May 21, 2024 • 34 mins
Tiana Spotted Thunder, an Oglala Lakota musician, shares the rich tapestry of sound that weaves traditional powwow rhythms with the contemporary beats of hip-hop and R&B. Her voice, a conduit for heritage and healing, shares the complexities of her musical journey, revealing the personal joys and challenges she faces in the studio. Tiana's artistry is a surprising kaleidoscope, as she confesses her love for genres as diverse as grunge and alternative rock, which color her creative expression.
The music Tiana crafts bears the weight of memory, the lightness of hope, and the colors of our deepest emotions. In a heartfelt discussion with Talon Ducheneaux (Cheyenne River Lakota), Program Manager of the Wicahpi Olowan Music Program and Studio, we uncover the sacred art of songwriting as a tribute to those who have danced ahead to the spirit world. Talon's conversation with Tiana delves into the intricacies of composing in Lakota, the language of her ancestors, and the delicate dance of self-accompaniment.
Learn more about the First Peoples Fund - Wicahpi Olowan Music Program and Studio at https://bit.ly/WicahpiOlowan
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
First Peoples Fund presents the Collective Spirit
Podcast.
The Collective Spirit moveseach of us to stand up and make
a difference, to pass onancestral knowledge and simply
extend a hand of generosity.
The Collective Spirit Podcastfeatures Native artists and
culture bearers who discuss thepower of indigenous art and
(00:25):
culture.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
This is a special edition from the Wichakwila
music program, part of theOglala Lakota Art Space and
First Peoples Fund, as well as aprogram partner with Playing
for Change Foundation.
Throughout the year, we gathereach month to celebrate and talk
to one musician who has eitherutilized the studio, performed
on our garage stage or in someway, shape or form, has
participated in the we Chalk Bea Loam music program.
(00:54):
Today, we speak with TianaSpotted Thunder, oglala Lakota,
from Rapid City, south Dakota.
In this conversation, she talksabout music, her inspirations,
her aspirations and all of theamazing work that she does with
music.
These special editions of theCollective Spirit podcast are
available to attend as a liveevent, so be sure to check our
firstpeoplesfundorg website formore information on when you can
(01:17):
attend our next monthly musicmixer.
How, madakia pi, we are here atthe Oglala Lakota Artspace.
Name is Talon Bazil Dushino.
I am the program manager forthe we Chalk the Olawa music
program and I'm excited tointroduce you all be it in
person with our small liveaudience or online digitally
(01:41):
listening to this later on inthe future our monthly music
mixer.
This program is intended to notonly showcase the artist in a
performance light, but more so,in the music itself and
providing the artist anopportunity to talk about that,
talk about the process, talkabout the spirituality behind it
(02:03):
, talk about the stories behindit.
There's so much within musicthat can be expounded upon, so
this is just kind of ouropportunity to share that but
then also hopefully allow you,the listener, the audience, to
get to know a little bit moredeeply different artists who you
may be listening to.
(02:24):
And today we're really, reallyexcited to kick off our first
one with one of our teachingartists for the music program,
tiana Spotted Thunder.
Tiana welcome.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Thank you, I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We're glad to have you.
For those of you who don't know, tiana also hosts a bi-weekly
we Chag Lata circle here in OLAhosts a bi-weekly we Chag Latta
circle here in OLA and alsoanother staggered bi-weekly we
Chag Latta circle over at RapidCity.
(02:56):
Today we are covering some ofher own performance and song and
things that she does outside ofthe program and also through
the program, as she's been usingthe studio and recording.
So we're really excited to haveher here and get into that
conversation.
Tiana, what's your experiencebeen like with, like, I don't
want to categorize it ascontemporary genres, but those
like hip hop, those R&B genres?
(03:17):
You know, what's yourexperience been with that as,
like someone who does a lot moresinging based material but who
has recently been, you know,kind of diving in those waters,
of collaborating with hip hopartists here and there?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Well, I do have a little bit of prior experience
singing, being featured on songs.
I used to just collaborate witha few local artists back in the
day, with a few friends and andthey decided to, you know,
curate a little spot for me tothrow in some vocals here and
(03:53):
there, some lyrics.
They said, well, work yourmagic.
And you know, I kind of missedthat because I was doing stuff
like that and then I, just outof nowhere, you know, full-on
powwow mode for dona years and Iwas like, you know, I need to
get back into it.
So, yeah, I mentioned it to TJ.
I mean, um, terrence, I knownhim as TJ a long time ago.
