HIGH BIAS -- lead review

BLACKFIRE
One Nation Under
(Tachoco)
The concept of balancing elements of Native American music with contemporary rock styles is a high wire not many artists are willing to tread. Most Native musicians stick to traditional folk music—flutes, drums, chants, etc.—and why not? No one else makes this kind of music and it's a part of their culture of which Native Americans are justifiably proud. But it doesn't exactly connect with the masses, finding its way into ethnomusicology collections more often than the average music fan's CD shelves. Some musicians, such as R. Carlos Nakai, combine traditional flute melodies with cutting edge sampling technology, but still don't find an audience outside of adventurous New Age fans.

On the flip side there's the blues-rock trio Indigenous, possibly the greatest success story of American Indian music. The problem with this group, however, is that, unless you see them or read their story, you'd never know from listening to the music that this band is composed of Native Americans. There's nothing in either the lyrics or the music to indicate any Native influence.* While it's good that the band doesn't follow a larger (read: white) audience's expectations with clichés about Crazy Horse or the Great Spirit, at the same time it's a shame that it doesn't produce music that resonates with its own cultural experiences that would set it apart from other groups of its ilk.

It's difficult to find Native musicians who can combine the spiritual thrust (and, yes, exoticism) of their traditional culture with the contemporary music with which most of them grew up. Walking two paths while giving each the attention it deserves is always rigorous. But those musicians are out there, making distinctive, exciting music that could not be created from any other point of view. A short list of Native American performers that combine modern sensibilities with respect for tradition would include Robert Mirabal, Xit, Keith Secola and Clan/destine.

Add to that list Blackfire. Formed in 1989, the Diné (Navajo) trio cranks up their amplifiers and stomps on terrain that would seem to be a natural area of exploration for an oppressed, disrespected culture: punk rock. The siblings channel hundreds of years of repressed cultural practice and political rage into walloping hunks of rock fury. Guitarist Klee Benally is a master of the punk six-string, pounding out crushing power chords and slashing riffs with the skill of a trained musician and the passion of the righteously angry. He also possesses a charismatic baritone perfect for the lyrics' defiant social commentary. Bassist Jeneda Benally and drummer Clayson Benally deftly move the dynamics of the tracks from simmer to boil, often within the same tune. Equally conversant with subtle throbbing and hardcore drive, they're one of the best rhythm sections in punk rock. Having practiced, written songs and gigged all over the U.S. and Europe for over a decade, Blackfire has finally produced its first full-length album, the raging, rocking One Nation Under.

This is music with a message: oppressed peoples everywhere deserve to live and decide their own fates. "There's blood on the hands of time/A lie cheapens the vision," Klee growls in "Exile," "Did you read between the lines/Or did they teach you not to question?" The band rages against the whitewash of American Indian history taught in conventional textbooks, reminding us that the obfuscation still has an impact today, when Natives are "exiled in the land of the free." Indicting the apathy of the U.S. government and citizenry toward American Indians with "Is This Justice," Klee points out that "More is said than done/And nothing's really said." The band condemns a contemporary culture that's an outgrowth of conquest with "Downfall" ("What is the future/If it's made from wars?"), finds itself living in "Someone Else's Nightmare" and reminds its fellow tribes to "Stand Strong" and "Prove Them Wrong." The siblings match their fiery rhetoric with song structures on flame with rock 'n' roll, from the straight hardcore of "Prove Them Wrong" and "Lying to Myself" (which boasts guest vocals from the late Joey Ramone) to the heavy metallics of "Exile" and "Many Farms" and the hooky punk anthemry of "No Control," "Shattered" and the title track. Furthermore, the band perfects a traditional/modern meld not only by singing about contemporary Native problems, but also by incorporating traditional Diné chants, often provided by their father, traditional singer Jones Benally, into the arrangements of "Exile," "Downfall" and "One Nation Under." The blend of soaring ancestral vocals with rock firepower is a surprisingly natural one.

With its agile integration of traditional culture and concerns and concurrent rock sounds, Blackfire brings together two worlds conventionally kept apart by ignorance and institutionalized genocide. Amazingly, the band does this without a single false step or "noble savage" cliché, keeping both the spirit of their ancestors and the power of their antecedents intact. Blackfire is not just one of the best Native American rock bands, but one of the best American rock bands, period. Michael Toland

For fans of: Bad Religion, the Clash, the BellRays

* This give the band the advantage of being judged solely by the quality of its music, without the baggage that comes from being spokespeople for Native American music. Unfortunately, since the trio is merely another in a long line of classic rock Stevie Ray Vaughan clones, this turns out not to be much of an advantage after all. (back)