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September 24, 2003

MEET YOU IN HOOPA!-- Arigon's Long-Awaited Return To Northern California begins this FRIDAY!

Kirby Kemble (Arigon's Ponca Cousin) says to never let Frybread go to waste. And who are WE to argue? AAAY!

Well, break out the frybread and the salmon, because Miss Arigon Starr is on her way up to Hoopa Valley, Humboldt State University, Arcata and the Table Bluff Reservation in Loleta. She is planning on stopping by the area radio stations, including KMUD 91.1FM in Redway, KHSU 90.5 FM at Humboldt State and the mighty KIDE 91.3 FM in Hoopa, CA.

Those of you lucky enough to be celebrating California's American Indian Day (Friday, September 26) will be treated to a free performance at the Hoopa Valley High School at 11:30 AM, followed by another performance at the Hoopa Elementary School. Those shows are for mainly students, but I'm sure if you're actually in the area, they might let you sneak into the gym.

The American Indian students at Humboldt State University are really excited about Arigon performing especially for them -- especially Clifford Held, who we have on good authority is HSU's Number One Arigon Starr fan. You can also catch her on Friday at the Muddy Waters Coffee Company with Trinidad GoodShield -- and on Saturday at the Hoopa Indian Tribe's benefit for their library, "Chalk It Up For Books," and at the Table Bluff Community Center.

All the venue information is listed on the Diva Live page -- and we appreciate y'all coming out and supporting Arigon. She has some dynamite new material and will be peforming your old favorites as well.

HEADS-UP! IT'S NAMMY TIME AGAIN! -- The wait is almost over. The Native American Music Association has announced that the SIXTH ANNUAL NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS will be happening on Saturday, November 15th in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Isleta Casino. BACKFLIP is definitely in contention. Watch this space for an announcement of final nominations. As you know, Arigon was a previous winner for BEST INDEPENDENT RECORDING for MEET THE DIVA and BEST SONG/SINGLE for "Junior Frybread." Let's hope lightning will strike a third time! The public is definitely invited to vote (online and by paper ballot) -- so let's have a good show for the Diva! [That's Arigon with pal Jim Boyd -- who is also nominated this year!!]

September 16, 2003

BACKFLIP CONTINUES TO ROCK! -- Elders, Aunts, Cousins, Rock n' Rollers, Native Authors, Actors and Hillbillies agree -- Arigon has got it going ON!

This lovely lady is Arigon's Aunt Lucy Kemble. Mrs. Kemble is the youngest of 17 children -- the youngest half-sister of Arigon's grandpa, David Cornell. She is also the matriarch of one of the finest families in Ponca country. She has four excellent children, including daughters Teri and Sue.

Both of her sons (Kirby and Jim) sing in the world-famous drum group YELLOWHAMMER. Yellowhammer has performed all over the U.S. -- and was even named the Best Southern Drum Group at that big ol' Pow-Wow known as Schmetizun. Impressive! You can find their most recent CD, LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA on Amazon.com.

Aunt Lucy and the Kemble clan are also Diva Fans. "I had a funny thing happen while I was hanging out with my Ponca cousins," laughed Arigon. While I was in Oklahoma, I drove over to Ponca City with my Aunt Susie and cousin Janene to see what they told me was a 'real' pow-wow. The Ponca Pow-Wow has been going on for 123 years now, and yep -- it was pretty real. The Kemble family had put together a huge feed, including everyone's favorite -- FRYBREAD. Imagine this if you can -- a big laundry basket, lined with aluminum foil and filled to the brim with frybread. That whole basket was probably only one serving for Junior Frybread! AAAAY!"

"Well, we all ate -- but didn't even seem to make a dent in the fixin's, then got set for the evening's Grand Entry. Unfortunately, right as they started coming into the outdoor arena, the rain started falling real hard. You kinda felt bad for the dancers wearing their best moccasins and regalia. We took cover -- and ended up driving over to the Kaw Casino for a little nickel slot action. One of the gals with us was still wearing her pow-wow make-up, which included some really cool eye shadow and liner. I was having fun, minding my own business when I was approached by another lady -- a non-Indian lady. She looked really sweet and certainly didn't mean any harm -- but man, it was odd. She asked, in a thick Oklahoma drawl -- 'Y'all just come from the pow-wow? I got some questions fer ya. Like, why do those ladies paint their faces like that? And, why do those women wrap themselves up in blankets, then stand in the center of the arena and yell? Whut does it all MEAN???' I was totally flabbergasted! I didn't even know what to say to her.Questions like that are so typical. Actually, I think my Cherokee cousin Debra Johnson had the best comeback -- 'Well, what does it mean when y'all go to football games and say WOO-HOO?' To think someone trusted me to be an expert on Indians and pow-wows! AAAY! It sure is different in Oklahoma!"