(04:16):
Um, terrence and Stella and Iand, uh, you as well, santi, and
you know, as we have our talks,you know, I thought I should
get back into it and, yeah, Iwas really scared because I
thought, you know, I don't knowif I'm musically inclined enough
or you know what if it's justnot there anymore, what if that
(04:37):
voice is just gone?
And as I've been, you know,experimenting around with my
vocals, stella has been such agreat support and cheerleader
for me and really like gassingme up, hyping me up and helping
me to feel motivated to get backinto it.
(04:57):
So really excited to work witheverybody on the team,
collaborate together on somesongs and and uh see what we can
make happen.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, I think even just inyour like vocalizations, you
know you'd put that uh, me andStantee have a song um called
the struggle is real, and youput vocals on that before we
even put our vocals on it.
But the funny thing was we wentto a completely different
(05:27):
studio and, um, like uh, wedidn't get to hear your vocals
before we even laid that on.
So it was kind of like, youknow, jump in the air, like, oh,
you know, let's hope it allmatches up the patterns you know
fit.
And uh got back this week andwe put the vocals on and yeah
it's like perfect, the world onyour back, god, the world on
(06:12):
your back.
(06:35):
You know there, I think, withany artists diving into any
genre, you know audiences ingeneral.
They they're surprised when youknow a pop artist really likes
heavy metal or when a heavymetal artist really really likes
EDM, or you know things likethat.
Do you ever face that in yourkind of practice?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Oh yeah.
So I just had this thing.
I thought you know you look atme and you look at how I do my
music and you know you listen tomy music.
You wouldn't even think that Ijust have this soft spot in my
heart for grunge and alternativerock.
Reach into your core and pullout things that you never even
(07:27):
dealt with before.
It can help you to feel thingsthat you you don't want to feel.
But you're just facing, facingthe truth.
You know, with, like, let's say,queens of the Stone Age or, um,
sunny Day Real Estate, you kindof get that that real sad,
overwhelming feeling like youdidn't even know you had and
it's.
It's almost like, hey, you know, uh, it's therapy because you
(07:51):
have, um, something that you, uh, you now feel that maybe was
pushed down in in somewhere,somewhere in your mind and and
you found something thatresonates with, with that pain.
Honestly, um, when you take alook at me, you wouldn't think
so.
You wouldn't think I wouldresonate so much with, with that
(08:12):
music.
I used to actually uh kind ofaddress the emo type or goth
type in high school and, um,just always had, just always had
that love for, for rock andgrunge and emo music.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So, yeah, yeah, that's really cool to hear about
.
I feel like we all kind of havethose different pockets of our
ears where we just kind of hitwhere people don't expect, so
that's really cool to hear about.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, I think too, you know, like you talk about
all of these different emotionsand atmospheres and it's like
it's not, it's not specific tojust one person's life, like
everybody has felt that emotion,and it's just we kind of
(09:05):
experience them different, wefeel them different, we reflect
on them different, we feel themdifferent, we reflect on them
different when I first startedlearning about round dance, I
actually uh, didn't know thatround dance was kind of a
(09:28):
ceremony for those healing froma loss or, you know, going
through grief, those who are inmourning or wanted to pay
respects to a loved one and havea memorial for that person, and
I thought what a perfect ideato have a round dance song to
remember that loved one thatpassed on.
(09:49):
One of the metaphors I heard isthat you'll feel it when it
rains and you'll feel thatpresence.
So that's what inspired thissong and hoping that it
resonates with those who are inmourning and love round dance
(10:12):
music.
So that's kind of where thesong came from that's cool.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
So for those listening along, that was in the
sky by tiana spotted thunder.
Um, tiana is our artist featureof the month for the monthly
music mixer of the month for themonthly music mixer and, uh,
yeah, I really like theproduction behind that, the
hearing.
You explain the meaning betweenyou know the, the rain and the
(10:38):
clouds and everything in the sky.
Um, that background going intoit, that's really helpful.
Uh, was it always kind of inyour mind to add the, the
rainstorm sounds in there andeverything, or was that more of
like after you recorded it?
Speaker 3 (10:54):
It was spontaneously added, just sitting there with
my producer at the time, aaronWilliams.
He's a Shichenghu DJ in RapidCity, but yeah, we were just
sitting there vibing listeningto it, so that I just seen him
going somehow on his computerand then somehow that that rain
(11:17):
got added in.
I was like that sounds cool,you should keep that.
Then you know that's kind ofhow how that came about.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah I like how he had the the thunder sounds in
there too, and keeping the basswithin.
