CerAmony facts for kids

Quick facts for kids CerAmony
Background information
Origin	Canada
Years active	2002 – present
Members	Matthew Iserhoff Pakesso Mukash

CerAmony is a cool Canadian music duo. They are from the Cree nation in Whapmagoostui, a place in Canada's James Bay area. The band has two members: Matthew Iserhoff, who sings lead, and Pakesso Mukash, who plays guitar and sings too. They sing their songs in both English and the Cree language.

The Story of CerAmony

CerAmony started making music in 2002. Their first song was called First Son. This song was released in the James Bay area. It was inspired by important events for their community.

In 2003, the band performed at the "True North Concert." This concert was put on by the CBC. They played First Son for a bigger audience in Ouje Bougoumou. CerAmony also performed at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. They played there in both 2003 and 2004.

A documentary film called determiNATION featured the band. This film was made by Paul M. Rickard and Michelle Smith. It showed CerAmony along with other First Nation artists. Some of these artists included Samian, Cheri, and Maracle.

Their first single was "First Son." It also had a B-side song called "Faceless." This song was never played live for the public. Later, they released the popular song "The Last Great Men." The band's first album, also called CerAmony, came out on April 13, 2010.

CerAmony has won some amazing awards. They won a Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year. They also won the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Songwriters. The band received the Teweikan Radio's Choice Award too. They were nominated for four more awards. These included Songwriter of the Year for "The Last Great Men." They were also nominated for Best Duo or Group and Best New Artist.

Recently, CerAmony signed a deal with Universal World. This means their music will be shared across Canada. It will also be available to listeners all around the world.

What's in a Name?

The band's name, CerAmony, is spelled in a special way. The capital "A" in the middle is important. It looks like the shape of a sacred ceremonial tent. Pakesso Mukash got this idea from a dream.

Both Pakesso and Matthew thought it was a perfect name. They liked that "ceremony" is a word everyone understands. Every culture and religion has its own ceremonies. The band's logo was designed by Natasia Mukash. She is Pakesso's sister and Matthew's wife.

Awards and Recognitions

CerAmony has been honored with several awards for their music:

• They won the award for Best Song Writer(s). This was at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.
• On March 27, 2011, the band won a big award. They received "Aboriginal Album of the Year" at the Juno Awards. This was for their self-titled album, CerAmony.
• They won the Teweikan Radio's Choice Award in 2011.
• The band was nominated for several awards. These were at the Canadian Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards. They were nominated for Songwriter of the Year for "Last Great Men." They also got nominations for Best Duo or Group, Best New Artist, and Best Producer/Engineer.

Music Albums

Here is the album released by CerAmony:

• CerAmony (released April 13, 2010)
  • Track list:
• "First Son" (4:12)
• "Looks Like Change (To Me)" (3:09)
• "Kingdom Come" (5:05)
• "Shine Alive" (4:30)
• "Live Again" (4:14)
• "Round N`Round" (2:52)
• "Reaction" (4:28)
• "Ghost" (4:57)
• "You Belong (Down Here With Us)" (5:43)
• "Our Guns" (2:50)
• "Bad Idea" (3:44)
• "The Last Great Men" (4:23)
• "Horizon" (bonus track)