Irene Bedard and Deni: Press

'Warrior of Love': Irene Bedard & Deni
Category:
Independent Release
Audio CD/ Copyright 2003

Best known for her film roles including, 'Smoke Signals' and 'Lakota Woman'
and as the likeness and voice of Disney's 'Pocahontas' Irene Bedard
(Inupiat/Cree) has joined forces with her musician/husband Deni Wilson to
create a dazzling debut! A clever concoction of rock 'n roll, Native chants
and techno-pop, Bedard and Wilson's music has been decribed as, "a melding
of Moby and Radiohead". I would agree, but would throw in a little Robbie
Robertson and James Bilagody for good measure! The sterling guitar work,
Bedard's soulful spoken word intros and a solid back-up band, all make for
an amazing aural experience. The band is 'tight', the songwriting is
'killer' and the energy is undeniable. Backed by Mary Spencer on guitar,
Adam Levy on bass, D. J. Old Toby on 'all scratch' and Tony Kelly on
percussion, this band has to be heard 'live' to really appreciate this
music. Favorites include the title cut, 'Warrior of Love', the stunning,
'Bustin' Out' and my personal fav, 'No Explanation'! These guys rock!
Irene Bedard and Deni's 'Warrior of Love' is stupendous!

The four-year-old band is fronted by American Indian singer and actress Irene Bedard, who is best known for her roles in many films, including “Smoke Signals” and “Lakota Woman” and as the likeness and speaking voice for the title character in Disney’s “Pocahontas.” Her husband, Deni Wilson, has been a popular indie musician for many years, and he and Bedard pursued mostly separate but successful careers until recently. Inspired by the birth of their son to bring their talents together in the band, Bedard and Wilson have produced three albums, some of which have been nominated for a Nammy (Native American Music Award).

Led by Wilson on guitar with Scott Reed on bass and Rod Bradley on drums, the band creates an unusual blend of native rock and techno beat that serves Bedard’s purposes in combining her native roots with a 21st-century sound. The group is creating a noteworthy catalog of songs that reflect the couple’s social and cultural concerns and reveal their considerable combined talent.

A central set in their performance is a series of stories inspired by Bedard’s Inupiaq heritage. They are traditional-sounding native stories, sung with Bedard’s funky modern riffs. “Wolverine’s Secret,” “Artic Fox” and “Raven in the Midnight Sun” are as rocked out as any garage band could desire but maintain the charm and humor of the lyrics’ origins in family storytelling.

“Warrior of Love,” the title track of their first album, drew the most response from the audience. Following Bedard’s opening cry, “Say it … I’m a Warrior of Love!” the music is a dizzying and deafening brew of American Indian chant and exploding electric guitar sounds.

Wilson is an extraordinary musician, and Bedard has a firecracker personality that she uses to great advantage.

click on link for slide show interview

Review of Ideology by Irene Bedard & DENI [play]
Genre: Folk Rock 4.3

Exceptional !!
This song Was about to get a whack because of the fake sounding drums at the beganing then wow the vocals started. The female vocals sucked me in then the male voice filled in behind and when the male voice verse came in the texture of the song changed and the vocal kicked butt.
Then the chorus changed the texture again to a mocking child sound that really worked.
So many different sounds in one song makes the song exceptional.
The lyric, I didn't mind my mama either and she "Love to hear me singing" The lyric are great.
This is one of the better production jobs as the volume level is right and everything is balanced.
I would be passing these out to radio stations this is a different and unique sound.


- Hillbillydemoc Respond to this reviewer
Hamilton, Alabama [flag]
November 20th, 2006

eview of Ideology by Irene Bedard & DENI [play]
Genre: Folk Rock 4.3

"Listen"
Song:
I like the beat overall, however the drum samples you used don't sound that great at the beginning. When the song gets going, they sound much better when mixed with the other instruments. The acoustic guitar sounds amazing, it is played and recorded really well.

Lyrics:
The lyrics don't really stand out to me at first � I think this is because I'm not really sure what they are trying to say. Sometimes it is a little difficult to make out the words, so this may be the reason. As the songs gets going, the meaning of the lyrics starts to make a little more sense at my second listen through the song. I really, really like what you did at the end by ending it with the simple whisper �listen.� That's very unique, I liked it.

Production:
I think the production of this song is overall very good. There are a couple things which I've already mentioned: the drum samples at the beginning and the clearness of the vocals are, in my opinion, the only things that could be made a little better. Overall though, the production sound really good. There are some unique sound which make the song interesting throughout. Good job.

Extra Credit: Female Vocals, Bass, Production, Beat, Originality.

- allenm541 Respond to this reviewer
La Grande, Oregon [flag]
November 20th, 2006

Irene Bedard & Deni

8 files play all
An eclectic and dazzling trip of Electronic Dance Rock from the woman who was named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People In The World" and the man who "melds Moby and Radiohead" to perfection. With Pop and progressive rock elements, acoustic and electronic colorings, this expansive, pioneering album is one to check out.

By Renata Joy

Irene Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska to an Inupiat Esikmo mother and a father of French Canadian/Cree descent. In her mid-20s, Bedard was cast by Disney as the voice of Pocahontas, the famed Native American girl who sought peace between her people and English settlers.

Ten years have passed since Pocahontas came to theaters as the latest in a line of widely-embraced, award-winning animated musicals from the Disney studio. Bedard reprised the role for the 1998 direct-to-video follow-up Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World and has also had leading roles in the critically-acclaimed film Smoke Signals (1998) and Disney's live action drama Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994).