We're listening to this on HS8sand if you're listening to this
on your own, I highly suggestsome form of headphones or
something, because the bass inthat really evens out everything
, because you're hitting thosehigh frequencies with your voice
(11:46):
too, so really solid.
What's it like looking back ona work that's, you know, this
far back over a decade?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
I just think about how my voice has progressed, my
songwriting style has definitelyprogressed since then and
morphed into something you know,more mature and, um, and I
think about those those juvenilefeelings that I had before.
I've actually experienced somuch and learned so much, um,
(12:16):
you know, from going out in theworld and and all that
experience, uh, from then on,you know, would definitely
change my life.
But I I like going back to thisand thinking about all of that,
that that novice feeling andthat that young, that young
(12:38):
feeling, fresh mind, and thateagerness that I had to make
songs, even though I wouldn'tknow if they would be good or
not.
I didn't really care if theywould be good or not, I was just
happy that I had that abilityto do that at the time.
So I got my start of singingthrough my late father.
(13:07):
He encouraged me by playingsongs and saying you should sing
like this and other ladysingers that would sing, they
say you should sing with them,and he would record on my tape
recorder and give me the tapeand it would have prayer songs
and stuff.
(13:27):
And I didn't think I would everbe, you know, without my dad,
but as he was about to pass away.
I started singing and from thatcame this song I wanted to make
for him and so I made it and Igot my lyrics down and I
(13:52):
practiced and practiced it andthen I got to sing it to him and
when I, when I sing it to him,he's like that's a nice song, I
like it.
I said you do you like it?
Do you do you want it to yoursong?
Do you have a song yet?
And he's like you know, I hadone made for me a long time ago
(14:12):
but yeah, I like it.
And then, yeah, it couldn't bemy song.
And so I made it just kind ofabout how he lived and the way
that he walked his life and howhe would walk into the next life
(14:33):
and it is a beautifultransition just to be between
two worlds like that and how Igot to witness that for him.
And I was excited, and I wasexcited.
(14:58):
I was excited that he was goingto be able to walk forward with
no pain.
We call it green grass Justseeing him envisioning that for
him.
And then he loved to dance,whatever it was.
He loved to dance Whatever itwas.
You know, he loved to dance andhe didn't have an outfit, but
he wanted to dance traditionaland he was a sun dancer for many
(15:19):
, many years and so I thoughtthat he'd be dancing on the
other side in that next world.
So you know, he always saysstuff like um, whatever you come
, it comes out of your mouth.
You gotta say it sacredly, yougotta speak, speak sacredly
(15:40):
because, um, basically the waythat he put it was you send your
voice out to the universe, um,you never know who's going to
hear it and you have, you have arelatives around you all the
time and always somebody to hearyou when you say something, and
so to be mindful with your word.
So that I kind of um includedall of that in this song and um
(16:07):
hoping that he did good with meteaching me in the language,
because him being fluent wasnerve-wracking for me to speak
to him In Lakota.
I always thought I was going tosay something wrong.
But he really validated me insome of the past few songs that
I've made.
So I felt confident in this oneand he really validated me in
(16:28):
in some of the past few songsthat I've made.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
So I felt confident in this one and he really liked
it so, once again, that was agnaiyanke Ate's Journey by Tiana
(16:53):
Spotted Thunder.
You know, one thing I so, so,really appreciate about singers
like you and Santi and I'veheard others do it too, but I
feel like I hear it so well inyours and his is you guys have
this tremendous ability toharmonize with yourself.
You have your original melodyand then I can hear you doing is
(17:16):
that a lower melody as well asa higher one, or is it two
different?
Regardless, it's two differentpitches from the original.
Is it just from being arounddifferent singers you know,
growing up or and then beingaround that life and hearing
different people harmonize witheach other?
Or is it something that you'relike consciously thinking of as
(17:37):
you're creating or recordingthese songs and you can hear the
growth, like as you're saying,you know you're it, you're, I
think in the first one, in thesky, you're kind of um, like
dubbing your voice throughout,whereas this one you're like
being very methodical of likenow we all come in and then
(17:57):
refrain for the single voice andthen now we come in with the
harmony I really appreciate allall the kind words.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Uh, it did take a lot to get to that point.
I actually would try to uh takesongs like, let's say, for
example, the Harmony Nightsalbum from Achievers Topa and
Kit Largo and them I would lookat that as an example and then I
(18:27):
would do chords.
I would look up chords for thekeyboard and try to play a note,
and I'll be trying to findnotes that go well with it in
that chord.
