by Richard Thornley

Canada grows roots-rockers like our yards do dandelions- prolifically. Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, and 54 40 are some of the familiar names but there are plenty more recent proponents of a back to basics sound as well: folks like Dave McCann, Rodney DeCroo, John Wort Hannam, and the list goes on. Indio Saravanja is just the latest in this lineage, with a smoky voice and songs both poignant and poetic. On 'Northern Town' he tells a tale of returning home after a time in the big city and 'Burn The Ships' exhorts us to truly live our lives. 'First Communion' is a nice little rocker that tells the sadly affecting story of a native Canadian woman.
Unfortunately, aside from these and a couple other standout tracks, about half the record falls a little flat and I'm left wondering if Indio has yet to find his own voice--a case of too many influences, not enough Indio. Still, there's tons of potential here and this is one dandelion that's truly welcome in the garden.

CD review by Bill Radford

You're unlikely to pull up beside a car that's blaring Indio Saravanja's self-titled album at a stop light--it's, um, really not that kind of album. The focus of the disc is plaintive lyrics that create vivid images and make use of simple but powerful metaphors.
As Indio's drawl first cracks through the speakers on "Orphans," one instantly recalls Bob Dylan. His voice is reminiscent of the American troubador, and while it's easy to chastise Indio for not measuring up to Dylan's songwriting ability, that isn't really a fair standard.
In their own right, though, Indio's songs possess a simple beauty that will tug at your heartstrings. When he sings "you wore your sadness like a veil / a doorway to some other trail / that other hunters would have found / and travelled without turning 'round" on "Stories", for instance, it's hard not to feel something stir inside yourself, as Edmonton listeners will discover on Apr 21, when Saravanja plays the Blue Chair Cafe

The Whitehorse STAR, Friday, December 9, 2005
by Andrew Hoshkiw

Reminiscent of early Bob Dylan, Indio Saravanja's self-titled debut CD release is destined to become a favourite with northern listeners.
"It's kind of a love letter to the North and the people I grew up with," he said in a recent interview with the Star. "To aboriginal people, and all the older hippies. It's sort of a love letter to that era."
The album is a collection of acoustic guitar folk songs. Some songs are with drums, piano and harmonica, while others are simple guitar pieces.
With country and roots rock overtones, however, the music is anything but simple. Most of the songs feature northern themes and experiences from Saravanja's life.
"I grew up in Yellowknife in the '70s, and then I went back for a short stint in the '90s and met this Yukon guy named Jay Burr," he said, recounting the experience of how he came to be involved with the Yukon.
"We met in bars and played together and he sparked my interest in Whitehorse.
"He went back to Whitehorse and told everybody about me. A couple years later, I went and did some demos in Jay's studio, and that's when Dave (Petkovich) and Bob (Hamilton) heard me and were interested, and they asked me to come to Frostbite."
"They flew me up from New York City for a couple of days. In 2002, they finally asked me to come and make a record."
After much effort, that album was finally produced in the spring of this year. Saravanja currently lives on Galiano Island, off the southwest coast of British Columbia. Though not actually a Yukon artist, Saravanja has strong ties with the North.
"It's like this: I spent 15 years, on and off, making a living a musician playing in bars," he said. "I've paid a lot of dues, as a musician and songwriter. But here with this, I feel like I'm starting a career from zero. That's going to be a little interesting. I'm hoping it will go well. And I'm really grateful to Whitehorse and Caribou and Jay Burr. Although I've only spent a few months there over the years, I really feel like it's home for me. I'm really blown away by it-it's probably the greatest musical community I've ever experienced in my life."
Many of the songs on Saravanja's album are deeply reflective and melancholic in nature.
"I was just born with it-I call it the blue gene- it's wreaked havoc on me for years," he said. "I'm drawn to melancholic musicians, like Van Morrison. My mother was also very melancholic."
The Caribou Records music label will celebrate its 10th anniversary tomorrow evening with a celebration of music and dance at the Yukon Convention Centre. The evening will feature live music by five Caribou artists and will be headlined by Saravanja. The event will also serve as a CD release party for his new album.
"I'm really proud of the album, it worked out beautifully well," he said. "Bob did an amazing job, it brings together all my styles- I don't know if I'll be able to repeat it."
Playing with Saravanja will be several veterans of the Yukon music scene, including Hamilton, Annie Avery, Lonnie Powell and Pat Braden.
"It's a great honour to be part of this great family of musicians and songwriters," said Saravanja, who has been doing extensive touring leading up to the show.
Over the last few weeks, the album has received national radio airplay. Next week, Saravanja will appear on the CBC weekday morning show Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers. The broadcaster will be in Whitehorse next week gathering Yukon material for her nationally broadcast show.
After visiting Yellowknife this week. Saravanja said he's glad to be back in the North.
"The North has always been a muse to me, as much as love and the human condition and all that stuff," he said. "The North is full of songs for me; whenever I go there, songs just spill out of me."
After Saturday's show, Saravanja's next scheduled appearance in the Yukon will be at February's Frostbite Music Festival with fellow musician Leeroy Stagger.