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Artist
The Jerry Cans
12+ albums
folkfolk rockcountry folkCanadianCanadian rock
about
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 s
