Each month we’ll feature a video from one of Guelph’s musical community members. If you’re a musician and have a video you’d like us to feature, please send a YouTube link our way along with a short bio.
This month’s video comes from a band that is evolving, and part of that evolution is a move away from Guelph to now be based in London, Ontario, but we hope they will keep a piece of Guelph in their hearts. Another part of that evolution is their name. Readers might be familiar with the 2020 Polaris Prize long-listed and Hillside (and Hillside Inside) alum WHOOP-Szo and their album, Warrior Down. Bandleader Adam Sturgeon announced the name change to Status/Non-Status a few weeks back with the release of a new EP called 1 2 3 4 500 Years. We feature the first track off that EP today, a fantastic song called “Find A Home”. Finding a home can mean so many things, but it feels here almost like the idea of being comfortable in your own skin on your own journey through life. The video appears to show a bit of both an inward and outward journey, and the song itself has a great summer feel.
Status/Non-Status
Status/Non-Status is the new name for the ongoing musical work of Anishinaabe community worker Adam Sturgeon (Nme’) and his longtime collaborators (formerly known as Whoop-Szo). The band spent a decade carving a path through Canada’s DIY scene before achieving their widest recognition with 2019’s acclaimed long player Warrior Down (You’ve Changed Records). This album confronted Sturgeon’s complex family history and identity and was long-listed [for the] Polaris Prize among numerous other accolades.
You can learn more about Status/Non-Status, as well as purchase a physical copy of the new EP via You’ve Changed Records. You can also read a short essay written by Adam Sturgeon that shows some of the learning he’s done about his own family history, helping lead to the name change.
We wonder if it’s all part of Adam’s own journey to “Find A Home”? Enjoy!