Nowadays, at age 37, Bedard continues to act. She's currently at work on "Into the West", a six-week mini-series executive produced by Steven Spielberg that begins airing next month on TNT. She'll also be seen in a cameo that harks back to her most famous Disney role; she plays the mother of Pocahontas in a dream sequence in Terence Malick's much-anticipated drama The New World which stars Colin Farrell as John Smith and opens in theaters this November. On the side, Bedard sings in a band with her husband Deni and she still finds the time to be a mother for their two-year-old son.

On Tuesday morning, this Golden Globe-nominated actress, who People Magazine once named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World, took some time out to reflect on Pocahontas ten years later and on the film's recently-released 10th Anniversary Edition DVD.

UltimateDisney.com: I have heard that you were the live-action model for Pocahontas. What was the extent of that?

Irene Bedard: While we were recording, the animators filmed me to use as a reference for expression and body movement. They also captured certain facial expressions and the way my hands moved.

How much of yourself do you see in Pocahontas?

My 2-year-old already recognizes "Mommy" on the screen. My brother came all the way from Alaska to the Central Park premiere and throughout the screening, he constantly nudged me because he recognized traits of mine.

Irene Bedard in 1995, as host of "The Making of Pocahontas", found on Disc 2 of the 10th Anniversary Edition. Irene Bedard in a publicity still.

Did you have any interaction with the cast during production, like Mel Gibson or Judy Kuhn, the singing voice of Pocahontas?

Judy Kuhn and I were never in the studio together and I never saw any other the other actors during recordings. I was looking forward to seeing Mel Gibson at the Central Park premiere, but he was busy with Braveheart at the time and wasn't able to attend. So to this day, I still haven't met him.

Did getting cast in a Disney movie have any special significance for you? Did you grow up with certain Disney films?

Definitely. I grew up in Alaska and we were always the last to get things. Any time a Disney film was on T.V. or came to the theater, we always had to see it. The Central Park premiere was amazing. One hundred and ten thousand people came. Now, I sing in many concerts, but at the time, it was overwhelming to be in front of so many people. It was also wonderful to be a part of Disney World's 25th Anniversary celebration, standing in front of the castle with so many stars. These are memories I will have forever.

Do you have a favorite part or any special memories from the production of Pocahontas?

I remember giving hugs to everyone on the last day of recording. We had so much fun together. I really enjoy the process of animation; it's all about imagination. I would ask myself things like, "What is it like talking to a tree?" and "What tone of voice would I use to talk to a raccoon or hummingbird?" Even how far the hummingbird would be from me was important. Was it right by my head or farther away? I loved working at the Disney animations studios. It was so wonderful to be told to "take a left at Goofy and a right at Mickey."

What do you feel makes Pocahontas special among the Disney canon?

Of all the Disney female characters, Pocahontas is the strongest. She's not waiting for her prince. She actually saves John Smith from death. She is independent and strong-willed. She has a sense of self, but still takes advice from her elders on what she should do. I think my favorite part is when she is told to listen with her heart and not to follow only her head.

Has the passing of ten years changed your view of the film?

I have done thirty films since then and have had the chance to live Native American women's history all the way from the past up to modern day. I think it's great that Pocahontas is something that will be shown around the world and makes Native American history accessible to all children.

What do you think about the film's fidelity to the limited historical knowledge?

I think that Disney's animation has an element of magic. In their telling, Pocahontas is older than she actually was when she met John Smith. There was no love relationship in real life. When Pocahontas went to England and met John Smith again after many years, she said, "You were a stranger in my land and you called my father 'father.' Now I am a stranger in your land and I must call you 'father.'" Their relationship was really based on respect and reverence.

Irene Bedard records the voice of Pocahontas, as seen in on-set footage from "The Making of Pocahontas." Pocahontas in a scene from the film. For the 10th Anniversary Edition, "Pocahontas" underwent drastic digital remastering.

Did you feel pressure or a certain duty to the real Pocahontas in your portrayal, especially as one of the few historical characters depicted in Disney films?

I worked as much as I could to give strength and dignity to her character. She was young, but the daughter of a leader who ruled many. I think she had a sense of knowing that she would become a leader one day and represent peace for her people. Growing up, I had an idea of who Pocahontas was and when I took the role, I learned more. She was a renowned beauty who was a leader of her people. She received accolades when she went to England and even had an audience with the King and Queen. She was very remarkable.

How do you feel about the extended 10th Anniversary Edition that's presented on the new DVD? Do you have a favorite part of the DVD?

I think it's beautiful. My favorite part would be the deleted scenes. It's good to go back and see things I remember going through and doing. It's wonderful to see everyone who I worked with during the filming on the making-of. People who first saw Pocahontas as children can now see it again as teenagers, and little ones can see it for the first time.

Many young girls today look up to Pocahontas as a role model. Did you have a favorite Disney heroine growing up?

For live-action heroines, I used to like Jodie Foster and Hayley Mills. As for animated (laughs) -- I don't know. I've always sort of liked Cruella De Vil.
Interview conducted May 11, 2005.

Our sincere thanks to Ms. Bedard for taking time out of her busy schedule to discuss Pocahontas and to the kind folks at Buena Vista Home Entertainment for making this interview possible.

Related Links:
DVD Review of Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition
Pocahontas 10th Anniversary DVD Press Release & Discussion
Order the Pocahontas 10th Anniversary Edition DVD from Amazon.com
UltimateDisney.com's Interview with Don Dunagan (voice of Bambi)

UltimateDisney.com | More on Pocahontas | Review Index | Animated Classics Page | Disney Special Editions

UltimateDisney.com: The Ultimate

Native singer Irene Bedard brings music to Missoula - Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006
By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian


“Say it - I'm a warrior of love.