And so when I find that sweetspot where there's two keys that
match in the keyboard, I end upfinding that harmony.
(18:52):
Or I would ask whoever'srecording me if they can play
guitar and then they'll strumthat chord for me.
They'll find that chord andthen I'd go from there.
A lot of times it's just vibingand having that voice memo
playing over and over andsinging over yourself till you
find that sweet spot.
And I rehearsed this song a lotbefore recording it.
(19:15):
I also made sure to overdub myvoice quite a few times, so much
so that it all blends in witheach other.
But somehow they are indifferent tones, almost like the
pitchiness of it is at adifferent setting each time, but
(19:37):
came together very nicely andit took so many takes.
I even, uh, did the click trackwith the, the scratch track,
and did my leads over and, overand over until I liked them.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
And so, yeah, I spent a lot of time on this album.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I really like to dedicate this song to our
grandmother earth first of all,and I like to sing it very first
in my performances, just as aland acknowledgement and to
thank that land that I'mstanding on, because we have a
(20:44):
lot of people fighting for ourGrandmother Earth to stay alive,
and one in particular was myown grandma, regina Brave, and I
like to talk about her becauseshe has such an incredible story
(21:05):
of resiliency that not many Iknow can measure up to.
I know can measure up to wherethey came from, what they've
gone through.
They've fought both in, youknow, in both the 1973 AIM and
then at Standing Rock till thevery end, and I think of her as
(21:29):
a pillar of strength for me apillar of strength for me.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
So I wrote this song for grandmothers, all the Uncis
and my Unci, regina, yo-eh-ha-ho, ho-eh-yo, hey-ya-hey-ya,
yo-eh-ha-ho, ho-eh-ha-hey,ho-eh-ha-hey-yo, hey-hey-yo,
un-chi-ma-ka-t'che-chi-chi-la,hey-yo, hey, oh, we hey, yeah,
(22:50):
hey, which All right.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And that was Unchi Song by Tiana Spotted Thunder.
Once again, tiana is ourfeatured artist for the music
mixer, but this is the originalopening theme for the play by
Larissa Fast Horse andCornerstone Theater called we
Choon.
This play toured the differentcommunities within South Dakota,
(23:53):
both urban and res, andfeatured a cast of some who are
part of the Cornerstone TheaterCompany roster, but also
first-time actors who are fromRapid City and the Pine Ridge
area and different places.
I was lucky enough to work onthe sound design for it and when
(24:13):
we were talking about a openingsong, immediately it was.
You know, we need to get Tianaon this, simply because it's the
play itself is such a and it'sa struggle that occurs in not
(24:46):
just South Dakota but many otherplaces in terms of like, what
the LGBT community faces, whatwomen face on the reservation
and in the urban areas andthroughout America in general.
But it is also a story aboutfinding those ancestral
strengths and powers and thoseand maintaining and living, and
so we reached out to tiana andwithin a day she had this song
created for us that we justproduced around um, can you talk
(25:07):
a little bit about that?
Because we we saw from our endyou come in and record the song
and we're all good, but for you,what was that creation like in
terms of us commissioning thatfrom you?
Speaker 3 (25:21):
What thoughts came to mind is you know what's going
to help me to be resilient andmake myself get through these
challenges and you know, there'schallenges throughout the
storyline of this play and Ithought what's going to help me
(25:43):
Really, where is this power thatI need right now?
What is it that's going to helpme?
And, in reality's, it's youyourself and that dedication
that you you make towardsyourself to make things happen,
(26:06):
regardless of the situation, andalways, uh, look towards
yourself and that power you haveand making that promise.
Making that promise to yourselfbecause you deserve it and you
owe that to yourself.
You owe that to yourself tohave that willpower and that
(26:29):
courage.
So I take courage, I promisethat to myself, even though
times get hard.
And that courage, so I takecourage, I promise that to
myself, even though times gethard.
That's basically what I wantedto say within the song and
somehow the melody came aboutand I looked at one of my dad's
old Sundance songs he made and Itook part of the lead and I
(26:52):
twisted it a little bit and itjust somehow came together.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
I first met Delia Waskowicz in I believe it was
2014 at a powwow in Regina,saskatchewan, and she was so
nice, she was so friendly, sheeven almost tripped over some
bleachers to say hi to me andthings you know were so light
and natural.
(28:10):
She gave me a CD and I was sohonored honestly, I gave her one
of mine too.
