NDP MP Charlie Angus meets folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie backstagte in Cobalt, Ont., on Oct. 17, 2010.
Charlie Angus opened for folk-singer Buffy Sainte-Marie Sunday at the Classic Theatre - a 260-seat venue in Cobalt, Ont., billed as one of the only remaining theatres from the silver boom of the early 1900s.
"She's still kicking and kicking hard," Mr. Angus said of the 69-year-old Cree singer.
Mr. Angus, for those who don't know, is also an NDP MP and probably the only member of a punk rock band elected to federal office. His group is the Juno-nominated Grievous Angels and on Sunday he and another band member, Dave Patterson, sang a Hank Williams song, some of their own pieces and then showcased Mr. Angus's new song, Diamonds in the Snow.
Mr. Angus describes the composition as political. It goes like this: "You threw these diamonds in the snow / you threw them away, thought nobody would know / What were you thinking? Didn't you know about these little diamonds, these diamonds in the snow."
Mr. Angus says the song is inspired by the kids he has met on the James Bay coast, which is part of his riding.
"[They]are fighting for the most basic things like grade schools and they never seem to be on anybody's political agenda," he says. "And I see them as an extraordinary resource. You literally discover diamonds on the James Bay coast and they move mountains to get at those diamonds and down the road from that there are kids living in poverty without grade schools."
Mr. Angus says he has nothing against the diamonds but educating the community is "well-worth so much more."
Earlier this month, he spoke about his campaign to help the kids of James Bay when he was a featured speaker at the Future of Music Coalition policy symposium in Washington. He was surprised to find himself on the agenda along with musicians like T Bone Burnett, but there he was - the punk rocker turned politician.
Along with speaking about the rights of musicians in the digital age, Mr. Angus said the participants wanted to hear about the plight of youth on James Bay. There was so much interest that later this week he is holding a conference call with the principals of the coalition to see what can be done to help. Although it's early days they are looking at mentorship programs with American musicians or appearances by U.S. bands.
"Making kids feel like they're not left totally forgotten - with digital culture it's possible to make contacts that never would have been possible before," Mr. Angus said. "They [members of the coalition]just really wanted to get behind something. ... They said they thought this was something that really excited them."