“Be a warrior of love.
*
“What do you say?

“I'm a warrior of loveŠ”

Singer-actress Irene Bedard coos these words on the “Warrior of Love” album before her rocker-husband Deni Wilson breaks into the trailing silence with Native-techno lyrics and electric guitar.

The couple, who share the stage name Irene Bedard & Deni, has collaborated on musical pieces that have been described as “a melding of Moby and Radiohead to perfection.”

Irene and Deni will perform in Missoula this week - at 9 p.m. Wednesday at The Other Side. Tickets are $5. Doors open at 8 p.m. They'll be joined by the celebrated musician Jim Boyd.

If anyone's unfamiliar with Bedard's name, perhaps they remember her face. People Magazine named Bedard to its list of the 󈬢 Most Beautiful People” in 1995.

If her name and face escape some, her voice may prove memorable. She won over audiences as Disney's voice of Pocahontas in recent years. She's also built up an impressive resume with roles in 40 movies, including the Susie Song character in the critically-acclaimed, “Smoke Signals,” and the recent TNT mini-series, “Into the West,” which had more than a dozen Emmy nominations this year.

As for Wilson, the MP3 Grammy winner for best vocalist, has been a musician for the last 15 years and worked with bands from Los Angeles to New York City. He's recorded dozens of albums and written music for several short and feature films.

“He's an amazing composer,” said Bedard. “This is his forte.”

She is set to begin filming a coming-of-age story, titled “Julianna and the Medicine Fish,” in Winnipeg, Canada, after she and Wilson perform at the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, Ariz.

They've been on a whirlwind round of performances that is taking them from California to New Mexico to Washington and on to Montana.

Where was Bedard last Friday morning?

“I don't know where we are,” she said. “My husband drove all night. We're at a truck stop. I could go inside and say, ‘Where am I?' But it doesn't sound too good when you say those things.

“I believe we're in Arizona.”

They recently opened for Foreigner in Oklahoma and finished a show during the Crow Fair at Crow Agency. “Our music has a great way of blending into all genres,” she said.

The couple - she's Inupiat and Cree and he's Irish - has been married for 13 years and makes their home in Ojai, Calif. They have a 3-year-old son Quinn, who has become an inspiration in their music, said Bedard.

Review of A Dream of Point Ho.. by Irene Bedard & DENI [play]
Genre: Alternative Rock 3.8

you hit the G spot
sensational! perfect blend of poetry and music from the soul. Every voice was beautifully spaced,placed and effective at communicating the mood. and though i cherish music every moment of everyday i cannot properly vocalize a critique. But then any thing this good is not meant to be talked about. Just heard,felt and shared. Thank you.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Female Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Production, Lyrics, Beat, Mood, Coolest Chill-Out Track.

- leghore Respond to this reviewer
Tucson, Arizona [flag]
May 29th, 200

Review of A Dream of Point Ho.. by Irene Bedard & DENI [play]
Genre: Alternative Rock 3.8

Yeah I do know what you mean
This has got to be from New York. everything on here with any creativity seems to come from the Apple. I'm a brit but I've noticed that. This is really top notch. Excellent stuff. Makes you want to listen with no effort. Just takes you to a place you never visit very often. Hmm.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Female Vocals, Programming, Production, Lyrics, Melody, Beat, Mood, Originality.

- NDM Respond to this reviewer
Thetford, Norfolk, United Kingdom [flag]
May 3rd,

Review of India & Pakistan by Irene Bedard & DENI [play]
Genre: Electronic 3.7

Indian Revolution
I especially liked the cool sitar sounds and the main melody line played on the sitar. Also interesting was the unusual combination of guitar sounds with a house beat. At first I wasn't sure about the way that the rock beat on the accoustic drum kit faded into the 4/4 house beat, but on a second listen I actually kinda liked it. The song has a moody, "smokey" (dunno why I say smokey - but it reminds me of people sitting around in a smoke filled room smoking hash or opium or something), Indian sound that appeals to me. At first I really liked the sexy female vocal sample, but it tends to get a little repetitive "why can't it be a human nation?", "the revolution, the revolution, the revolution, the revolution". A little more variation of lyrics or a reduction in the number of repetitions might help. Generally, though, I enjoyed the track and I say "good job" to the producer(s).

Extra Credit: Female Vocals, Production.

- Brain_Fade Respond to this reviewer
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa [flag]
April 30th,

Irene Bedard appears in Episodes Three and Four. She is best known to audiences as the voice of the title character in Disney's animated feature Pocahontas. Irene's heritage includes Cree Indian and Inupiat. Her mother is a full-blood Inupiat, and her father is half Cree/half French Canadian. Irene has had roles in many films such as Smoke Signals and Edge of America directed by Chris Eyre, Naturally Native, Crazy Horse, Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, for which she won numerous acting awards, Navajo Blues, and Squanto: A Warrior's Tale. She has also released a music CD with her husband, musician Deni Wilson, named Warrior of Love, under the band name Irene Bedard and Deni. Irene was named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People In The World in 1995. Irene Bedard helped found "Guardians of Sacred Lands," a group formed to bring awareness to Native issues and educate the public about sacred lands. Visit the official Irene

Actress Irene Bedard

By Daniel Gibson

They say good things come in small packages. Native actress Irene Bedard surely qualifies. Though small in stature, Bedard possesses a big personality, exudes personal warmth and radiates a wealth of goodwill. With her infectious giggle and head-turning looks, one can see why she has been wooing film fans and Hollywood hitters since her 1993 debut movie role in Squanto: A Warrior's Tale.