The time Sunrise to Sunset gaveher a copy, and so I was
listening to the album and thesong I Was Dreaming came on and
it made me cry.
She told me about that song.
(28:33):
I asked her.
I heard the powwow version.
I asked her what inspired thatsong and she said well, my
mother died.
She said I went to this hilland usually I would be there all
day.
I wouldn't even eat, I wouldn'teven, and usually I would be
(28:55):
there all day, I wouldn't eveneat, I wouldn't even drink water
, nothing, and I would just fallasleep there.
And then, you know, when I'dfall asleep, then I'd dream of
my mom and I would hear her, asif we were, you know, visiting
and laughing like she was alive,like she was right here.
(29:15):
And so every time I hear it, Ijust feel so much of that
emotion in there and how sheblends her powwow-style voice
with her contemporary vocals andhow she plays the guitar, and
all of that really inspires me.
So I always look to her asalmost like a pillar of strength
(29:39):
as well for females in thismusic industry, native females.
She always encourages me toplay guitar and sing too.
She said you can do it.
She always tells me that youcan do it.
I know you can, can you sing mysong?
So one day I covered it.
Do it.
I know you can, can you sing mysong?
(30:00):
So one day I covered it and shewas so happy and I was so
blessed to have this camaraderiewith her, have her support and
everything.
So this song is super near anddear to my heart.
Oh, there's so much.
Buddy Redbow really paved theway for us Oglalas you know us
(30:23):
Lakotas out here in music and hemade it out there, played for
so many people, went far andwide and then still he would
come home.
He would come home and do showsfor his people.
He'll go to schools.
He'll do little shows, you know, at the park or something you
(30:47):
know.
He would just be so humbleabout it and you know, always
proud of where he comes from,uses his language and his
songwriting and that philosophy,the philosophy that even in the
Indian love song like whenyou're going to go to sleep
tonight, pray for me, and sayingstuff like that, I totally get
(31:10):
it.
I hear the elders in his voice,I hear the ancestors in his
voice and even though it'scontemporary music for our
people, I can.
I can hear how traditional hewas and, uh, south dakota lady,
it made me cry and I don't know,I don't know why, but I, I feel
(31:31):
this uh, what's ita in there?
It's like a sadness, like, um,a sadness or a longing for a
time, wanting to know, uh, whatthat time was like for him and
what it was like to live when helived.
So, um, you know, there's,there is a echioloao no Wa, not
(31:58):
only in our traditional musicbut in his music.
And after posting that song onetime, my older sister said you
know, dad used to sing that allthe time.
He used to sing that around thehouse all the time.
So I guess that makes sense whyI cried too.
I think my dad's spirit's alittle bit attached to the song.
(32:22):
But yep, there's so manyreasons, but I'd pick those as
my top reasons.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Before we leave, is there anything you'd like to
share, or say Tiana?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to
share little parts of myself.
Um, you know I don't get verymany chances to speak, or you
know, I'm mainly singing, sobeing able to speak and share is
a little bit difficult.
But I'm always happy to branchout, to share some of my heart
(32:58):
with everybody and have a goodtime listening to music and
appreciating it.
So, yeah, I appreciate you forbringing me on, and especially
as the first artist to do this.
So I really hope for the bestfor all the other upcoming
mixers.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
The Collective Spirit Podcast is produced by First
Peoples Fund, whose mission isto honor and support Indigenous
artists and culture bearersthrough grant-making initiatives
, culturally rooted programming,and training and mentorship.
Learn more atfirstpeoplesfundorg.
First Peoples Fund presents the Collective Spirit
Podcast.
The Collective Spirit moveseach of us to stand up and make
a difference, to pass onancestral knowledge and simply
extend a hand of generosity.
The Collective Spirit Podcastfeatures Native artists and
culture bearers who discuss thepower of indigenous art and
(00:25):
culture.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
This is a special edition from the Wichakwila
music program, part of theOglala Lakota Art Space and
First Peoples Fund, as well as aprogram partner with Playing
for Change Foundation.
Throughout the year, we gathereach month to celebrate and talk
to one musician who has eitherutilized the studio, performed
on our garage stage or in someway, shape or form, has
participated in the we Chalk Bea Loam music program.
(00:54):
Today, we speak with TianaSpotted Thunder, oglala Lakota,
from Rapid City, south Dakota.
In this conversation, she talksabout music, her inspirations,
her aspirations and all of theamazing work that she does with
music.
These special editions of theCollective Spirit podcast are
available to attend as a liveevent, so be sure to check our
firstpeoplesfundorg website formore information on when you can
(01:17):
attend our next monthly musicmixer.
