Bird Parade- Rediscovering Passion

By Jamie-Leigh Gonzales

Indigenous singer-songwriter Francis Baptiste is the main creative force behind Bird Parade. Coming from the Syilx Indian Band in the Okanagan Valley, Baptiste has spent the last 13 years in Vancouver. Making the move to the city is something a lot of folks in rural communities do to go to college or launch their careers, but Indigenous people who live on reserve face the added element of leaving their physical connection to their culture. The move for Francis was no different.  

In Vancouver he met a woman, got married, had a child, let music take the back burner, worked a day job, and got divorced. The newly released EP From the Basement is the creative outcome of Baptiste’s new reality as a single dad and recovering alcoholic who has been struggling with the isolation of adulthood and dislocation from his community. In many ways, healing from his divorce was the catalyst to rediscover his passion for music.  

The EP itself follows the narrative arc of Baptiste’s post-divorce struggles; his experience battling depression, alcoholism, and being a single parent in an unaffordable city. Although the tone of the album is not meant to be happy, there is balance in each song. The first track “The Opening Act” is about divorce and heartbreak, but it’s also about moving on. “It’s really about me trying to get over this idea that maybe my idea of love wasn’t accurate. It never even occurred to me that people could have conflicting ideas of what love is.” Baptiste said. The song reflects Baptiste’s path to learning how to live life as an individual.  

“In the Afternoon” is a comment on nostalgia and is written in a major key - so it gives the illusion of being a happier song. It is quickly followed by “Gonna Be Bad”, which deals with depression and the challenges men face when accepting help for mental illness.  

“It took a long time for me to come to grips with the idea that I would have to medicate myself. Which is a painful thing to face. It's basically admitting that there is something wrong with you.”  

The fourth track, “Ruby Scars”, is about Baptiste’s little brother. With eight brothers and sisters all struggling with varying degrees of alcoholism and depression, Baptiste carries some guilt for leaving his community and not looking out for his little brother more. “It makes me wonder what does being native even means if you’re not living on the reservation.” The song was written to express how much his siblings and his heritage are always on his mind.  

The final track “Back in Time” is a reflection of the isolation of adulthood. Losing out on social opportunities as people get busy and have kids. For Baptiste, the added element of socializing without alcohol has made it hard to make new connections.

Choosing to release such a personal EP to the public felt awkward for Baptiste, especially knowing that his friends, family, and likely his ex-wife would listen to it. But he says that creating music rather than “wallowing in self-pity” was a more productive way to express himself, and that it was worth the risk to explore the important themes of the EP.

“There’s still so much stigma, especially around alcoholism, mental illness or depression. I found part of the reason it took me so long to get around to speaking to a doctor about it was because I didn’t want anyone at my work to know, I didn’t want any of my family to know, and I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. And if anyone out there is struggling with these things, I found I did feel a great deal of relief once everybody knew.” Baptiste said.  

Bird Parade is not all depressing, the name itself has a pretty cute origin story. “I’ve been writing a lot and most of it is really depressing and a bit of a downer and everything is a little darker than I’d like it to be. And I didn’t want a name that would be super dark,” said Baptiste. But one afternoon, while watching cartoons with his son he noticed the title of an episode called The Bird Parade. “Oh, that’s cute.” he thought. And so, Bird Parade was born.  

Check out the new EP here.