That film was followed by her star performance as Mary Crow Dog in Lakota Woman, and in 1995 by her voice role in Disney's animated film Pocahontas-and an unmistakable visual resemblance to the title character as well. Capitalizing on the film's popularity and Bedard's charm, Disney sent her off to international premieres in Europe and Asia on a corporate Learjet, and to a huge premiere in New York City's Central Park before about 10,000 people.

Next up was a major role in the Miramax hit Smoke Signals, which won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. This was followed by her role in Naturally Native, a film about three sisters trying to launch a cosmetics company. The film was produced by Valerie Red-Horse in 1998, but is still being rolled out in select markets across the country.

Earlier this year Bedard was in New Mexico for production of the independent film Tortilla Heaven, and is set to begin work on another New Mexico project titled Roswell One (about, of course, aliens). In January she hopes to start work on A Cold Day for Murder, based on a series of mystery novels written by Alaskan Native Dana Stabenow.

This fall two other productions featuring Bedard will hit the screen: Wild Flowers (also starring Daryl Hannah) and The Lost Child (see story on page 28). The latter, produced for Hallmark Hall of Fame on CBS, is the true story of an infant Navajo girl kidnapped from an Arizona hospital and raised in New Jersey by a Jewish family. Bedard plays her sister, who has a significant role in helping to return the "lost child" to her homeland. It is scheduled to air on November 19.

For Bedard, it's all been a wild journey. Born in Anchorage, Alaska on July 22, 1976 to an Inupiat Eskimo mother and a French Canadian/Cree father who was active in Alaskan Native political movements, Goodiarook (her Native name, meaning One Who Dropped By) never anticipated international fame.

"I was the oldest kid and grandchild in my family and had many, many aunts and uncles," she explains. "When we would get together, I was always organizing things. We'd put up sheets and put on shows. At Halloween I'd write these little plays about witches and vampires. Whatever the occasion, I was always doing something to tie into it. I recall that they came off great. But I never really thought about acting as a career­it never occurred to me!"

In fact, in college she initially studied physics and philosophy, but her dramatic calling refused to be ignored and she moved into theater arts at the University of Arts in Philadelphia. From there she entered the theater world in New York City, where she was soon "discovered" and brought into the production of Squanto.
Today she lives in the small artistic community of Ojai, California, north of Los Angeles with her husband, a musician, where they enjoy fishing. In addition to her acting career, Bedard also donates considerable time to "motivational speaking" to Native youth.
"What I say depends on the situation, but the basic message I deliver is that you are the only you, through all time, right down to your genetic code. We have this gift of life and everyone has something to contribute."


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Native Peoples Magazine

RENE BEDARD (Pocahontas' Mother) is a highly honored performer who has excelled on screen, television and stage. She received a Golden Globe Award nomination and won an American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award for her role in the TV movie Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, which also brought her a First Americans in the Arts Award. Chris Eyre's groundbreaking feature Smoke Signals garnered another First Americans in the Arts Award for Bedard.

Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska to a full-blood Inupiat Eskimo mother and a half Cree/half French Canadian father. She studied at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she received a BFA in Acting. While there, she performed on stage in productions of No Exit, The Glass Menagerie, Look Back in Anger, Savage in Limbo and Uncle Vanya. Her other stage work includes Springtime at Circle Repertory, In the Spirit at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Under Control at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Philadelphia Drama Guild and A Lie of the Mind at Philadelphia's Shubert Theatre.

Bedard's other features have included both independent and mainstream films, starring in Greasewood Flats, Tortilla Heaven, Your Guardian, Wildflowers, Twelve Bucks, Naturally Native, Navajo Blues, The Song of Hiawatha, Squanto: A Warrior's Tale and Indians & Cowboys, a short film from the Robert Redford's Sundance Directors Workshop. She also provided the speaking voice for the title role of Walt Disney's hugely successful animated film Pocahontas.

Bedard has acted in the television movies The Lost Child, Two for Texas, Crazy Horse and the miniseries True Women and Into the West, as well as guest-starring in the series The Marshal, Profiler (which brought her yet another First Americans in the Arts Award), Grand Avenue and Prodigal Son.

A gifted musical performer, she fronts the band Irene Bedard and Deni. Bedard also helped found Guardians of Sacred Lands, a group formed to bring awareness to Native issues and educate the public about sacred lands.

> Event Detail

Media Gallery
Native American Children's Benefit Concert and Toy Drive

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
December 17, 2005

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The headliner for this year’s benefit concert is actress and now singer/songwriter Irene Bedard, best known for the voice of Pocahontas in the Disney animated film. Bedard, an Inupiat Eskimo and Cree, has become a notable and popular Native American actor with credits in prominent roles in Native American-themed projects including TNT’s mini-series Into The West, and feature films Wildflowers and Sundance Film Festival award winning, Smoke Signals. She will be joined on stage by musician and husband Deni, a MP3 Grammy Award Winner for Best Vocalist. Together they have been grabbing national attention, with an exciting new sound that has been described as 'A melding of Moby and Radiohead to perfection.” The event will feature other popular Native American performers including national recording artist Tonemah, comedian Drew Lacapa and Native American Music Award winning band Clan/destine. Donations will assist several Native American human service agencies including Native American Connections, the Phoenix Indian Center and the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, all dedicated to the betterment and self sufficiency of the urban-Native American population.

Bedard sinks native roots into creative projects
By Jason Keil

Best known as the voice and likeness of the title character in the 1995 animated Disney film "Pocahontas" and for being named by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world, Irene Bedard is one of the most prominent and respected Native American actresses working today.

