JAMES BAY... is the first track on Midnight Shine’s debut album (2013). Written by Adrian Sutherland from Attawapiskat, it opens with Cree, and proudly pays homage to his home in remote Northern Ontario. Today, it remains a favourite among fans, and is the band's 2nd most streamed song on Spotify. #FunFact

Midnight Shine

James Bay

Catchy rock beat, heavy bass, and traces of powwow style.

Northern Man

Radio friendly, heavy bass, and monodic singing.

Against All Odds

Written by Adrian Sutherland, Iris Sutherland. Produced by Darren "Jeter" Magierowski, Adrian Sutherland. 2017 Midnight Shine Music.

Sister Love: “It’s about trying to free yourself from the burdens and struggles we sometimes have to carry. Some of us get stuck in a hard place, and when we do, it would be nice to go back to those days when life was more simple. In our thoughts we can go there, and be in that good place again, even just for a brief moment. That’s what the song means to me.” 

Also special to Adrian is the fact he co-wrote this song with his own sister Iris: “The idea was inspired by a poem my sister wrote. We made some changes to the lyrics to make it fit into a song structure, I came up with the melody, and we put it all together. That’s how Sister Love came to be.”

(Single)

Sister Love

Written by Adrian Sutherland. Produced by Tim Vesely. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

Leather Skin: "I've been through so much BS in this town, and in my life. But I'll keep getting back up no matter what. I’ve always fought my way through bullying, even as I got older. All that gave me thick skin." --Adrian Sutherland

High Road

Leather Skin

Written by Adrian Sutherland. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

High Road: "You can choose to fight and never really beat the system, so sometimes it’s best to just take the high road and move on. I was treated pretty poorly by my own community of Attawapiskat, especially in my last job. But I took the high road and moved on." --Adrian Sutherland

Written by Adrian Sutherland, Zach Tomatuk, Stanley Louttit, John-Angus MacDonald, Chris Gormley. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

Velocity: "If I was big and famous and began to tour all over the world, I would probably feel something like what I wrote about. I tried to imagine what it would be like to move through life like that." --Adrian Sutherland

Velocity

Written by Adrian Sutherland, Zach Tomatuk, Stanley Louttit. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

Survivor: "This song was written for a lady who had cancer. Her family approached me one day and asked if I would write a song. It wasn't an easy thing to take on, and I tried, but wasn't able to complete anything. The next time I saw these people they told me she had beaten the disease - and the song just came to me after that.  I think anyone who is struggling will be able to relate to it, too." --Adrian Sutherland

Survivor

Written by Neil Young. Produced by Midnight Shine, John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

Heart of Gold: "Growing up in a very isolated area, I listened to a lot of music - especially once I started playing guitar. Neil Young was one of my biggest musical inspirations, and Heart of Gold is still one of my favourite songs. I've performed it many times, so why not record it, and give it a little something of our own." --Adrian Sutherland

Heart of Gold (Cover)

Written by Adrian Sutherland, Zach Tomatuk, Stanley Louttit. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

Lonely Boy: "This is about the loss of my father, how I ran home each day after school hoping he would be there when he was away sick in the hospital. This song was not easy for me to write, and is still hard for me to listen to, and talk about." --Adrian Sutherland

Lonely Boy

DOWNLOAD THIS SONG FOR FREE ON SOUNDCLOUD.

I Need Angels: "This song is about depression. I know a lot of people who suffer from this. Being isolated in the far north can be very tough. It’s also about that inner struggle to keep positive and not give up." --Adrian Sutherland

Written by Adrian Sutherland, Zach Tomatuk, Stanley Louttit. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald. 2018 Midnight Shine Music.

I Need Angels

It's Alright

Roots-rock-infused Politician Man is a protest song about Canada, and debut single from Adrian Sutherland (Midnight Shine).

Politician Man (Single)

Politician Man

Adrian Sutherland - Politician Man

Misguided Woman

Mooshum - Remastered

Mooshum – Remastered

Save My Life - Remastered

Save My Life – Remastered

Since You Been Gone - Remastered

Since You Been Gone – Remastered

Small Town Girl - Remastered

Small Town Girl – Remastered

Worth The Fight - Remastered

Worth The Fight – Remastered

Hopeless Romantic - Remastered

Hopeless Romantic – Remastered

Indian In Disguise - Remastered

Indian In Disguise – Remastered

James Bay - Remastered

James Bay – Remastered

N'dodemuk

N’dodemuk

RESPECT THE GIFT... Adrian Sutherland's second solo single is slated for release on 01.12.21. 

“Respect the Gift is about using our ‘gifts’ for good, and not taking for granted the everyday freedoms and luxuries we have. There’s never been a more important time to appreciate all that we find precious, especially given the world we’re living in today. When this all passes we must rise up from the rubble and ash, better and stronger as humans…” – Adrian Sutherland (Atttawapiskat First Nation) 

Respect the Gift was co-written with brothers Chris and Matt Gormley (Hamilton ON), produced and mixed by Carl Jennings (Hamilton ON), engineered by Darren Magierowski and Jill Zimmermann at Jukasa Recording Studios (Ohsweken ON), and mastered by Joao Carvalho at Joao Carvalho Mastering (Toronto ON). Beautiful artwork for the track was designed by Nick Perreault (Nashville TN).

Watch for the super-cool dance music video coming soon!

Respect the Gift

Adrian Sutherland - Respect the Gift

They came together by chance. They stayed together for a shot. 

When Adrian Sutherland from the isolated Cree community of Attawapiskat was offered opening spot for Trooper in Timmins in 2011, he reeled in three other musicians from the James Bay to form Midnight Shine. His intention was to make the most of a one-off performance. Ten years, four albums, eight Indigenous Music Countdown “Top 10” radio singles, and 300+ media stories later… you could say he has.

Turning heads with a sound seamlessly mixing roots, classic and modern rock with touches of Mushkegowuk Cree, Adrian Sutherland & Midnight Shine have been lighting up the music world all the way from Canada’s Far North. Crafting a musical soundscape that gives a glimpse into their remote Canadiana landscape, they continue to push musical boundaries and boldly take new strides, while staying true to who they are and where they come from. A must-see band you’ll take a real shine to.

Midnight Shine

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