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Updated 2/2/2022

Mali Obomsawin

  • M

    ME

Institution/Business Type: Artist / Creative (Individual)

Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, singer, composer and songwriter from Odanak W8banaki First Nation. With an eclectic background in jazz & creative music, American roots & folk, and indie rock, Obomsawin carries several music traditions. A Smithsonian Folkways Recordings artist, Mali has toured internationally, receiving acclaim from NPR and RollingStone and several Boston Music Awards nominations with her band Lula Wiles. She frequents the folk & roots circuit as both frontwoman and sidewoman, appearing at Newport and Philly Folk festivals, and performs as a bassist & singer in the jazz and creative music scene with the likes of Bill Cole, Taylor Ho Bynum, Peter Apfelbaum and Delbert Anderson. In 2020 she joined Welcome to Indian Country, an Indigenous Performance Production featuring six leading Indigenous artists in Jazz and roots music. In 2021-2022, she is developing and launching her first project as a bandleader, "Sweet Tooth," performed by a sextet of leading young voices in jazz and creative music and exploring concepts of Indigenous identity, colonization and resistance.

Obomsawin’s diverse musical background, sharp lyrical wit, and grounded sensibilities reflect extensive experience across several idioms. Known for her sardonic songwriting, Mali’s songs puncture the dream-haze of the capitalist apocalypse with a delicate balance of rock, improvisation and satire. She performs as a solo artist and small ensembles.

Beyond the stage Mali is a freelance journalist, published recently in The Boston Globe, National Performance Network, and Smithsonian Folklife Magazine. She is an advocate for Indigenous Sovereignty and collective liberation and works with the organizations Racial Equity and Justice and Sunlight Media Collective. Mali founded Bomazeen Land Trust in 2020, a Wabanaki-led nonprofit for land rematriation and food sovereignty, where she is now Executive Director.

Find Me

Mali Obomsawin
Job Title: musician, bassist, composer, singersongwriter, writer, scholar/presenter
Phone: 2074915160
Address:
Portland, ME 04102

Social Media:

Additional Content:

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2014

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2014

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Music - General

Additional Disciplines:

  • Music - Traditional

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Writing Services
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
Seasons Active: spring, summer, fall, winter
Events Per Year: 100

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Businesses
  • Elders
  • Families
  • General Public
  • Immigrant Populations
  • Incarcerated (or Formerly Incarcerated) individuals
  • LGBTQ Populations
  • Native American Tribes
  • Nonprofits
  • People with Disabilities

Languages Available:

  • French
  • Native American / Indigenous

Geographic Reach:

  • Town / City
  • County
  • Multi-County Region
  • State
  • Multi-State Region
  • National
  • International

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Awards

Awards:

  • none yet!

Awards

Awards:

  • none yet!

Education

Education:

  • berklee college of music
  • dartmouth college (B.A.)
  • Middlebury College Abenaki Language Program
  • Savannah Acoustic Music Seminar (twice participant)
  • Dawnland Fund recipient (Gedakina, Inc.)
  • Maine Community Foundation's "Investing in leaders of color" grantee

Artist Info

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • vocal amplification
  • PA system
  • backline needs vary depending on configuration
  • sound person

Fee Range:

$200 - $15,000

State of Residence:

Maine

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

6

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • vocal amplification
  • PA system
  • backline needs vary depending on configuration
  • sound person

Fee Range:

$200 - $15,000

State of Residence:

Maine

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

6