The 36-year-old was born in a suburb of Anchorage, Alaska to a full-blooded Inupiat Eskimo mother and a French Canadian/Cree Indian dad father who negotiated Native American land rights. She spent her childhood singing, talking neighborhood kids into performing "Yellow Submarine" and entertaining family and friends.

She honed her craft at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and co-founded the Chuka Lokali theater ensemble for Native Americans in New York City.

Bedard's profile was raised in 1994 when she appeared in the live action Disney film "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale" and portrayed native American activist Mary Crow Dog in the TNT Network film "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee," which won her a Golden Globe nomination. She can also be seen other films, such as the 1998 independent film hit "Smoke Signals."

Now living in southern California, Bedard is also an activist in her personal life and remains involved in the group she helped to find, the Guardians of Scared Lands, dedicated to raising awareness to Native issues and educationg the public about scared Indian lands. She also continues her involvement in Aboriginal rights, remaining outspoken on issues that are important to her.

Fueled by a desire to be closer to her family, Bedard, who just became a mother, joined forces with her husband, award-winning musician and film scorer Denny ("Deni") Wilson. She returned to her love of singing and formed the band Irene Bedard and Deni. Their first album, titled "Warrior of Love," is a stunning mix of techno and progressive rock.

Bedard, who is out on tour with her band promoting the new album, took time out of her busy schedule to talk to OnMilwaukee.com about her exciting new venture into the world of music, her acting career and the recent addition to her family, son Quinn Joseph.

OMC: What was it like growing up in Alaska?

Irene Bedard: Growing up in Alaska, it's like you are a tiny human being on the face of the planet. You walk out of Anchorage, and you are literally in the middle of untouched wilderness. It's huge. The sky's huge. The mountains are huge. Once you get out of Anchorage you are lucky to see another human being.

OMC: How did growing up in Anchorage inspire you to become involved in all these causes?

IB: My father was very politically involved. That set me up for having a cultural perspective of my community. It certainly happened that if you're native that you end up having political view points. There had been in the past so many human rights issues that come up. Also, you are born with a Federal ID number, so you are born into politics as it is. So we are lumped into the government with trees. I was brought up with the knowledge that I had to be involved in the community.

OMC: How did the album with your husband Deni begin?

IB: We actually did a Christmas album together. That was our first collaboration together. We wanted to start working together. My husband wrote a song about the events of September 11 for Osama bin Laden and George Bush. He asked me to write a little segment because I do a lot of prose and poetry and I write for my theatre company. I ended up writing a piece that wouldn't fit in the little space he had for me, and it ended up being the song "India and Pakistan" on the album. We enjoyed the collaboration so much that we just kept going.

OMC: What inspired you to make the transition from acting into music?

IB: I took singing lessons and was in choir in high school, and when I went to the University Of The Arts, in the theater program, I had to take voice lessons. I always incorporated a lot of singing into my characters and things that I did. I started doing movies, and now I've done 30 movies, and I haven't had the time or the inclination to sing. My husband and I wanted to spend time together because he is always on tour and I am always on the set and it was really something that we wanted to do to come together as a family. Then we found out that we were going to have a baby so it started to make more sense.

OMC: What are you trying to accomplish with your music?

IB: A lot of it was inspired by the birth of my son. I mean, "Welcome to the world! Anything can happen." Even the title track is geared to a message that you can do anything in the world that you put your mind to. You have to try to think of yourself as a peaceful person (Irene's name means "peace") and an advocate for peace as much as you can in life. That was the direction I was going for. Especially in the Native community and the urban Native community, you end up with so much violence in the world and you try to balance that out.

OMC: When you were making the album, why did you decide to use guitars and techno?

IB: My husband went out on his last tour and really learned how make people dance. When he came back from the tour, he started working on all these techno beats. When we started performing together, it was really great to see people dancing. It's really something for us to see people shaking it, moving it and grooving it.

OMC: You have acted in over 30 movies and are best known for "Pocahontas," but I remember you from "Smoke Signals." Which movie do you hold dear to your heart?

IB: That's so hard to decide because they all have various reasons why I love them. I think "Lakota Woman," which was produced by Jane Fonda and I was nominated for a Golden Globe for it. It was my second movie, and I was the lead character, and it was based on a true story about a woman named Mary Crow Dog (an Native American who became a part of the American Indian Movement and aided the Lakota in their struggle for rights, which led up to the events at Wounded Knee in 1973), and it followed her story, and I got to meet her and a lot of the people who were at the Siege at Wounded Knee, and lots of people who were part of the community as well. For me, it was a major turning point in my understanding of being a Native American and it was really great.

OMC: What has your organization Guardians of Sacred Lands been up to lately?

IB: I haven't been able to do much with them lately because I have had the baby and I have been working on films and now I'm busy with the music. Some of the things we've done in the past are worked with various Indian nations to help them to retrieve their land which was signed away by Clinton. Basically, this is the land that their grandmother and their great-grandmother lived on. They buried their umbilical cords in the earth so they think of themselves as part of the Earth. It's not just relocation. They actually had a forced relocation to the world's largest nuclear waste dump. It was really tragic. A lot of the elders who lived out there for quite sometime really didn't understand what was happening or why they had to be removed from their land. So we did some benefit concerts. We have worked on things have come up with cleaning up the rivers and having to do with taking back the ancestral lands.

OMC: Anything to look forward to in the future?

