Indigenous Comic Con 2016 - Rock Is Red #25

As a child who attended pow wows and various Indian-themed conferences thanks to my mother working for the NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS (NCAI), I would often retreat into fantasy and play with my STAR WARS action figures with some of the other children while the adults did their thing. Now, at the age of 41, I have attended the first ever INDIGENOUS COMIC CON at the HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER in Albuquerque, NM and to call the experience "surreal" was an understatement. It had all of the elements of a pow-wow, an Indian art show, a conference and sci-fi convention complete with cosplayers. It was the childhood pow wow experience complete with droids, DARTH VADER and some storm troopers. No event with COMIC CON in it's title would be be complete without any of these elements, but this one was different. This event was all about Native people creating imagery and stories that define them as people. One of those people is ARIGON STARR - the creator of SUPER INDIAN - whom ROCK IS RED has profiled previously. At this event we also got to meet Mdewakanton Sioux writer Z.M. THOMAS - the owner of TREPIDATION COMICS and creator of SIOUX FALLS - a steampunk comic inspired by the DAKOTA UPRISING of 1862. Since iconography is essential in comic art the subject of mascots and taking charge of the imagery that defines us as native people made all the sense in the world to be included in this event and the presence and wisdom of SUZAN HARJO was most welcomed. Accompanying HARJO were Standing Rock Sioux filmmakers JOHN and KEN LITTLE to discuss their upcoming film MORE THAN A WORD: MASCOTS AND POP CULTURE REPRESENTATION.  

CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred25.mp3

Rockwired Radio Profiles #596 - Throw The Temple

We'll be honest. While our publication is based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico there is very little here musically that has us terribly excited. Being a largely hard rock and heavy metal publication we are at odds with some of the more hipster-y local acts that are favored by some of the local alternative press in the city where BUGS BUNNY often neglected to make that left turn. We first became acquainted with THROW THE TEMPLE back in 2012 and ROCKWIRED RADIO PROFILES spun a demo recording of theirs which showed promise but was far from earth shaking. Now, the band has released their album NO WAY BUT DOWN and despite the title things are looking up. Tracked and mixed by JIMMY J MEDINA of EVILESQUE RECORDS, NO WAY BUT DOWN embraces a nineties rock sensibility where riffs and earnest vocals (provided by front man GABRIEL GAMBINO) rule the day as opposed to flashy soundbites but don't expect this album to come off as a mere nostalgia trip. It is a tasteful offering from a Duke City band that is ready to take their music and other such matters beyond the Land of Entrapment. Needless to say, these guys have renewed our faith in all that is possible in our surrounding local music scene.

CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles596.mp3