The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 02:58 AM PDT

Just had another one of those moments when one small thing leads to another and the next thing you know I find myself discovering a band's entire catalogue. This time it kicked off with my reading Tintin In America to my second son Ekath. At some point that familiar question on the difference between my sort of Indian and Native Americans cropped up and I decided it was time for my three children were to sit through my extended DVD copy of Dances With Wolves, which is still among my favourite movies of all time. Needless to say there was a little "fast-forwarding" required.

Flush with inspiration I began another round of investigating the likes of the Comanche, Sioux, Apache, Navajo, etc and their vast nation that was destroyed by the avarice of settlers from Europe. Thus figures like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Tecumseh and Pocahontas have become footnotes in the history of modern United States.

At some point I then recalled the curious case of the Native American band Redbone. Named after a pejorative Cajun term for half-breed, the group flourished in the early to mid 1970s with an astute blend of creativity and commercial appeal.

I have to admit I was amused that the main duo brothers Lolly (vocals/guitar) and Pat Vasquez (vocals/bass) initially focused on the Mexican side of their ancestry. As Pat and Lolly Vegas, they were known in the mid 1960s for their exuberant covers of tunes like La Bamba. However they were versatile enough to play as sidemen to the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, jam with the Rolling Stones and be regulars on the popular TV show Shindig.

Encouraged (it is claimed) by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Bobby Womack, they formed a group that emphasised their Yaqui Indian heritage. The brothers were joined by guitarist Tony Bellamy and the Cheyenne drummer Peter DePoe (also known as Last Walking Bear).

Redbone kicked off in fine fashion. Their self-titled debut was a double album full of soulful funk jams that weren't a million miles away from what Santana was doing at the time. Highlights included Suite Mode and Prehistoric Rhythm. In 1970 they performed to massive crowds at the Earth Day concert in Philadelphia. Arguably the most popular tune was Red And Blue, a Lolly Vasquez anthem lamenting the destruction of the natural environment.

This established the formula for a Redbone record. Their next effort Potlach contained radio-friendly material such as Maggie (about a dead prostitute) and the gentle ballad Who Can Say, as well as the biting Judgement Day and Chant 13th Hour which was a winning combo of funk with a traditional tribal chants. Stylistically each of the musicians began to get recognition for their innovations, with DePoe's drumming and Bellamy's guitar sounds being vital elements in the mix.

And so it continued. The third album Message From A Drum had another hit called Witch Queen Of New Orleans which narrowly missed the Billboard Top 20, while Redbone's politically charged single We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee (about an 1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux by the US Army) was a chart-topper in parts of Europe but was banned by radio stations in the US.

Surprisingly in 1974, Redbone followed this disappointment with a monster hit. The playful tune Come And Get Your Love was in some ways a precursor to the disco sound that would soon become massive. Pat and Lolly's call and response vocals and slinky bass were simply impossible to resist. I'm ashamed to say I first heard this great song through an obnoxious 1990s dance version by The Real McCoy but the original Redbone version is awesome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vUOg3Y7ve4). It was not uncommon for the band to segue effortlessly from a traditional dance performed by Bellamy to a smooth Top 40 number. By this time DePoe had departed to be replaced by Butch Rillera.

Unfortunately the next two albums Beaded Dreams Through Turquoise Eyes (1974) and Cycles (1977) failed to build on Redbone's new audience and the failure to find that elusive follow-up hit led to the Redbone's disbanding.

Still the band continued on and off touring heavily in both the late 1980s and the early part of the 2000s. Their single Custer Had It Coming (featured on the last Redbone album, 2005's One World) proved that Redbone has lost little of its fire.

Sadly in the last couple of years both Lolly Vasquez and Tony Bellamy have passed away, almost certainly bringing the story of Redbone to an end.

■ Martin Vengadesan, a music lover and history buff, combines his two passions in his fortnightly column. If you have any interesting stories you want him to research, do drop him a line.

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Lady Gaga sings 'Born This Way' at Rome gay rally

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 08:36 PM PDT

ROME (AP): Lady Gaga sang a few bars of her smash hit "Born This Way" and demanded the end of discrimination against gays as she proclaimed herself a "child of diversity" at a gay pride rally Saturday night in the ancient Circus Maximus.

The star, whose "Born This Way" album recently topped 1 million sales in a week, delighted tens of thousands of people at a brief concert in the vast field where the ancient Roman masses would gather for spectacles.

Wearing a green wig, she played the piano and sang a few numbers. But she devoted much of her appearance after an annual European gay pride parade to denounce intolerance and discrimination against gays and transgender people. Among the places she cited was the Middle East, Poland, Russia and Lithuania.

Lady Gaga told the crowd she is often asked "How gay are you, Lady Gaga?" "My answer is: 'I am a child of diversity."' She also proudly cited her Italian roots - saying she was really named Stefania Giovanna Angelina Germanotta.

And she told fans her costume - a sleek black top with one bare shoulder and billowing plaid skirt - were from the last collection of Gianni Versace.

Decrying intolerance of homosexuality, Lady Gaga lamented that young people who are gay are susceptible to "suicide, self-loathing, isolation."

Many in the crowd had participated in an hours-long parade of colorful floats and brightly costumed marchers through Rome's historic center before the rally. The events were part of the annual Europride day to encourage gay rights on the continent.

Lady Gaga praised her audience for its "great courage" which she says inspires her. Europride organisers hope the event will draw attention to discrimination gays face in many parts of the world. The U.S. ambassador was among those who invited Lady Gaga to Rome.

"I am so honored to be here," Lady Gaga said, recalling how, earlier in the day, she lay naked in silk sheets in her hotel room and enjoyed the din of adoring fans and packs of photographers in the street below.

Organisers said Rome was a significant choice of venue, since it is home to the Vatican, which staunchly opposes legislation that would recognize same-sex marriage or adoption by gay couples.

Others hoped the turnout would send a message to Premier Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian leader dogged by a sex scandal involving an alleged 17-year-old Moroccan prostitute.

The billionaire media mogul triggered outrage from gay rights groups last fall when he contended during a public appearance that it was "better to be passionate about a beautiful girl than a gay."

Berlusconi's equal opportunity minister, a woman, defended the premier, saying he had just been joking and had no intention of offending gays. A government undersecretary further provoked protests when she said she was sure "all Italian parents hope to have heterosexual children."

The premier, who is on trial in Milan for allegedly paying the teenager for sex and then using his office to try to cover it up, has denied any wrongdoing.

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 12 Jun 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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