"THE INDOLENT BOYS" TRIUMPHS IN LOS ANGELES! -- What an incredible show! For those of you who were in the audience for the performances of N. Scott Momaday's "The Indolent Boys," you know how funny, moving and poignant it was. Arigon played the part of Mother Goodeye, a Kiowa storyteller who provides the "Indian" perspective of the story of three boys who run away from The Kiowa Boarding School. She also made quite the splash by performing with the Wells Fargo Radio Theater band, reworking the song "My Heart Is On The Ground" to reflect the show's story. "It was a big thrill to play with those guys (Rick Cuhna, Rey Ortega, Scott Breadman and Simeon Pillich). The instrumentation was very different from how I did the song on "Wind-Up." Rey Ortega makes his own bamboo flutes -- and Rick did the most awesome acoustic slide guitar work on this. Sweet!" By the way, Arigon has finally given her Ovation a name -- Sandra Horse suggested she christen it JOHNNY, in honor of Mister Johnny Cash. We think the name will stick. [That's Arigon with "Johnny" at the KYNR-AM radio station in Toppenish, WA.]

IF YOU AREN'T CHECKING OUT SLEWFOOT CENTRAL OR THE MAIN BR549 MESSAGE BOARD -- YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON SOME GOOD DIVA STUFF!

You all know what fans BR549 are of the Diva -- but the Diva gives as good as she gets. Recently, she posted a note about a conversation she had with her friend Mackenzi Johnson:

I was in New Orleans last weekend. While sippin' an icy beverage at the famous Pat O'Brien's on the patio -- there was this waiter who looked like Chuck's younger brother. Same goofy blonde hair, eyes, smile.....down to the Bob Redford dimples. Okay, so he's in the Pat O's uniform, comes over to our table and asks what we want next. Well...of course we HAD to order something from him. AND....I swear, he sounded like he came straight from Lawrence. "Yes, MA'AM," he said, scuttling off for another tall, frosty one.

I told Mackenzi about this -- and she said, "You know, it probably WAS Chuck. He commutes to New Orleans from Nashville on a Segway."

So....if the Cracker Barrel sponsorship doesn't work out -- I have a new one for you.

BR549 -- Brought to YOU by SEGWAY.

Can't you picture it on all the merchandise.....on the CD cover. Kind of like when Devo did those ads for that Honda Scooter thing back in the day.I was flipping channels this morning and saw a promo for "Ellen" -- and there she was....riding a SEGWAY.

Stranger things have happened."

There's a link straight through to SLEWFOOT CENTRAL ("Slewfoot" is from the song "Ole Slewfoot," which is on BR's debut CD "Live At Roberts". Arigon chose that as her "alias" on the board.) Arigon came up with this "actual photo" of guitarist Chuck Mead, commuting from Nashville to New Orleans on a Segway. We're telling you -- Segways are the wave of the future. You heard it hear first!

September 10, 2003

JOIN US AT THE AUTRY FOR "THE INDOLENT BOYS"! -- Arigon has another choice acting role in the N. Scott Momaday radio drama

As most of you already know, Arigon is part of the incredible cast of N. Scott Momaday's play, "The Indolent Boys," which has two performances on Saturday, September 13th at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Ticket prices for the 4:00 PM matinee are $35/Museum members $25 and at the 8:00 PM Benefit performance all tickets are $100. The gala benefits Momaday's Buffalo Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping preserve Native culture. Also featured in the play are Michael Horse (who starred in "The Buz'Gem Blues" as Arigon's "snag!" AAAY!), Edward Albert, John Aniston, Sandra Horse, Tamara Krinsky and Zahn McClarnon. Michael is also co-directing the piece with Lori Tubert.

We'll have more news for you shortly -- as soon as that Diva gets her photos developed. She's been traveling all over the midwest the past few weeks and has lots of great stories to tell. Here's another shop from Light Eyes Crafts in Tahlequah, with Arigon and her Cornell cousins. Those Cornells sure love to cut up!