Biography
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Founded In
Iqaluit, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada
The Jerry Cans (Inuktitut: ᐸᐃ ᒑᓚᖃᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ, Pai Gaalaqautikkut) are a band from Iqaluit, Nunavut, who combine traditional Inuit throat singing with folk music and country rock. Their music is largely written in Inuktitut, an Indigenous language of the Inuit.
The band currently consists of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Morrison, vocalist and accordionist Avery Keenainak, violinist Gina Burgess, bassist Brendan Doherty, and drummer Steve Rigby. The band's name derives from Rigby once trying to build a drum set out of old jerrycans. The Jerry Cans originated as a blues rock trio featuring Morrison, Doherty and Rigby while the three lived in Peterborough, Ontario attending post secondary education.
After moving to Iqaluit, Nunavut the group expanded to include Nancy Mike, an accordionist and throat singer originally from Pangnirtung, Nunavut. Later, Burgess, originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia and also a member of Gypsophilia, joined the band after visiting Iqaluit on a cultural exchange program between the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and the Iqaluit Fiddle Ensemble.
Their debut album, Nunavuttitut, was released in 2012. In 2013, Mike won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year at the 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards.
The band was locally successful in their early years, but began to attract wider mainstream attention after Tanya Tagaq won the Polaris Music Prize in 2014, increasing the visibility and commercial viability of Inuit throat singing. The Jerry Cans released their second album, Aakuluk, in 2014.
Their third album Inuusiq (Life), released in 2016, was produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda. Inuusiq was released by Aakuluk Music, Nunavut's first record label, which the band's members established in 2016 "to support Inuit and Indigenous musicians". In addition to the band's own music, the label has also released music by Aasiva, FxckMr, Northern Haze, Riit, Terry Uyarak and The Trade-Offs.
In 2017, The Jerry Cans organized the first Nunavut Music Week as a platform to showcase musicians from the territory. They also recorded and performed music for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) children's series Anaana's Tent, including "Naasailu", a counting song; "Uumajut", a song about traditional Inuit food; and "We're Headed to Anaana's Tent", the program's primary theme song.
In 2017, the band released an Inuttitut-language cover of The Tragically Hip's "Ahead By a Century". They also wrote a children's board book in 2017 titled Mamaqtuq! based on their song of the same name. Mamaqtuq! is bilingual, written in Inuktitut and English, and is illustrated by Eric Kim.
The band received Juno Award nominations for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018. In January 2020, founding member Nancy Mike left the band. Soon after, they released two new singles, "Atauttikkut" and "Havava", from their album Echoes, which was released on May 15.
In 2024, Morrison released an album, Euphemisms, through the side project Echoes Of.... Collaborators on the album included Terry Uyarak, Jace Lasek and James Ungalaq of Northern Haze.
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