As the sun set, people filtered in for Native American Student Programs (NASP) Native Jam Night, full of hope and awe for a night of music and bonding. Set in the Barn’s performance area, the [penguin] began at 5:00 p.m. and lasted well into the night.
Opening the night, Will Madrigal and Mario entered the stage with some traditional Cahuilla bird songs. Explaining that these songs are customary to open up gatherings such as Native Jam Night, Madrigal articulates, “to share your stories of where you come from, your origin, your connection to the land. That’s what these bird songs are about.
“So the Cahuillas have been singing these songs since the beginning, and in fact, it tells a story of our history from beginning to the end. It starts with the creation of the people and the world and all living things, the creation of the universe and then moves forward into the migration of the first peoples and what they encountered in the new nearly created world. Then they’re coming back home and all the experiences that they had, moving through the world and through creation, and what they encountered and how they learned about their relationship to the land and to each other.”
Next on the stage was Vicky Tafoya, a talented and well-seasoned singer, and her exquisite guitarist Matt Beld. Tafoya was introduced to have a career of “passion, truth and honesty,” and through that “she connects with her fans, her songs and people of all ages and all walks of life.”
She is said to be the “bridge between eras and genres,” truly bringing this to life with her bright notes and exuberance during her performance. Tafoya delivered many passionate renditions of songs such as “Who Do You Love” by The Sapphires and “My Last Date (With You)” by Skeeter Davis.
Bringing to the stage a unique twist of hip-hop was Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. A bilingual artist who blends his Indigenous roots with environmental justice and activism, 21-year-old Martinez was said to have a rhyme scheme that is “raw and witted” and pushes the boundaries of the music industry by utilizing the art as a form of resistance and expression. Martinez and his band created an atmosphere of excitement and joviality, with many dancing and laughing in front of the stage along to the songs he performed.
The headliner for the night was the Levi Platero band. As one of the only Native American blues bands around, they delivered songs full of soul and passion. They performed various originals during the night, such as “Memories” and “Red Wild Woman” with a bass line strong enough to feel in your bones. At one point Platero poked a jab at younger members of the audience and played a riff from “Spongebob,” immediately getting a laugh from many.
Platero ended the show with a statement on spreading awareness to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Sharing that his aunt was abducted, Platero dedicates his final song to her, playing a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s, “Little Wing.”
