subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Wed, Nov 25 2009 

Published: October 04, 2007 03:21 pm    print this story  

MUSIC: 'Nammy' awards honor American Indian music

By Kevin Purdy/purdyk@gnnewspaper.com
Greater Niagara Newspapers

If you go


• What: The ninth annual Native American Music Awards

• When: 8 p.m. Saturday

• Where: Seneca Niagara Hotel and Casino, Niagara Falls

• COST: $20 to $50. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and through the Eight Clans Gift Shop in the Seneca Niagara Casino.

• MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com.

Discover American Indian music


• Amazon.com, CDBaby.com: Kind of obvious picks, but both online retail stores offer user-created lists, recommendations (of the “People who liked this also bought ...” variety) and organized sections devoted to contemporary and traditional American Indian music.

• NativeAmericanMusicAwards.com: The official Web site of the “Nammys” provides full streaming songs, artist bios and links for everyone nominated and past winners.

• Record label sites: CanyonRecords.com, DrumGroups.com, SilverWave.com, TurtleIslandMusic.com and others can be a great starting point for finding out more about the independent native music scene.

• Internet radio stations: Sites like Yahoo! Music, Last.fm and Pandora can generate entire realms of play lists from typing in a single artist, but dedicated sites like GatheringOfNations.com and NativeRadio.com offer dedicated online radio, along with EarthSongs.net and Airos.org.

• Google (and Google Groups): Because of the grassroots nature of many American Indian bands, simply following a chain of links might be your best bet for any particular artist. Most native bands offer links to fellow acts.

If you only heard music through the mainstream media channels, you might only know American Indian music through one Grammy given out before the main awards and occasional background use in movies.

While they work in a multitude of genres — pop, jazz, traditional spirituals, Christian and nearly any other section you can find in a big record store — the artists whose heritage runs back farther than anyone else in the country can seldom find a place to have their music heard inside it.

Ellen Bello, a former big-label music marketer and now CEO of the Native American Music Awards, has been seeking to change that ever since she first saw American Indian musicians play a festival in New York City in 1991.

“These groups were so talented and sounded great, but they had no idea how to pursue music as a profession,” Bello said. “I took them on as clients, and once the word got out that there was an office helping native groups get heard, I had a steady stream coming into my office.”

By 1998, Bello, who helped produce the first Video Music Awards at MTV, had organized the first Native American Music Wards, shortened to NAMAs and called the “Nammys” by those in attendance.

The evolving world music scene and work in the realm of native music by popular musicians such as Robby Robertson had increased its exposure, but, to this day, music by natives remains a word-of-mouth affair, Bello said.

“It’s really pretty much a very independent, grassroots scene,” she said. “In a way it’s a good thing, as it’s still very independent and not driven by what sells ... but we’re always hoping we can reach more people.”

This year’s awards — held Saturday at Seneca Niagara Hotel and Casino — will honor American Indians working in roughly 30 music categories. Bill Miller, a Mohican native and Grammy winner who has toured with Tori Amos, Eddie Veder, Arlo Guthrie and others, will be honored with a lifetime achievement award.

Ed Koban, guitarist in NAMA-nominated band Tonemah and, along with Darryl Tonemah and LP Tonemah, a Tuscarora native, joined the band in 2001 after meeting the Tonemahs in coffeehouse performances.

The band gets many of its national performance gigs from speaking engagements by Darryl Tonemah, an administrator at the University of Oklahoma. They write about modern-day subjects, play modern instruments and record in Nashville with veteran session musicians.

“We’re not making songs about headdresses and life in the tee pee,” Koban said. “It’s 2007 on every reservation in the country ... we’re singing about the problems that natives face today, and Darryl writes about what he sees amongst the youth and elders in every tribe.”

Playing at this year’s “Nammys” means a chance to perform to a big audience in their hometown, Koban said, but also world-wide exposure through satellite broadcasting. Some native artists, including Pura Fe, find year-round work touring France, Germany and other European nations.

“I’m excited that the (NAMA awards) are even here,” Koban said. “We always watch from the seats, and it’ll be an honor to play for our fellow musicians.”

Bello noted that Seneca Niagara Casino’s heavy percentage of tribal members amongst casino staff makes the event a celebration of native accomplishments on many levels.

“We’ve had more cooperation from the Seneca than almost any other casino,” she said. “It’s making it much easier for us to bring this music to the stage and recognize the people who make it.”

Why not jump onto MySpace for the third time today and check out Night and Day. Don't be afraid to ask for a friend add — we're just as anxious to raise our count as you.

Contact reporter Kevin Purdy at 693-1000, ext. 107.



print this story  

Photos


None/ (Click for larger image)



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Featured Jobs

PHONE SALES
PHONE sales, great pay, exp. a plus, nice NT office, FT/PT, hrly. +, Pete or Mike, 694-1251...>MORE

Warehouse
Warehouse, Assembly
Production & Cleaning
1st, 2nd & 3rd shifts
Sanborn, Grand Island
Amherst & Tona
...>MORE

Hospitality/Tourism Instructor
Hospitality/Tourism. NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE is seeking applications for part-time instructor to teach hospita...>MORE

Marriage Counselor
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
   
...>MORE

Driver
DRIVERS – CDL A
TEAM DRIVERS NEEDED FOR
DEDICATED RUNS
No touch freight............Good miles
...>MORE

Grill Cook
GRILL COOK & Waitresses, exp only, full time. Apply within 2021 Main St. Nia Falls ...>MORE

MST Therapists
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
MST
...>MORE

FOREMAN & LABORERS
Basement Waterproofing co. needs a foreman & laborers for expanding business, exp. w/interior drain tile a plus, 471-723...>MORE

Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Practitioner, Family or Geriatric  Per diem visits, to complete an assessment form with a home visit.   $40. per v...>MORE

DRIVER
Driver, light pick up & delivery, need own car, know WNY, valid NYS driver lic., good pay 694-1251...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Nissan 1993 4x4
NISSAN 1993 4x4, extended cab, bedliner cap, $1200 or best offer, 715-2450...>MORE

Chevy 1995 Pickup
CHEVY 1995 Pickup truck, 4WD, 5 speed, must see, never had plow on it, $2800 bo, 804-5579...>MORE

Ford 1999 Windstar
FORD 1999 WIndstar, LX, fully loaded, 38k miles, $3850. Excellent condition 860-4747...>MORE

Chevy 1994 High Topper Van
CHEVY 1994 High topper van, high road miles, mechanically sound, $900 or bo, 716-510-8105...>MORE

1999 Dodge Caravan
DODGE 1999 Caravan, 33, V6, auto, A/C, 99k miles, good cond., runs great. $1950. 525-7796...>MORE

Monte Carlo Z24 1998
MONTE CARLO Z24, 1998, runs good, average miles, excellent shape, $1800 , 990-2303...>MORE

1996 Ford Escort
FORD 1996 Escort 4 cyl, 2 dr, exc cond in & out, no rust, 1 owner, only 61k orig mi, $2195. 523-7102...>MORE

Yamaha 1982, 750
YAMAHA 1982, 750, runs perfect,
low mileage, $895.
716-525-2889
...>MORE

1996 Saturn Sport Coup
SATURN 1996 Sport coup, 4 cyl, auto, exc cond in & out, loaded, CD, no rust, 97k orig. mi, $2195. 523-7102....>MORE

1984 Cadillac Eldorado
CADILLAC Eldorado 1984, runs, inspected, $500. 283-3552....>MORE

See all ads





 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index