While war was being waged at Wal-Mart and other Bay Area big box retailers, one group of Americans took aim at the ills that continue to plague the country.
Black Friday was turned “Red N’ Blues” for the second year in a row by the American Indian Movement West’s (AIM-West) Native American blues concert and benefit at the Brava Theater on Nov. 29.
“Welcome to an important night. Music is the international language of peace and freedom, and as important as the warriors are,” said Bill Means, founder of AIM-West.
The American Indian Movement is a spiritual and cultural movement to retain the identity of Native American people fighting for self-determination, unity and human rights, and to establish solidarity with the indigenous people of the world.
Native American groups played full sets for an intimate audience of about 30 people, with styles ranging from emotive acoustic guitar to rocking blues, funk and covers of popular songs.
“These bands are here to support (Native American) activism in the Bay Area. We want to showcase the Indian talent…that’s been around for a while with little exposure,” said AIM-West Director Tony Gonzales.
The concert was part of the sixth annual AIM-West Coast Conference, held over two days at the California Institute of Integral Studies to discuss issues facing Native communities.
Wicahpiluta “Luta” Candelaria, a Rumsen Ohlone Indian, sung a soulful a capella prayer in Ohlone at the beginning of the show which, according to him, served “to acknowledge our ancestors and ask for their blessing.”
Opening the concert was a three-piece band led by Daniel Rodriguez on the acoustic guitar, singing heartfelt songs in Spanish and accompanied by bass and drums.
“There’s a war going on out there,” Rodriguez said, who dedicated songs to Andy Lopez and Renisha McBride, recent victims of violence due to racial profiling.
The headstock of his guitar was decorated with tenabarís—butterfly cocoons collected from the canyons of Chihuahua, Mexico, and used in ceremonies by the Raramori Indians from that region.
Rodriguez said he draws inspiration for his music from the border towns of Jamul, Calif., and Tecate, Mexico, where he grew up.
“In the high desert, you see people crossing (the border). You enjoy the beauty of the desert but also see the reality of capitalism. Where I’m from, it’s the poorest to the richest dynamic.”
The Bobby Young Project then took the stage, and played a seven-song set featuring Latrosse Harris on drums, London on bass, Funky Rob Gordon on keyboard, Bobby Young on lead guitar and his son Nick on rhythm guitar.
They opened with a rocking blues song that made audience members get up and dance, as Funky Rob Gordon’s keys rocked on their stand during his solos.
Dr. Jose Cuellar, or “Dr. Loco” as he is known in the Mission District, came in on tenor saxophone for some songs, a perfect addition to the band’s varied set.
Continuing the family music theme was the award-winning father-and-son duo Twice As Good (2XG), featuring Paul and Rich Steward, of the Elem Pomo Indian tribe from Lake County, Calif.
“Blues is my companion, the kind of music that sets you free,” Paul said.
2XG won the 2013 Indian Summer Festival Blues album of the year award for “Back to Clearlake Oaks,” and the Best Blues Recording award at the 2010 Native American Music Awards for their album “If That’s Alright With You.”
The final act was Dr. T and the Blues Criminals, who began their set with two emotional songs, in which Dr. T sang the chilling vocals accompanied by a guitar and a bongo drum.
It was a good cool down after the two high-energy sets, but Dr. T didn’t stay mellow for long as he brought his 6-year-old son, Thunderchild, on stage to play harmonica and rock out next to his dad.
With waist-long hair and tons of youthful energy, Thunderchild made sure he wasn’t upstaged, playing and dancing side-by-side with Dr. T for the rest of their set.
Funky Rob Gordon accompanied on the keys and Dr. Loco returned with the saxophone to play the improvised set.
Dr. Loco said the group got their name because “they’re so good it’s criminal.” From the touching beginning, the Criminals played rock, funk, blues and a cover of “All Along the Watchtower” in the psychedelic wah-wah style of Jimi Hendrix.
The show closed with a group prayer led by Luta, coming from the left wing to the front of the stage, each person holding the drum and beating it while taking turns singing in Ohlone.
“(The United States) wants three things: land, resources, and cheap labor. The earth is our mother, not a store of resources,” Means said. “Hello to my relatives across the border. ‘La tierra es tu madre.’”
“Our three enemies are the U.S. government, the churches, and institutionalized education. We’re edited out of school texts, and becoming victims of aculturalization,” he added.