Canada's Music City: Winnipeg Comes Alive With Manito Ahbee Festival

"Do you have any honey?" I know you've heard those words many times before, usually from the adorable animated bear with the "rumbly in his tumbly;" Winnie the Pooh. But did you know that Pooh Bear's first name was inspired by the city of Winnipeg, the bustling metropolis on the plains in the heart of Canada? How that happened is kind of a long story but a fascinating one. At the onset of World War I a veterinarian with the Canadian Infantry was being transferred from Winnipeg to England. Traveling through Ontario the soldier came across an orphaned bear cub that he adopted and named Winnie in honor of his adopted hometown of Winnipeg. The bear ended up going to England as a pet of the Infantry's veterinarians but when the soldier got shipped to the battlefront he had to leave Winnie at the London Zoo. Who should come along to visit the bear but Christopher Milne and his father A.A. Milne who was thusly inspired to create the beloved storybook character Winnie the Pooh. Today a favorite photo opportunity at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo is the statue showing the soldier and the real Winnie together. Now you know the story but what about that question, "Do you have any honey?" Oh, yes! You don't have to be a bear to realize that Winnipeg is one sweet city!

Turn on an "oldies" radio station anywhere in the world and it won't be too long before you hear a product of Winnipeg dancing over the airwaves. Homegrown act the Guess Who had a lengthy string of hits beginning in the mid-'60s with the nervous rock of "Shakin' All Over" but they're probably best known for the pithy commentary of "American Woman." At one point the Guess Who went head-to-head on the charts with the Beatles and outsold the Fab Four; today songs like "No Time," "Undun" and "These Eyes" remain staples of classic rock radio and the Guess Who spin-off group Bachman Turner Overdrive gets their share of airplay too. Pick up a copy of the CD Winnipeg Riot and you can shimmy, shake, and pogo through an 18-cut compilation of tunes from underground bands the Switchblade Sisters, the Horribles, Squareheads, the Mohosimrots, the Surfadelics and many other scene-makers. Lots of Winnipeg-based acts represent on an international level too; chances are that Propagandhi, the Weakerthans or the Wailin' Jennys have played in your neck of the woods. With all of this creativity bouncing around the city you can pretty much enjoy good live "local" music on any given evening but a very special time to check out the scene is during the city's Manito Ahbee Festival.

The Manito Ahbee Festival is a relative newcomer to Winnipeg; 2006 was its first year. The festival is a ten-day event held in the middle of autumn that celebrates Aboriginal music and culture. The Manito Ahbee Festival literally features a little something for everyone; for example the International Competition Powwow Indigenous Market and Trade Show, held at the MTS Center in downtown Winnipeg. The MTS Center is a large arena and while First Nation performers from all across Canada are competing with traditional music and dance on the arena floor the Center's entryway and "ring" access becomes a wonderful shopping mall of First Nation craftwork. This is fun even if you're just window-shopping; the wares on display range from jewelry and carvings made in ancient traditional styles to fine contemporary art. The Manito Ahbee Festival also features many youth events, a pool tournament and of course the Miss Manito Ahbee Pageant. Two of the most popular events are the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards and the Manito Ahbee Music Festival. The music awards show is also held at the MTS Center and begins with a grand procession of all the Powwow competitors parading from the back of the arena to the stage. Everyone is dressed in full traditional costume and enters to rhythmic music, chanting and song. There is really no superlative to describe this awe-inspiring display; "stunning" and "mesmerizing" come to mind but those words aren't really sufficient descriptors. After everyone catches their breath the awards ceremonies begin with a normal format of performance followed by award presentation and acceptance speech. Some of the highlights in 2006 included country artist Shane Yellowbird performing and accepting his award for Best New Artist, a performance by hip-hop artist Eekwol (even though she lost out to Reddnation for Best Rap or Hip-Hop CD) and a searing performance by Tracy Bone, an artist whose style often recalls that of Melissa Etheridge. All in all sixteen awards were handed out in 2006. The Manito Ahbee Music Festival takes place at various venues around the city, most of which are clustered within walking distance of one another in the downtown area. The 2006 host venues were the Windsor Hotel, The Regal Beagle, The Pony Corral Downtown and the Pyramid Cabaret. Some of the Winnipeg-based acts that appeared included hip-hoppers Fresh I.E., blues act South Thunderbird and another hip-hop act called Dead Indians. But performers come from all over the country and Ontario-based Derek Miller proved to be a big festival favorite.  Miller is an accomplished guitarist playing blues rock in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn and his power-trio packed the Pyramid Cabaret with adoring fans. Miller opened his set with the Link Wray instrumental "Rumble" and boogied his way through original songs and covers of blues tunes by the likes of Hound Dog Taylor before closing with the classic "Mystery Train." Each venue generally has a themed line-up so you can go one place for the blues, another to rock out or another to dance to hip-hop. The most fun you can have, though, is to wander from one venue to another and check out as many different acts as you can! In 2007 the Manito Ahbee Festival runs from October 26th through November 4th. www.manitoahbee.com
 

