Blackfire (band)
Encyclopedia
Blackfire is a Navajo
(Diné) traditionally-influenced, high-energy, politically-driven musical group composed of three siblings: two brothers and a sister. Their style comprises traditional Native American
, Punk-Rock and “Alter-Native” with strong sociopolitical messages about government oppression, relocation of indigenous people, ecocide
, genocide
, domestic violence
, and human rights
.
in the Navajo Nation
. Their mother was a folk singer, and their father, Jones Benally, was a traditional medicine man who raised them on traditional Native songs. Not surprisingly, their children followed suit and have been playing music since “their instruments were bigger than they were.” To this very day, Jones and his children perform as the Jones Benally Family, either as a part of or separately from Blackfire performances, which are always at all-ages venues, to display their “traditional form of dance, song and story that has been carried on from the beginning of time...including histories of ceremonys [sic], hunting, agriculture and the foundation of the Diné Culture.”
. In 1994, C.J. Ramone produced a 5-song EP
that became their debut album released on their label Tacoho Productions. It also included musical contributions by their father Jones and by renowned American Indian flutist Robert Tree Cody. Four years later, they released another EP, this time producing it on their own and only releasing three new songs instead of five. In 1999, they received a NAMA
nomination for Best Independent Release. Two years after that accomplishment, they embarked on a European tour, gaining more support along the way.
One Nation Under. Produced by Don Fleming
, producer for Sonic Youth
and Joan Jett
, and once again featuring their father doing traditional vocals, the album is described as “15 passionately burning songs of struggles, resistance, and hope.” The song "No Control" was used in the "New Mexico, Old Monster" episode of What's New, Scooby-Doo?
. It is also the last project that Joey Ramone
, who dubbed Blackfire’s music as “fireball punk-rock,” contributed to before he died due to lymphoma
. On the album, he provided additional voicing for the songs “What Do You See” and “Lying to Myself.” That same year, they won the NAMA Best Pop/Rock Album award. Fleming was also nominated for Best Producer. One Nation Under is available through Canyon Records
.
For the following 5 years, the sibling trio of Blackfire decided to do some interesting renditions of songs and traveled to some exotic places. In 2003, they journeyed to Essakne, Mali in northern Africa
. Their performance was included in the compilation album Festival in the Desert, alongside performances by local Tuareg musicians, African musicians like Ali Farka Toure
, and Robert Plant
of Led Zeppelin
. That same year their political activism attracted the attention of Nora Guthrie
, daughter of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie
(1912–1967). She allowed them to set music to some of his unreleased and unpublished lyrics. By next year, they released a two-track EP titled Woody Guthrie Singles. The songs on the EP are called “Mean Things Happenin’ in this World,” a protest song dealing with issues like wars waged for fortune and encroachment of rights by the federal government, and “Indian Corn Song,” a song about “political and big business corruption, the poor economy, and ends with a plea to feed the homeless and orphans.”
Two years later, they released their latest album [Silence] is a Weapon. As a dual-disc set featuring their usual brand of hardcore punk rock on one and Jones Benally Family Diné music on the other, it is truly a juxtaposed album that also shows a more comprehensive aspect of the band. “It is very separate [stylistically] but to us it is a whole concept that encompasses what our life is” says Jeneda, while Klee explains, “I think the traditional songs are maybe even more important for kids to hear than the rock songs, but they both speak of the same things – respect for the earth and society, remember your roots.” In 2008, [Silence] is a Weapon won NAMA’s Album of the Year and Ed Stasium
, the producer of the album, received the Native Heart Award that “recognizes significant contributions of non-Native folks to Native American music.”
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
(Diné) traditionally-influenced, high-energy, politically-driven musical group composed of three siblings: two brothers and a sister. Their style comprises traditional Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, Punk-Rock and “Alter-Native” with strong sociopolitical messages about government oppression, relocation of indigenous people, ecocide
Ecocide
The neologism ecocide can be used to refer to any large-scale destruction of the natural environment or over-consumption of critical non-renewable resources...
, genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
Beginnings (1989-1993)
Blackfire was founded in 1989 by Jeneda, Klee, and Clayson Benally, three siblings born in the heart of the land struggle at Black MesaBlack Mesa, Arizona
Black Mesa is an upland area in Navajo County, Arizona. In Navajo it is called and during Mexican rule of Arizona it was called Mesa de las Vacas . It derives its dark appearance from the numerous seams of coal which run through it...
in the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
. Their mother was a folk singer, and their father, Jones Benally, was a traditional medicine man who raised them on traditional Native songs. Not surprisingly, their children followed suit and have been playing music since “their instruments were bigger than they were.” To this very day, Jones and his children perform as the Jones Benally Family, either as a part of or separately from Blackfire performances, which are always at all-ages venues, to display their “traditional form of dance, song and story that has been carried on from the beginning of time...including histories of ceremonys [sic], hunting, agriculture and the foundation of the Diné Culture.”
