A mixture of guitar, drums, piano, and bass fills the room as you walk into a South Block Barbeque and Brewing Co. in Mission. The smell of smoked brisket floats in the air. In the corner there’s a band led by a duo who found a passion for creating art that everyone can connect with and enjoy.
Will Big Bull and Ty Lee Storm, are a local Indigenous artists who play at events, bars and on city streets. They even created a makeshift band called the Zip Tones.
The two keep gaining more attention in the Calgary music scene as they do more shows and create a strong emotional connection with everyone listening.
Storm, lead guitarist for the duo, finds playing in a bar environment exciting and frightening because of all the eyes watching the stage.
“When I play music it brings everyone together,” says Storm.
However, capturing their attention and keeping the energy flowing in a room full of people occupied in conversations is a challenge.
To do this, they have songs memorized that span multiple genres, including some of their own.
“When we go into a gig, we don’t have like a set list, our set list is made like five minutes prior. We basically just go off of the crowd and the feel of the room,” says Storm.
Music brings emotions that can connect strangers, and the duo incorporates their Indigenous culture into how they play.
“You can tell he feels the music because of the way he plays,” said local musician Johnny Munro thinking about the duo. “It feels like no one else is in the room when he sings.”
Lyrics can only bring so much to a song, though. The instrumental behind them can elevate the song for everyone listening.
Munro explains that the duo is reintroducing rock songs in a way that makes it seem like a brand-new piece of art.
“Certain songs you can hear our ancestors in the background chanting with us,” says Storm, who sees his guitar as an extension of a drum beat. Storm has been playing music since he was, starting with the Native flute and eventually moving to an instrument that connected with his soul, the guitar.
Sundance, a song Storm is most proud of, was originally on the flute and later transferred to guitar. The song was written for his son, for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and for anyone who feels they have no voice.
Each time the song is played, the duo is met with emotional and positive feedback, confirming that they are achieving their goal of connecting people through music and capturing their emotions.
“You can be an amazing artist, but if there is no feeling behind it, it won’t captivate the crowd.”