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Apr 09, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Black Belt Eagle Scout

Black Belt Eagle Scout is the project of Portland-based Katherine Paul, an indigenous queer musician who grew up in a small Indian reservation, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and whose debut album, Mother of My Children, came out last September via Saddle Creek. Now she has shared a video for a brand new song, “Loss & Relax.” The song will be released as a 7-inch on April 26 via Saddle Creek, with the B-side being “Half Colored Hair.” The song starts somewhat subdued, before building to louder guitars and drums midway through. Angel Two Bulls directed the video, which was filmed on the lands of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Samish Indian Nation. Watch it below, followed by her upcoming tour dates.

A press release says that “Loss & Relax” is “an ode to Paul’s ancestors, past, present, and future, and informed by the experience of traveling home. It was first written in Anacortes following the recording of 2018’s Mother of My Children when Paul was particularly full of emotion and pride. The song was held off Mother of My Children for further exploration and continued to evolve as it was performed live by various members of Paul’s band.”

Paul had this to say about the song in the press release: “As I was writing the guitar line, I kept seeing the water of the Salish Sea and the local ferries drifting people in and out of place. Ferries are such a beautiful part of my childhood and served as a major form of transportation. Thinking about my home and how canoes have turned into ferries is a sad, but also beautiful thought. Nowadays with Canoe Journeys, canoes are alongside ferries, roaming our waters to lands, sharing customs and culture. That is what I think about now when I listen to the fully recorded version of the song. I see a strong and fierce community of my people continuing to thrive in whatever comes our way. That is how I feel about myself, a survivor and thriver of this land, a water protector, a womxn, the future.”

Read our recent interview with Black Belt Eagle Scout on Mother of My Children.

Read our 2018 politically themed interview with Black Belt Eagle Scout.

Read our review of Mother of My Children.

Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates:

Mon. April 15 - Missoula, MT @ Union Hall Ballroom
Tue. April 16 - Billings, MT @ Yellowstone Valley Brewing
Wed. April 17 - Rapid City, SD @ Black Hills Vinyl
Thu. April 18 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
Fri. April 19 - Madison, WI @ Communication #
Sat. April 20 - Bloomington, IN @ Culture Shock ^
Mon. April 22 - Athens, OH @ Union Bar and Grill
Tue. April 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
Wed. April 24 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
Thu. April 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Fri. April 26 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
Sat. April 27 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB *
Sun. April 28 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
Tue. April 30 - Washington, DC @ DC9 *
Wed. May 1 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter *
Thu. May 2 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle - Back Room *
Thu. May 3 - Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor *
Sat. May 4 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 Club *
Mon. May 6 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records *
Tue. May 7 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Wed. May 8 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s *
Thu. May 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Fri. May 10 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge *
Sat. May 11 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar *
Mon. May 13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Tue. May 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
Fri. May 17 - Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret *
Sat. May 18 - Everett, WA @ Fisherman’s Village Music Festival *
Sat. May 18 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
Sun. May 19 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Tue. May 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall *
Wed. May 22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy *
Thu. May 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Mon. June 3 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
Tue. June 4 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
Wed. June 5 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
Thu. June 6 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Thu. Aug. 1 - Sun. Aug. 4 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

# = w/ Disq
^ = w/ Lala Lala
*= w/ Julia Jacklin

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