Release of EPs (1994-2001)
Though they began performing in 1989, Blackfire did not record any of their music until their uniquely substantial and energetic music got the attention of punk rock godfathers The RamonesRamones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
. In 1994, C.J. Ramone produced a 5-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
that became their debut album released on their label Tacoho Productions. It also included musical contributions by their father Jones and by renowned American Indian flutist Robert Tree Cody. Four years later, they released another EP, this time producing it on their own and only releasing three new songs instead of five. In 1999, they received a NAMA
NAMA
NAMA may mean:* National Ayurvedic Medical Association, United States* NATO Airlift Management Agency* The British National association of Mathematics Advisers* Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting...
nomination for Best Independent Release. Two years after that accomplishment, they embarked on a European tour, gaining more support along the way.
One Nation Under and Woodie Guthrie Singles (2002-2003)
By the end of 2002, they released their first LPLP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
One Nation Under. Produced by Don Fleming
Don Fleming
Donald Denver "Don" Fleming was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League for three seasons in the early 1960s. Fleming played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the...
, producer for Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, and once again featuring their father doing traditional vocals, the album is described as “15 passionately burning songs of struggles, resistance, and hope.” The song "No Control" was used in the "New Mexico, Old Monster" episode of What's New, Scooby-Doo?
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
What's New, Scooby-Doo? is the ninth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, and a revival of the original show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It was the first time the franchise was revived in over a decade. The animated series was developed and produced by Warner Bros....
. It is also the last project that Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
, who dubbed Blackfire’s music as “fireball punk-rock,” contributed to before he died due to lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. On the album, he provided additional voicing for the songs “What Do You See” and “Lying to Myself.” That same year, they won the NAMA Best Pop/Rock Album award. Fleming was also nominated for Best Producer. One Nation Under is available through Canyon Records
Canyon Records
Canyon Records of Phoenix, Arizona has produced and distributed Native American music for 56 years. Canyon was founded in 1951 by Ray and Mary Boley, who had opened the first recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona Recording Productions, in 1948...
.
For the following 5 years, the sibling trio of Blackfire decided to do some interesting renditions of songs and traveled to some exotic places. In 2003, they journeyed to Essakne, Mali in northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Their performance was included in the compilation album Festival in the Desert, alongside performances by local Tuareg musicians, African musicians like Ali Farka Toure
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
, and Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. That same year their political activism attracted the attention of Nora Guthrie
Nora Guthrie
Nora Lee Guthrie is the daughter of American folk musician and singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie and his second wife Marjorie Guthrie, sister of singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie, and granddaughter of renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt...
, daughter of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
(1912–1967). She allowed them to set music to some of his unreleased and unpublished lyrics. By next year, they released a two-track EP titled Woody Guthrie Singles. The songs on the EP are called “Mean Things Happenin’ in this World,” a protest song dealing with issues like wars waged for fortune and encroachment of rights by the federal government, and “
Vans Warped Tour and [Silence] is a Weapon (2004-2008)
In 2005, their dual disk CD/DVD release Beyond Warped had not only their live tracks from the 2004 Vans Warped Tour, but also two covers of Ramones’ songs only previously on an Argentinean tribute album Todos Somos Ramones: “I Believe in Miracles” and “Planet Earth 1988.” They also won NAMA Group of the Year in 2005 for Woody Guthrie Singles.Two years later, they released their latest album [Silence] is a Weapon. As a dual-disc set featuring their usual brand of hardcore punk rock on one and Jones Benally Family Diné music on the other, it is truly a juxtaposed album that also shows a more comprehensive aspect of the band. “It is very separate [stylistically] but to us it is a whole concept that encompasses what our life is” says Jeneda, while Klee explains, “I think the traditional songs are maybe even more important for kids to hear than the rock songs, but they both speak of the same things – respect for the earth and society, remember your roots.” In 2008, [Silence] is a Weapon won NAMA’s Album of the Year and Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and engineer who has worked on albums by The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Smithereens and Living Colour.- History :Stasium first surfaced in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine, appearing on their sole LP Aged....
, the producer of the album, received the Native Heart Award that “recognizes significant contributions of non-Native folks to Native American music.”
Band members
- Klee BenallyKlee BenallyKlee Benally is the lead vocalist and guitarist of Navajo punk rock band Blackfire. Benally is also an activist, artist, silversmith, and filmmaker. He also performs traditional Navajo dances and is a champion fancy war dancer.-Background:...
– vocals, guitar (1989–present) - Jeneda BenallyJeneda BenallyJeneda Benally is the bassist and co-vocalist alongside her brothers in the Navajo punk rock band Blackfire. Besides her duties in the band, she is an activist for various causes...
– bass, vocals (1989–present) - Clayson Benally – percussion, vocals (1989–present)
Discography
- Blackfire (5-song E.P., 1994)
- Blackfire (3-song E.P., 1998)
- One Nation Under (2001–2002)
- Woody Guthrie Singles (2003).
- Blackfire – Beyond Warped: Live Music Series (CD/DVD, 2005)
- [Silence] Is A Weapon (2007)