Part of the reason that Winnipeg-based musicians have a leg-up on success is an organization called MARIA; the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association. MARIA's main function is to promote Manitoba music and they are very serious about it; they help performers find cash to tour or find a place to record or showcase. They do massive promotional work on a local, national and international basis and put out such sampler CDs as Manitoba Roots, Manitoba Aboriginal Artists and Made in Manitoba. Their headquarters in Winnipeg houses rehearsal rooms, computer equipment for members to use and a vast library of books and magazines that tie into the music industry. Of course they have an unparalleled collection of Manitoba-made CDs too. The cost to artists to join and have access to all of this is very nominal and everyone benefits, especially the lucky listeners who get to hear music they might never have been exposed to if it weren't for MARIA. John K. Sampson of the Weakerthans is only slightly exaggerating when he says of the MARIA staff, "They're all disguised super-heroes who have magical powers and special shoes." MARIA is located at 1-376 Donald Street and they would love to point you in the right direction when you come through town hungry for music. You may even get a peek at those shoes. www.manitobamusic.com

Have you ever held $200,000 worth of gold in your hands? That's something you can do at the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg where they have a 400 troy ounce gold bar on display that you can actually pick up and fondle. Now before you get any crazy ideas, I should tell you that the bar is very securely chained down and there is always an armed guard on duty for everyone's protection. But this is definitely an once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity so make sure you take your camera in with you. The bar is in the Mint's gift shop and display area and it's okay to take pictures there but you'll have to put your camera away when you take the tour to watch coins being minted and packaged for shipment. The Winnipeg branch of the Mint makes all of the general circulation coins for Canada and for dozens of other countries; the collectable coins on sale in the gift shop are made at the Mint's other location in Ottawa. You can get a sense of Canada's history and heritage through its coinage but for a closer look at Manitoba and Winnipeg you'll want to visit the Manitoba Museum. The museum holds over 2,300,000 humanities artifacts and has 9 interpretive galleries that explore the history and landscape of the province from its Arctic coast to its southern grasslands. If you think the buffalo scene at the start of the walk-through is impressive, wait until you get to the full-size replica of the Nonsuch, the ketch whose voyage in 1668 led to the founding of the Hudson Bay Company. The museum also has a planetarium and a recreation of boomtown Winnipeg in the late 1800's. If you look hard enough you'll find a cymbaly on display; the antiquated folk instrument is a relative to the dulcimer. Much of the museum is "hands-on" and interactive so don't expect this place to be stuffy. Actually they even let their hair down here once in awhile and bring in a DJ and party the night away; check for a listing of these special occasions at www.manitobamuseum.com

Well that should keep you busy in Winnipeg for awhile! If you want to catch a national music act that may be in town while you're visiting, check the listings for the Pantages Theatre and the Burton Cummings Theatre. Both places host a wide variety of shows including rock concerts. There's a lot of history in these theatres and both venues offer a funky-cool setting in which to see a show. By all means don't leave town hungry---hit up any location of the Salisbury House and chow down on a stack of a Winnipeg favorite---Sal's famous "Nips." There are 22 locations throughout the city but the neatest one is the one at 50 Provencher Boulevard---it's suspended over the middle of the Red River! Whichever location you choose you may want to eat a Nip for Pooh Bear because, you know, he has that rumbly in his tumbly…

For help in planning your visit to Winnipeg go here: www.destinationwinnipeg.com

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