About.
TALAMH (Gaelic = Earth) KAREN:NA (Mohawk = music), therefore Talamh Karen:na translates to Earth Music.
Talamh Karen:na is a musical project started by Pauline Ducharme in 2022. The talented multi-instrumentalist and award winning singer song writer "Tiger" Will Mason has also joined the project.
The idea is to bring together different cultures, recognizing the similarities between them. Highlighting how different nations can coexist in harmony and actually enrich each other. This is achieved by fusing together North American Indigenous, French Canadian, Métis voyageur and Celtic traditional as well as contemporary music. Care is taken to ensure that nothing is taken away from the individual pieces of music. They must harmonize together in a way that is mutually beneficial. In this way diversity is acknowledged and encouraged. Storytelling is also weaved with the music in order to provide the audience with a more complete picture of history and culture.
BIOS
Pauline is a singer and plays the Irish bodhran, Indigenous hand drum, the Seagull Merlin (an Appalachian dulcimer) and many other traditional and world percussion instruments. Pauline is Métis with Innu and Algonquin heritage.
In 1992 Pauline started the group Epona’Kwae (Epona = Celtic goddess of horses, Kwae = Algonquin word for woman) with Kathryn Michaud and Doreen Stevens. Epona’Kwae played traditional Indigenous and Celtic music using drums, rattles and vocal harmonies. Pauline and Kathryn wrote a couple of original songs during this time but they were never professionally recorded. Epona’Kwae released a cassette titled “Epona’Kwae Live” in 1993 recorded at Ottawa University. Epona’Kwae disbanded in 1994. In 2005 Pauline started Northern Voices with David Finkle. Georges Ducharme joined Northern Voices in 2007. Northern Voices played traditional Indigenous, Celtic, French Canadian and Métis/voyageur music using Indigenous flute, guitar, drums, rattles and vocal harmonies. In 2008 Northern Voices released a self-titled CD. Northern Voices disbanded in 2010.
Awards: In 2008, Northern Voices won in the “Audience Favorite” category, at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival on Victoria Island in Ottawa.
Will is a multi-faceted actor, musician, activist, award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica, drum kit, bass, congas, timbales, hand drums and various percussion instruments.
He is Mohawk, with Upper Cayuga and Tuscarora heritage. He was given the name Kahn-tah-wi-wim-tchi-get by an Ojibway/Anishinabe Elder. The meaning of the name is: Maker of Beautiful Music. For more than 35 years, Will has performed around the continent, in bands, as a solo artist, as a band leader and as a session musician. He has recorded an award winning CD, got airplay on the radio and played on other artists CDs. He has won accolades for both his vocal abilities and performances. He has assisted other artists in writing plays and songs. He has toured as an actor, and performed in both film and television since the 1980s. You can hear his music by clicking on the following link https://tigerlover049.wixsite.com/tigerwillmason.
Awards: First prize in the Adult Performer category in 1994, for the television show Home Grown Cafe. First prize at the Karaoke as a Joke competition in 1993. Nominated for 5 awards at the first annual Native-E Music Awards in Albuquerque New Mexico in 2008. Winning “Mainstream Song Of The Year” for his song Battle Raging. First prize at Canada’s Aboriginals Got Talent competition in 2012.
