Running for the Drum

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Running for the Drum is Buffy Sainte-Marie’s 14th studio album, released in September 2008. It blends folk and rock, runs about 43 minutes, and was released by Appleseed Recordings. The album was produced by Chris Birkett and Buffy Sainte-Marie and includes the single No No Keshagesh. Taj Mahal plays acoustic piano on I Bet My Heart On You, and Sainte-Marie rewrote two verses of America the Beautiful.

History
- The album title comes from a lyric in the song Cho Cho Fire.
- It features the DVD documentary A Multimedia Life, with interviews from artists like Joni Mitchell and Taj Mahal.
- Recording took place from 2006 to 2007, mainly in Sainte-Marie’s Hawaii home studio and partly in France.
- Most songs are newly written for this album; two tracks were reworked: Little Wheel Spin and Spin and Still This Love Goes On.
- Running for the Drum won the Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year. In 2025, the award was revoked after Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada status was revoked.

Track listing
1. No No Keshagesh
2. Cho Cho Fire
3. Working For The Government
4. Little Wheel Spin and Spin
5. Too Much Is Never Enough
6. To The Ends of the World
7. When I Had You
8. I Bet My Heart On You
9. Blue Sunday
10. Easy Like The Snow Falls Down
11. America the Beautiful
12. Still This Love Goes On

Personnel
- Buffy Sainte-Marie – vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano, percussion and drum samples
- Taj Mahal – acoustic piano on I Bet My Heart On You
- Black Lodge Singers – pow wow sample on Cho Cho Fire
- Whitefish Jrs. – pow wow sample on Working For The Government
- Chris Birkett – guitars, bass, drums, programming, percussion, keyboards, Tibetan bowl and string arrangements
- Monte Horton – electric guitar
- Kirk Smart – lap steel guitar
- Pat Cockett – slack key guitar
- Nico Mirande – bass
- Neil Chapman – bass
- Cyril Diet – drums
- Adrian Fiorelli – drums
- Kevan McKenzie – drums
- Jim Birkett – drum programming, sound effects
- Roger Jacobs – drum loop and programming

Production
- Producers: Chris Birkett and Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Engineers: Chris Birkett and Steve Payne
- Mixing: Buffy Sainte-Marie and Chris Birkett
- Mastering: Seth Foster
- Design: Buffy Sainte-Marie and Patrick Duffy
- Photography: multiple photographers

Reception
- AllMusic gave a positive review (around 4/5 stars).
- Other reviews noted the album’s strong performances and songwriting, with ratings around 3.5 out of 5 from several outlets.

Notes
- The album includes a notable rewrite of America the Beautiful by Sainte-Marie.
- It features a documentary component and collaborations that highlight Sainte-Marie’s ongoing cultural and musical influence.