IB: We're going to tour here in Milwaukee, Chicago, Ohio, Alaska and New York. Right now, I have three films that are coming out next year, and one or two of them are going to Sundance. One of them ("Edge of America," which is scheduled to premiere on Showtime next year), is by the same director who did "Smoke Signals. " The other one is called "Tortilla Heaven," which is about a small town in New Mexico where someone sees the face of Jesus on a tortilla. It stars George Lopez and Olivia Hussey. In "Your Guardian," I play a costume designer for a drag show, and I leave Reno and end up in a small town where I find myself again. It is kind a romantic comedy. We hope to continue touring because it affords us the opportunity to be together. I'm trying to stay away from acting in films for a little while, but I have a series of mystery novels that I am producing and starring in about an Alaskan native private investigator who works for the Anchorage District Attorney. It is set in Alaska where I am from originally, so hopefully it will give me a chance to spend some a few months there.

Irene Bedard and Deni will be at the Miller Main Stage during Indian Summer on Fri., Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. and Sat., Sept. 6 at 4:30 p.m. They will also play at the Milwaukee Ale House on Sat., Sept.13 at 9:30 p.m.
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Remembering the “Yellow Sand” Farmington Hosts Navajo Rights Movement by Brenda Norrell FARMINGTON, New Mexico, U.S. Lyrics flowed like water, beneath the Turquoise Sky, as the once-most racist town in America opened its arms to the Navajo rights movement, ushered in with the electro-beat of Irene Bedard and folk-rogue Keith Secola. Centerstage at the Farmington Civic Center,

GALLUP OWNER MEETS ACTRESS WHO INSPIRED TEAM NAME

10-Aug-2005
Gallup, NM -- One of the most difficult tasks in launching a professional sports team is to come up with a name that depicts prowess or local identification. Irene Bedard, considered to be the most successful Native American female actress, and her husband Deni, a renowned musician, couldn't believe when the Gallup Talon team owner said they were the inspiration for the team name.

"I saw them in concert here last year and in one of their songs Irene discussed the strength of the talon in Native American lore," said Joseph Kolb, owner of the Gallup Talons. "If it wasn't for that song we would have been called the Prairie Dogs or something like that - and not too many people would have been too thrilled."

Kolb said he was especially inspired by lyrics from their song, "Raven in the Midnight Sun." "It's your time, play, be happy." "Being in Native America has contributed to me seeing this in a different light. The simplistic lyrics of this song were powerful and applicable to our team," said Kolb.

When Bedard and Deni held a repeat performance in Gallup August 7th, following Gallup the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, they were both flattered to hear they were involved with the Gallup team in this fashion.

"I'm just so honored," said Bedard with the smile that contributed to her being named by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1995. "I want to compose something special for the team," said Deni. Both agreed they will return during the season to perform at one of the Talons' home games.

After their Gallup concert, Bedard and Deni posed with Kolb on the theatre stage proudly wearing their new Gallup Talon T-shirts. Bedard's performances involved being the voice of Pocahontas in the classic Disney animated film, the critically acclaimed film Smoke Signals and most recently she co-starred in the Steven Spielberg mini-series, Into the West.

For more information, e-mail Joe Kolb at herald01@cia-g.com

Powwow 'a celebration'
By Elena Acoba
SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR

QUICK TAKE

Thunder in

the Desert

What: Celebration of indigenous

peoples and traditions.

When: Noon-dusk Wednesday; 11:45 p.m. Wednesday-12:15 a.m. Thursday; 5-7 a.m. and noon-dusk Thursday; noon-10 p.m. next Friday and Jan. 3, 9 and 10; and noon-dusk Jan. 4-8 and 11.

Where: Rillito Park soccer fields, 4502 N. First Ave.

Admission: $19 a day; $45 for a three-day pass; $120 for a 12-day pass, payable by cash or traveler's check only. Free for ages 8 and younger. 622-4900 or www.usaindianinfo.org


Along with acting and singing, Irene Bedard loves powwow.

"Powwow is a celebration of a culture," Bedard said by phone last week from her Ojai, Calif., home, "but it's also a way for our community to come together and be ourselves in a modern context."

Bedard attends several powwows a year, and she'll be around for the ones that are part of next week's Thunder in the Desert, the second of four planned gatherings of indigenous people from around the world.

"It sounds like a really great thing to do after the holidays," said Bedard, 36, who will front her rock band, Irene Bedard and Deni (that's her husband), at daily performances.

Bedard, whose heritage includes Inupiat and Cree, has acted in 30 films, including "Smoke Signals" and "Lakota Woman," and as the voice of the title character in "Pocahontas."

She's one of some 2,000 participants expected to attend the gathering at Rillito Park. It comes four years after the first powwow was held here to herald the new millennium.

The number four is significant in American Indian spirituality, explained gathering planner Fred Synder.

Aside from representatives of an estimated 150 North American tribes, Synder said he's expecting first-people performers from South America, Hawaii and Australia.

Every day will include stage entertainment, demonstrations of indigenous traditions, food, kids activities, and arts and crafts.

Each day also focuses on specific events.

Wednesday will feature the midnight friendship round dance, starting at 11:45 p.m. The gathering will greet the new year with a sunrise ceremony at 5 a.m.

A competition powwow will run next Friday through Jan. 4. A World Indigenous Peoples' Exhibition, performances largely by groups other than American Indians, will be held Jan. 5.

Children and elders will be honored Jan. 6 and 7, as will veterans on Jan. 8.

Southwestern tribal dancers will perform Jan. 9, a day on which a symposium will focus on native writers, producers and actors.

The gathering will end with a two-day social powwow, Jan. 10-11.


QUICK TAKE

Thunder in

the Desert

What: Celebration of indigenous

peoples and traditions.

When: Noon-dusk Wednesday; 11:45 p.m. Wednesday-12:15 a.m. Thursday; 5-7 a.m. and noon-dusk Thursday; noon-10 p.m. next Friday and Jan. 3, 9 and 10; and noon-dusk Jan. 4-8 and 11.