How, madakia pi, we are here atthe Oglala Lakota Artspace.
Name is Talon Bazil Dushino.
I am the program manager forthe we Chalk the Olawa music
program and I'm excited tointroduce you all be it in
person with our small liveaudience or online digitally
(01:41):
listening to this later on inthe future our monthly music
mixer.
This program is intended to notonly showcase the artist in a
performance light, but more so,in the music itself and
providing the artist anopportunity to talk about that,
talk about the process, talkabout the spirituality behind it
(02:03):
, talk about the stories behindit.
There's so much within musicthat can be expounded upon, so
this is just kind of ouropportunity to share that but
then also hopefully allow you,the listener, the audience, to
get to know a little bit moredeeply different artists who you
may be listening to.
(02:24):
And today we're really, reallyexcited to kick off our first
one with one of our teachingartists for the music program,
tiana Spotted Thunder.
Tiana welcome.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Thank you, I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We're glad to have you.
For those of you who don't know, tiana also hosts a bi-weekly
we Chag Lata circle here in OLAhosts a bi-weekly we Chag Latta
circle here in OLA and alsoanother staggered bi-weekly we
Chag Latta circle over at RapidCity.
(02:56):
Today we are covering some ofher own performance and song and
things that she does outside ofthe program and also through
the program, as she's been usingthe studio and recording.
So we're really excited to haveher here and get into that
conversation.
Tiana, what's your experiencebeen like with, like, I don't
want to categorize it ascontemporary genres, but those
like hip hop, those R&B genres?
(03:17):
You know, what's yourexperience been with that as,
like someone who does a lot moresinging based material but who
has recently been, you know,kind of diving in those waters,
of collaborating with hip hopartists here and there?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Well, I do have a little bit of prior experience
singing, being featured on songs.
I used to just collaborate witha few local artists back in the
day, with a few friends and andthey decided to, you know,
curate a little spot for me tothrow in some vocals here and
(03:53):
there, some lyrics.
They said, well, work yourmagic.
And you know, I kind of missedthat because I was doing stuff
like that and then I, just outof nowhere, you know, full-on
powwow mode for dona years and Iwas like, you know, I need to
get back into it.
So, yeah, I mentioned it to TJ.
I mean, um, terrence, I knownhim as TJ a long time ago.
(04:16):
Um, terrence and Stella and Iand, uh, you as well, santi, and
you know, as we have our talks,you know, I thought I should
get back into it and, yeah, Iwas really scared because I
thought, you know, I don't knowif I'm musically inclined enough
or you know what if it's justnot there anymore, what if that
(04:37):
voice is just gone?
And as I've been, you know,experimenting around with my
vocals, stella has been such agreat support and cheerleader
for me and really like gassingme up, hyping me up and helping
me to feel motivated to get backinto it.
(04:57):
So really excited to work witheverybody on the team,
collaborate together on somesongs and and uh see what we can
make happen.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, I think even just inyour like vocalizations, you
know you'd put that uh, me andStantee have a song um called
the struggle is real, and youput vocals on that before we
even put our vocals on it.
But the funny thing was we wentto a completely different
(05:27):
studio and, um, like uh, wedidn't get to hear your vocals
before we even laid that on.
So it was kind of like, youknow, jump in the air, like, oh,
you know, let's hope it allmatches up the patterns you know
fit.
And uh got back this week andwe put the vocals on and yeah
it's like perfect, the world onyour back, god, the world on
(06:12):
your back.
(06:35):
You know there, I think, withany artists diving into any
genre, you know audiences ingeneral.
They they're surprised when youknow a pop artist really likes
heavy metal or when a heavymetal artist really really likes
EDM, or you know things likethat.
Do you ever face that in yourkind of practice?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Oh yeah.
So I just had this thing.
I thought you know you look atme and you look at how I do my
music and you know you listen tomy music.
You wouldn't even think that Ijust have this soft spot in my
heart for grunge and alternativerock.
Reach into your core and pullout things that you never even
(07:27):
dealt with before.
It can help you to feel thingsthat you you don't want to feel.
But you're just facing, facingthe truth.
You know, with, like, let's say,queens of the Stone Age or, um,
sunny Day Real Estate, you kindof get that that real sad,
overwhelming feeling like youdidn't even know you had and
it's.
It's almost like, hey, you know, uh, it's therapy because you
(07:51):
have, um, something that you, uh, you now feel that maybe was
pushed down in in somewhere,somewhere in your mind and and
you found something thatresonates with, with that pain.
