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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Pittsburgh Tribune Review called them "nothing short of breathtaking." They have been acclaimed by critics nationwide for their ability to turn hesitant audiences into instant fans. "There is a charisma to the music that draws sedate audiences to their feet," writes Unlimited Magazine, "and pushes wild audiences over the brink." They are Indigenous, the blues-influenced rock-and-roll band that has been mesmerizing crowds nation-wide, and will perform Saturday, October 21, at 8 p.m., in the Cherokee Heritage Center's Tsa La Gi Amphitheater. Since they stormed onto the national music scene in 1998 with their first top-level professionally produced album, Things We Do, Indigenous has opened for Bob Dylan and B.B. King, and has performed with Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Lang, Keb Mo, Chris Duarte, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Of his opening act, blues-legend King says, "Indigenous is someone America and the world should hear."

The band is composed of four family members—guitarist Mato Nanji, bassist Pte, drummer Wanbdi, and percussionist Horse. Mato, Pte, and Wanbdi are siblings; Horse is their cousin. The Nakota Nation tribal members were converted to the blues and rock-and-roll early by their father, Greg Zephier. While he is perhaps best known for his art and as a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Zephier was himself a member of a blues-rock band called the Vanishing Americans during the ‘60s and ‘70s. His records, particularly those of Jimi Hendrix, the three Kings (Albert, B.B., and Freddie), and Carlos Santana, were pivotal early influences on Indigenous’ musical aesthetic. "We drew inspiration from that music," Mato says, "and decided to make music ourselves."

By the time they were in their early teens, the band was essentially formed. They recorded their debut album, Blues this Morning, and began touring. Soon after, Amy Ray of Indigo Girls fame approached Indigenous to solicit a track for her upcoming compilation, Honor the Earth. Within no time they had signed with Pachyderm Records. Their unique combination of classic blues styles, occasional Latin-influenced beats, and Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired guitar riffs, give their music a personality distinctly different from much of today’s blues. "Now That You’re Gone," from Things We Do, charted at No. 8 on the Billboard Top 20 rock radio tracks lists, making Indigenous the first Native American group to score in the magazine’s Top 10. Indigenous has also appeared on numerous late-night programs, like Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as well as many morning news programs. Even more impressively, Things We Do has sold nearly 125,000 copies since its release two years ago. In May of this year, within days of their fifth album, Circle’s, release, Indigenous performed here in Oklahoma, at the Tulsa Blues Festival, to rave reviews.

Much of the praise lavished upon the band results from Nanji’s guitar playing. He electrifies audiences with his powerful, aggressive guitar. Jeff Johnson of the Chicago Sun Times, reports of Indigenous’ Chicago performance, "Nanji’s flying fingers seem to be doing a ghost dance with Vaughan above the 12th fret of his guitar, but Nanji is touched by a greatness that knows no direct forefather. At the two-hour mark in the show, Indigenous closed with an encore of ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" that did Hendrix proud. While countless aspiring guitarists have walked this high wire, Nanji does it with a flair that sets him above the rest."

Tickets are $25 for seats, and $20 for concrete bleachers. For information, or to purchase tickets, please call the Cherokee Heritage Center at (918) 456-6007 or toll free (888) 999-6007. The amphitheater program is generously sponsored by First Nations, the McCasland Foundation, Northeastern State University’s Sequoyah Institute, and the USDA Forest Service.

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Related path(s) and contact information: Mike Miller, CN Director of Communications Phone: (918) 456-0671 (ext. 2210) Fax: (918) 458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org The Cherokee Heritage Center P.O. Box 515; Tahlequah, OK 74465 Phone: 918-456-6007 ~ FAX: 918-456-6165 E-Mail: info@cherokeeheritage.org "Operated by the Cherokee National Historical Society, located three miles south of Tahlequah, on the original site of the Cherokee Female Seminary." Related paths: * Indigenous * Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

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