Next week, Black Belt Eagle Scout returns with a new album called The Land, The Water, The Sky. We’ve heard three songs from it already — “My Blood Runs Through This Land,” “Don’t Give Up,” and “Nobody” — and today Katherine Paul is back with one more, “Spaces.”
“I wrote ‘Spaces’ for an audience as a way to sing melodies of healing and care for them,” Paul said. “Since starting Black Belt Eagle Scout, I have moved through many spaces, playing shows for crowds of people. I can’t always connect one on one with everyone and so this song is an attempt to bring my feelings of appreciation I have for everyone who supports my music to life.”
She continued:
My parents lend their voices in the chorus melody, my dad with his strong pow wow voice and my mom with her wholesome tone that sounds so similar to mine you can barely notice the distinction between me and her. I want this song to be an offering for those who need to grasp onto something and feel because through feeling and being together, there is healing.
It was incredible to incorporate my family trade of carving within the music video. My dad has been carving Coast Salish style art for over 50 years. I grew up around it and learned how to carve and paint when I was a teenager. This video shows a creation process and the kind of intimacy we give to our art. In the video, we carve an eagle out of yellow cedar. The eagle is representative of strength and guidance.
Watch and listen below.
The Land, The Water, The Sky is out 2/10 via Saddle Creek.
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