Where: Rillito Park soccer fields, 4502 N. First Ave.

Admission: $19 a day; $45 for a three-day pass; $120 for a 12-day pass, payable by cash or traveler's check only. Free for ages 8 and younger. 622-4900 or www.usaindianinfo.org

Freelance writer Elena Acoba is a former Star reporter.


All content copyright © 1999-2006 AzStarNet,

Bakersfield's Free Press Newspaper | The Blackboard
IRENE BEDARD & DENI “WARRIOR OF LOVE” (14 tracks) (RATED A+) I found this CD to be pretty damn good.

rene Bedard and Deni rock the house at Acoma Pueblo.

By Will Kie

ACOMA PUEBLO, N.M.—The winds whipped across the desert southwest as Irene & Deni took the stage at the Sky City Casino VIP Showroom on Jan. 18.

After a quick hello and thank-you from Irene Bedard, Deni strapped on his silver acoustic guitar and filled the showroom with music. The duo played songs off their first CD, "Warrior of Love."

Deni, the driving force behind Irene & Deni, programs all their music with hip-hop style beats and rhythms, mixing in acoustic and electric guitar lines that add "flavor" to the velvet smooth voice of Bedard. Bedard's style is spoken word with minimal singing. Deni backs up Bedard with a voice made for the blues. Together, Irene & Deni delivered a style and power the audience was unprepared for.

At one point between songs, a woman yelled out for Bedard to sing the song from the movie "Pocahontas." Deni said that it wasn't Bedard singing the song and they didn't know the song.

Later on, Deni explained to the crowd that Bedard approached him wanting to start a band. Her only requirement is that the music must not suck. It doesn't.

Bedard and Deni have been married for 11 years and the band was their chance to work together, something they had yet to do as a couple. He said they plan to shorten their band name to "ID" on their next project together.

Deni, a professional musician, said he has been influenced by Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal and Sun Ra. He said he worked for a small club in Dayton, Ohio, where all these great musicians came to play.
Photo credit: Will Kie
Vocalist Irene Bedard (left) is joined by actress Elaine Miles on stage at the VIP Showroom at Sky City Casino.

Bedard and Deni's appearance was part of the Emergence Concert Series titled, "Her Spirit Sings." The concert also featured Arigon Starr and co-hosts Elaine Miles and Miss Navajo Nation Marla Billey.

Miles and Billey entertained the VIP Showroom audience before introducing NAMMY-award nominee Arigon Starr. Starr hit the stage running with her Fender Stratocaster turned up to 11. Her distorted guitars, thumping bass thumping, and thunderous drums seemed to take the audience by surprise.

Starr won over the mostly older crowd with her infectious personality and songs about Indian life and love. Starr had the crowd on her feet as she ended her set with her most popular song, "Junior Frybread," which she said was about Hopi comedian Drew Lacapa.

Irene Bedard

At home in Ojai with the most successful
Native American actress working today

C & I

By Wolf Schneider

Irene Bedard
photo by Michael Neese
Irene Bedard's rustic 1938 stucco house sits on a California hillside, the lemon trees outside it bearing fruit, with the apricots, pomegranates, lettuce, and corn yet to come. Inside the house, ferns bloom in a makeshift greenhouse, a guitar is propped against the wall on the hardwood floor, a pack of American Spirit cigarettes is tossed on the kitchen counter, and the answering machine is blinking like crazy.

Bedard, is, by nearly all measures, the most successful Native American actress working today. She's completed a film called Wildflowers with Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, and Sheila Tousey, which she hopes will screen at Sundance Film Festival; she's about to star with Chad Lowe in the film Your Guardian, she's voicing a Native American female general on the animated Starship Troopers television series; she's in rehearsals for a play in Los Angeles; and she's hoping to reprise her Smoke Signals role as Suzy Song. Phone calls flood in, too, about auditions, various Indian cultural events, and the activities of Guardians of Sacred Lands, an entity she helped create to further Native rights.

The 32-year-old Bedard has lived in Ojai, a secluded hamlet north of Los Angeles with a population of just 8,154, for two years now.

Irene Bedard, photo by Michael Neese
photo by Michael Neese
Born in a suburb of Anchorage, Alaska, the daughter of a French Canadian/Cree Indian dad who worked for the government negotiating Native American land rights and a full-blooded Inupiat Eskimo mom, she lived in Alaska until she was 8. "My father spoke French, and my mother spoke Malamute, and neither one spoke it in the house, so I basically grew up with TV and programs like Bewitched."

Then her dad moved the family to Washington state, where he went into business for himself. "We owned this little place called the Thunderbird Motel, and it had a pond and he stocked it with trout. So, I grew up helping out with the motel, painting the rooms," They didn't stay put there for too long. "He traded that for an apartment building, and he traded the apartment building for a roller rink in Port Townsend, Washington. So, I worked in the roller rink."

She still has strong ties to Alaska–she goes back there to visit family each year and has performed with the Eskimo dancers at their Spirit Days event–but Bedard's own path took her east. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, then co-founded the Chuka Lokali theater ensemble for Native Americans in New York City. Her big breakthrough came in 1994, in TNT's historically potent Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. Bedard won a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Mary Crow Dog, a woman whose life gains meaning when she joins the famed 1973 Indian protest event involving the American Indian Movement. "I came out feeling I'd done my job well," she says of that role.

