Sunday sessions @ The Hub On Martin featuring-Francis Baptiste Trio

Heritage On the Mend

A washed-up, divorced, recovering alcoholic and drug addict tries to balance being a single father and being a middle-aged musician, living under the poverty line in East Vancouver.

Francis Baptiste is an Indigenous songwriter who covers topics of cultural reclamation, addiction, and fatherhood. CBC has said “Francis Baptiste is unsparingly candid.” Of the single Lazy Lake, CBC called it “lushly hypnotic.”

In 2022 Indigenous songwriter Francis Baptiste released his debut album, Sneqsilx (Family), an album that features songs sung in his native language Nsyilxcən [nah-silk-sen], the endangered language of the Syilx [see-ilks] people. The 10-song album was his effort to preserve and connect with his heritage. The chance to reconnect with his roots helped him through turbulent times.

In 2024, Baptiste released his second album, Senklip, the Trickster. The 10 new tracks covered topics like Oral Traditions, the struggles of being a recovering addict and a father simultaneously, and intergenerational trauma. “As an Indigenous father, passing things onto the next generation can be both a blessing and a curse,” Baptiste says. “You want to teach them as best you can, but it’s hard to protect them from family trauma.”

The Georgia Straight says: “Baptiste packs a lot of perspective into his music, sung in a mix of English and Nsyilxcən. His vulnerable folk rock songs about addiction and self-discovery are bluesy, bruised, and blossoming.”

Baptiste grew up on the Osoyoos Indian Band Reservation, a small Indigenous community of only 500 members. However, he has lived in East Vancouver for 20 years. With the release of Senklip, the Trickster, came the realization that Baptiste has now spent as many years off-Reserve as he has on-Reserve (20 years each)–a life split down the middle, lived in two different worlds.

His new album, Lived Experience in East Vancouver, focuses solely on his battle with addiction. Baptiste has been an addict his entire life. It’s an on-going struggle to this day. Currently, Baptiste works in the Downtown Eastside for a men’s health organization called the DUDES Club.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher The Hub on Martin