves to find peace.”

“A lot of the songs I'm writing these days keep coming back to being resilient, and not giving up. Through my music, I hope this message will resonate with people from the James Bay coast, and other isolated places. This album is for them.”

The lead single off the album is actually a favorite of mine. It's a cover of Neil Young's Heart of Gold, and of course they put a little bit of their own shine on the single, by singing some lyrics in Cree!

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Midnight Shine will return to Toronto for Canadian Music Week, May 7-13. A busy summer schedule is currently in the works, with word already out about the following performances (and more show announcements coming soon):

Stars and Thunder Festival – Timmins, Ontario
June 25 mainstage performance, with Blue Rodeo and Colin James

Trackside Music Festival – London, Ontario
July 1 mainstage performance on Canada Day

Outside of concerts… Adrian Sutherland will take part as a presenter in RBC Bluesfest Blues in the Schools in Ottawa, from February 26 to March 9. Organized by RBC Ottawa Bluesfest (where Midnight Shine performed the main stage in 2017, prior to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers), Blues in the Schools reaches out to students to involve them in the universal form of communication called music.

Adrian will take to the ice at the JUNO Cup celebrity hockey game in Vancouver, taking place March 23 during JUNO Week. It's the second year he'll join the Rockers' team alongside Jim Cuddy, Devin Cuddy, Chad Brownlee, Dallas Smith, and others. The popular charity event raises funds in support of MusiCounts, which provides instruments to schools and community programs all over Canada.

For more info on the new album, upcoming gigs and more, please visit http://midnightshineonline.com/