Honestly, um, when you take alook at me, you wouldn't think
so.
You wouldn't think I wouldresonate so much with, with that
(08:12):
music.
I used to actually uh kind ofaddress the emo type or goth
type in high school and, um,just always had, just always had
that love for, for rock andgrunge and emo music.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So, yeah, yeah, that's really cool to hear about
.
I feel like we all kind of havethose different pockets of our
ears where we just kind of hitwhere people don't expect, so
that's really cool to hear about.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, I think too, you know, like you talk about
all of these different emotionsand atmospheres and it's like
it's not, it's not specific tojust one person's life, like
everybody has felt that emotion,and it's just we kind of
(09:05):
experience them different, wefeel them different, we reflect
on them different, we feel themdifferent, we reflect on them
different when I first startedlearning about round dance, I
actually uh, didn't know thatround dance was kind of a
(09:28):
ceremony for those healing froma loss or, you know, going
through grief, those who are inmourning or wanted to pay
respects to a loved one and havea memorial for that person, and
I thought what a perfect ideato have a round dance song to
remember that loved one thatpassed on.
(09:49):
One of the metaphors I heard isthat you'll feel it when it
rains and you'll feel thatpresence.
So that's what inspired thissong and hoping that it
resonates with those who are inmourning and love round dance
(10:12):
music.
So that's kind of where thesong came from that's cool.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
So for those listening along, that was in the
sky by tiana spotted thunder.
Um, tiana is our artist featureof the month for the monthly
music mixer of the month for themonthly music mixer and, uh,
yeah, I really like theproduction behind that, the
hearing.
You explain the meaning betweenyou know the, the rain and the
(10:38):
clouds and everything in the sky.
Um, that background going intoit, that's really helpful.
Uh, was it always kind of inyour mind to add the, the
rainstorm sounds in there andeverything, or was that more of
like after you recorded it?
Speaker 3 (10:54):
It was spontaneously added, just sitting there with
my producer at the time, aaronWilliams.
He's a Shichenghu DJ in RapidCity, but yeah, we were just
sitting there vibing listeningto it, so that I just seen him
going somehow on his computerand then somehow that that rain
(11:17):
got added in.
I was like that sounds cool,you should keep that.
Then you know that's kind ofhow how that came about.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah I like how he had the the thunder sounds in
there too, and keeping the basswithin.
We're listening to this on HS8sand if you're listening to this
on your own, I highly suggestsome form of headphones or
something, because the bass inthat really evens out everything
, because you're hitting thosehigh frequencies with your voice
(11:46):
too, so really solid.
What's it like looking back ona work that's, you know, this
far back over a decade?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
I just think about how my voice has progressed, my
songwriting style has definitelyprogressed since then and
morphed into something you know,more mature and, um, and I
think about those those juvenilefeelings that I had before.
I've actually experienced somuch and learned so much, um,
(12:16):
you know, from going out in theworld and and all that
experience, uh, from then on,you know, would definitely
change my life.
But I I like going back to thisand thinking about all of that,
that that novice feeling andthat that young, that young
(12:38):
feeling, fresh mind, and thateagerness that I had to make
songs, even though I wouldn'tknow if they would be good or
not.
I didn't really care if theywould be good or not, I was just
happy that I had that abilityto do that at the time.
So I got my start of singingthrough my late father.
(13:07):
He encouraged me by playingsongs and saying you should sing
like this and other ladysingers that would sing, they
say you should sing with them,and he would record on my tape
recorder and give me the tapeand it would have prayer songs
and stuff.
(13:27):
And I didn't think I would everbe, you know, without my dad,
but as he was about to pass away.
I started singing and from thatcame this song I wanted to make
for him and so I made it and Igot my lyrics down and I
(13:52):
practiced and practiced it andthen I got to sing it to him and
when I, when I sing it to him,he's like that's a nice song, I
like it.
I said you do you like it?
Do you do you want it to yoursong?
Do you have a song yet?
And he's like you know, I hadone made for me a long time ago
(14:12):
but yeah, I like it.
And then, yeah, it couldn't bemy song.
And so I made it just kind ofabout how he lived and the way
that he walked his life and howhe would walk into the next life
(14:33):
and it is a beautifultransition just to be between
two worlds like that and how Igot to witness that for him.
And I was excited, and I wasexcited.
(14:58):
I was excited that he was goingto be able to walk forward with
no pain.
We call it green grass Justseeing him envisioning that for
him.
