Native American Rock Bands By Leticia Sanchez Research Question ◊ What are the themes that are represented in modern Native American Rock Bands? Main Stream Rock Bands ◊ Themes in Songs: • • • • Love Violence Political Issues Art Redbone ◊ Native American rock band founded in 1969 by brothers Loly and Pat Vegas who are of Shoshone/ Yaqui and Mexican descent ◊ Music style • • • • • • • Rock R&B Funk Cajun Jazz Tribal Latin ◊ Name means person of mixed race Redbone Music Themes ◊ Love ◊ Magic ◊ Native American Spirituality ◊ 1970’s funk Redbone’s “Wovoka” ◊ “Wovoka”: talks about the Ghost Dancehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BElwfBEjSA 0 XIT ◊ Nat. Am. rock band founded in 1972 from Albuquerque, New Mexico ◊ Music Style • Rock • Pan-Indian music styles ◊ Name stands for “crossing of Indian tribes” XIT Music Themes ◊ Native American Spirituality ◊ Historic and Contemporary Native American issues ◊ Red Power movement XIT’s “Reservation of Education” ◊ “Reservation of Education”: discusses the ethnocide of Native American culture in schools ◊ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_uPg2NpmE Blackfire ◊ Diné/ Navajo rock band founded in 1989 from Flagstaff, Arizona by siblings Jeneda, Klee and Clayson ◊ Music Style • Punk rock • Alternative Rock • Pan- Indian Blackfire Music Themes ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Genocide Domestic Violence Human Rights Sociopolitical messages about government oppression Blackfire’s “It Ain’t Over” ◊ “It Ain’t Over”: Native American resistance ◊ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6L FNCryryA Red Earth ◊ Native American rock band founded in the mid 1990s from Albuquerque, New Mexico ◊ Music Style: Called “tribal stew” • • • • • • • Pan-Indian Funk Rock Heavy metal Reggae Latin jazz Red Earth Music Themes ◊ Indigenous perspectives ◊ Popular culture themes Red Earth’s “Fly to the Sun” ◊ “Fly to the Sun”: ode to Indian women ◊ http://www.facebook.com/pages/RedEarth/93340487475 Bibliography ◊ Red Earth’s Zia Soul http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/ 28179864.html ◊ Redbone http://www.redbone.be/index.html ◊ XIT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XIT_%28band% 29 ◊ Blackfire http://blackfire.net/about/ ◊ Videos www.youtube.com