Hollywood noticed. Bedard donned buckskins for Disney's Squanto: A Warrior's Tale and held her wedding on the set when she couldn't get time off for the summer-solstice nuptials she had planned. A year later came Pocahontas. "My head was spinning," she says. "I mean, it was the world's largest premiere ever in the history of filmmaking, and it was held in Central Park. I was wearing this glittery Armani-like thing, my hair was long, and I looked like the Pocahontas character."

That same year, People magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. "I cried. I looked at myself in the mirror and wanted to put my glasses back on–I had been wearing disposable contacts during Squanto–and say, ‘You don't know. This is who I really am. What are you talking about?'"

Irene Bedard
photo by Jill Sabella/Miramax Films
The ground-breaking Smoke Signals helped change the rules in Hollywood, where Indian roles have tended towards the same few stereotypes. "The Western, with the cowboys killing the Indians, is so engrained in our social consciousness. I really want to be able to go beyond that and change that perspective and bring us into the 20th century."

Bedard has mostly played Native parts, sometimes not, and that's fine by her. "I want to be known as a Native American, but also to let people know how Native people live now. Why not have this lawyer who grew up on the rez but is now living in New York City? I'm saying: let's bring us into the mainstream."

The sun has set now; the temperature's dropping. Bedard's essentially upbeat nature wants to reassert itself. "I'm basically still a child at heart and an idealist."


Copyright ©1999 Cowboys & Indians

Celebrity profile from Cowboys & Indians: Magazine of the West, March 1998


Irene Bedard: Classic beauty and master storyteller



By Janna L. Graber



“I’m just a girl from Alaska,” says Irene Bedard, still trying to comprehend the fact that she has gone from small-town girl to popular Hollywood actress.



Although most people may not be familiar with Bedard’s name, they will recognize her chiseled beauty and strong voice. The 30-year-old actress was the model and voice of Disney’s Pocahontas.



Bedard enjoyed the challenge of playing Pocahontas, and is proud of the film. “She was huge figure in our history,” Bedard says of the historical figure whose image has filled American homes. “Pocahontas spent her life working toward peace.” Because Bedard’s work on the animated film was done in the recording studio, she never met her co-star, Mel Gibson. She has laughingly said that she would like to meet Gibson and comment on the lovely relationship the two had on film.



Pocahontas is not the only character Bedard has mastered. She co-starred with Michael Greyeyes in Crazy Horse, and received a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in TNT’s Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. Bedard earned a Best Actress Award from the American Indian Film Festival, and in 1995 People named her one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”



It’s hard to understand all this positive feedback,” says Bedard, whose humble demeanor can’t hide her success. The daughter of an Inupiat Eskimo and a French/Canadian Cree, Bedard grew up outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Her family was active in Native American issues, giving Bedard a strong heritage that she treasures. Back then, she says, there was a media concept of Native Americans as “savages”. All that is slowly changing, Bedard believes. “Within the last five years, we’ve finally been allowed to tell our roots.” Films like Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale, and The Song of Hiawatha, which Bedard both starred in, have retold the past from a more “balanced” point of view.



Bedard believes that acting is another form of storytelling – something she has been doing since childhood. “I’m the oldest of four children,” she says, “so I spent time watching my siblings, telling them stories and writing plays. I even directed “Yellow Submarine” in my front yard with the neighborhood kids.”



Bedard has used this gift of dramatic storytelling to give schoolchildren an updated look at American history. She recently narrated the American History for Children Video Series, which is used in elementary schools. “I did this (series) because the history was entertaining, but accurate.” The actress donates her time reading and speaking to children whenever possible. “I’m basically a big kid myself, and I like doing it.”



This love of storytelling eventually drew Bedard to the theater, and she has toured on stage throughout the country. Bedard currently lives outside of Los Angeles with her husband of four years, musician Denny Wilson. Her current work has included TNT’s Two for Texas, Smoke Signals, and a new sequel to Disney’s Pocahontas.



The actress doesn’t spend all her time working: she confesses a great love for gardening, painting, the cello, and fishing. Still, she is most at home when she is telling someone else’s story. “I love what I do,” says Bedard.

Friday, July 27, 2007 :: infoZine Staff :: page views
Lied Center of Kansas Presents Irene Bedard and Deni
MusicWith Special Appearance by Local Native Rockers The Boy Dandy and Junemoon



Lawrence, KS - infoZine- The talents of singer-actress Irene Bedard and her husband, Deni Wilson, combine to create an exciting, progressive sound described as "A melding of Moby and Radiohead to perfection." Irene, an Alaska native who is Inupiat Eskimo and Cree, is best known for her role as the speaking voice and likeness of Disney's Pocahontas and her appearance in the cult classic film "Smoke Signals." The duo has been nominated for two Native American Music Awards.

Irene was the first Native American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe. She has worked with Hollywood icons including Robert Redford, Steven Spielberg, Jane Fonda and Terrance Malick, starring in over 40 movies and winning numerous best acting awards.

Their first album, Warrior of Love, is a gritty, rocking album blending melodic rock with traditional Native American singing and sounds. It was nominated for a Nammy (Native American Music Awards). Their second album, Nammy-nomiated Raven in the Midnight Sun was recorded in Nashville with string players who had played with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Loretta Lynn. Reggie White, who worked with Elvis Presley and Staxx Records, performed some of the album's production duties.

The band's third album, I.D. EP, was released this year. Produced by Keith Secola and Deni, the album is an organic blend of two-part harmony and great toe-tapping grooves. Blending traditional Native American melodies with beautiful guitar riffs and grooves, the album is both classic and modern.

Irene and Deni will have a booth at the 19th annual Haskell Indian Art Market on September 8 -9, 2007, on the Haskell Indian Nations University pow-wow grounds. The art market is open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information: www.haskell.edu/haskell/artmarket