Darren Geffre: Press

Very diverse artist with excellent production on disc!!

Excellent production, Darrens collaberation with Def Jeff pays off in a big way. The music style is one that can be appreciated by all music lovers. Great job!!!

5 out of 5 stars AMAZING! Better get this one!

This C.D. made me feel a better understanding, and even more at peace with myself. Never heard such beautiful music which stayed so true to the atrist and where they come frome... It made me feel the Native American touch, and this C.D. blows my mind! I'm buying several copies for my friends, because it must be shared! AWESOME!!!

Darren has an absolutely wonderful sound: soulful, melodic, and oh so sweet. I first met Darren at a small place in downtown Albuquerque; he took the stage and absolutely blew me, and everyone else in that place, away… he has a wonderful stage presence, is an incredibly likable person and scores about a billion on the Way Cool scale. Seriously, he is humble, great to talk to, and when he hits the stage… wow.

Showcase for Natives

Native Roots & Rhythms expands, attracting variety of artists

By Jan-Mikael Patterson
Navajo Times

(Special to the Times - Donovan Quintero)

A member of the Maori Performing Arts Group from New Zealand intimidates the crowd last Friday during the 13th Annual Native Roots & Rhythms show in Santa Fe.
SANTA FE, N.M., August 23, 2007

Traffic was heavy and the air a bit murky but as the sun settled, a breeze cooled the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater during the 13th Annual Native Roots and Rhythms Festival last Friday.

A large crowd filled the amphitheater on the campus of Santa Fe Indian School to see performances by indigenous musicians and poets from as far away as New Zealand.

The night began with an opening prayer by Kiowa powwow singers Sharon and Ralph Zotigh, followed by Indian school students in a spoken word performance.

Then Darren Geffre, Blackfeet, and his four-piece band livened up the still-growing audience with soft rock tunes. Geffre has several albums along with Native American Music Awards nominations to his credit.

The highlight of his show was the closing song, "Uncivilized," a slow, acoustic-charged ballad sung with a soulful voice.

Geffre's music and performance were enough to make one look inward and his lyrics offer a peaceful perspective on life. Geffre is an artist to remember.

Poet, musician, actor and Native rights activist John Trudell and his band Bad Dog took the stage next, preceded by the screening of a trailer from the 2006 documentary "Trudell."

The trailer included clips from some of his famous speeches as a leader of the American Indian Movement, and his roles in films like "Thunderheart" and "Smoke Signals."

Trudell, of mixed tribal heritage, grew up on and around the Santee Sioux Reservation and served as national AIM chairman for most of the 1970s.

As his band took the stage, Trudell emerged from the wings wearing dark sunglasses beneath a black baseball cap. As he grabbed the mike the audience responded with a standing ovation.

Touched, Trudell began reciting poetry to the accompaniment of his band playing rock 'n' roll and traditional Native music. His voice moved with emotion on various topics, peaking with a song about the children who become casualties in conflicts in Iraq, Sudan and Somalia.

Trudell didn't move around the stage much but his voice exuded commanding power, and the musical backdrop provided by Bad Dog made his poetic insights even more compelling.

Next to take the stage was Tamara Podemski, Ojibway, a singer originally from Toronto, now based in Los Angeles.

With a bright smile, Podemski lit up the stage visually as she danced and with powerful vocals.

Podemski sang music she composed in the Ojibway language. As she sang "Meegwetch," her voice carried its message of thanks to the Creator throughout the amphitheatre.

Other highlights of her performance included "Passage of Time" and "All My Relations," sung in English, Hebrew and Ojibway.

Like Trudell, Podemski is multi-talented. And like him, she drew a standing ovation from some in the audience who were moved by her rendition of Buffy St. Marie's "Universal Soldier."

Halfway into her performance, Podemski paused to talk about pop artist Pink and praised her for writing "Dear Mr. President," an emotional song reflecting the perspective of everyday people who would like to sit down with the president and have a conversation about his decision-making and how it affects the people of his country.

Podemski's energetic performance prompted many to leave their seats immediately afterward and seek out her merchandise booth where they bought her CDs.

She was followed by Amokura, a Maori troupe from New Zealand comprised of five men and four women garbed in traditional clothing and, in some cases, heavily tattooed in the custom of their people.

First the stage was cleared of instruments and six microphones were set in place. As the members of Amokura took the stage, they introduced themselves in a traditional ceremony and one member explained their songs, dances, clothing and ceremonial use of weapons.

Then the group performed a variety of dances that showcased their traditions and culture.

The highlight was the "haka," a war dance, in which the men use menacing facial expressions and thump their chests in a display of psychological warfare.

The women sang several songs, using their voices both to soothe and to intimidate. Like the men, they also leveled intimidating stares at the audience during war songs.

Several members of the audience joined the group onstage, much to the delight of other spectators who laughed and cheered them on.

Then the headliners took the stage - Navajo comedy duo James & Ernie.

The audience laughed as the duo joked about going from hosting Native Roots in 2004 to headlining the annual event this year.

"We hosted this a couple of years ago and we want to thank Emergence Productions for having us back," said James Junes.

"...We got promoted," quipped Ernie, aka Ernest David Tsosie III.

Filmmaker Shonie De La Rosa, who was in Santa Fe for a film festival, briefly interrupted their performance to present a plaque to them commemorating the release of their popular DVD, "James & Ernie-fied."

The new release includes bonus material such as a performance for an Indian Health Service video, and was produced by De La Rosa.

Native Roots & Rhythms was founded as a showcase for Native talent and has evolved into one of the Southwest's premier annual events with performers coming from all over North America.

Information: www.myspace.com/nativerootsandrhythms