And then he loved to dance,whatever it was.
He loved to dance Whatever itwas.
You know, he loved to dance andhe didn't have an outfit, but
he wanted to dance traditionaland he was a sun dancer for many
(15:19):
, many years and so I thoughtthat he'd be dancing on the
other side in that next world.
So you know, he always saysstuff like um, whatever you come
, it comes out of your mouth.
You gotta say it sacredly, yougotta speak, speak sacredly
(15:40):
because, um, basically the waythat he put it was you send your
voice out to the universe, um,you never know who's going to
hear it and you have, you have arelatives around you all the
time and always somebody to hearyou when you say something, and
so to be mindful with your word.
So that I kind of um includedall of that in this song and um
(16:07):
hoping that he did good with meteaching me in the language,
because him being fluent wasnerve-wracking for me to speak
to him In Lakota.
I always thought I was going tosay something wrong.
But he really validated me insome of the past few songs that
I've made.
So I felt confident in this oneand he really validated me in
(16:28):
in some of the past few songsthat I've made.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
So I felt confident in this one and he really liked
it so, once again, that was agnaiyanke Ate's Journey by Tiana
(16:53):
Spotted Thunder.
You know, one thing I so, so,really appreciate about singers
like you and Santi and I'veheard others do it too, but I
feel like I hear it so well inyours and his is you guys have
this tremendous ability toharmonize with yourself.
You have your original melodyand then I can hear you doing is
(17:16):
that a lower melody as well asa higher one, or is it two
different?
Regardless, it's two differentpitches from the original.
Is it just from being arounddifferent singers you know,
growing up or and then beingaround that life and hearing
different people harmonize witheach other?
Or is it something that you'relike consciously thinking of as
(17:37):
you're creating or recordingthese songs and you can hear the
growth, like as you're saying,you know you're it, you're, I
think in the first one, in thesky, you're kind of um, like
dubbing your voice throughout,whereas this one you're like
being very methodical of likenow we all come in and then
(17:57):
refrain for the single voice andthen now we come in with the
harmony I really appreciate allall the kind words.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Uh, it did take a lot to get to that point.
I actually would try to uh takesongs like, let's say, for
example, the Harmony Nightsalbum from Achievers Topa and
Kit Largo and them I would lookat that as an example and then I
(18:27):
would do chords.
I would look up chords for thekeyboard and try to play a note,
and I'll be trying to findnotes that go well with it in
that chord.
And so when I find that sweetspot where there's two keys that
match in the keyboard, I end upfinding that harmony.
(18:52):
Or I would ask whoever'srecording me if they can play
guitar and then they'll strumthat chord for me.
They'll find that chord andthen I'd go from there.
A lot of times it's just vibingand having that voice memo
playing over and over andsinging over yourself till you
find that sweet spot.
And I rehearsed this song a lotbefore recording it.
(19:15):
I also made sure to overdub myvoice quite a few times, so much
so that it all blends in witheach other.
But somehow they are indifferent tones, almost like the
pitchiness of it is at adifferent setting each time, but
(19:37):
came together very nicely andit took so many takes.
I even, uh, did the click trackwith the, the scratch track,
and did my leads over and, overand over until I liked them.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
And so, yeah, I spent a lot of time on this album.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I really like to dedicate this song to our
grandmother earth first of all,and I like to sing it very first
in my performances, just as aland acknowledgement and to
thank that land that I'mstanding on, because we have a
(20:44):
lot of people fighting for ourGrandmother Earth to stay alive,
and one in particular was myown grandma, regina Brave, and I
like to talk about her becauseshe has such an incredible story
(21:05):
of resiliency that not many Iknow can measure up to.
I know can measure up to wherethey came from, what they've
gone through.
They've fought both in, youknow, in both the 1973 AIM and
then at Standing Rock till thevery end, and I think of her as
(21:29):
a pillar of strength for me apillar of strength for me.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
So I wrote this song for grandmothers, all the Uncis
and my Unci, regina, yo-eh-ha-ho, ho-eh-yo, hey-ya-hey-ya,
yo-eh-ha-ho, ho-eh-ha-hey,ho-eh-ha-hey-yo, hey-hey-yo,
un-chi-ma-ka-t'che-chi-chi-la,hey-yo, hey, oh, we hey, yeah,
(22:50):
hey, which All right.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And that was Unchi Song by Tiana Spotted Thunder.
Once again, tiana is ourfeatured artist for the music
mixer, but this is the originalopening theme for the play by
Larissa Fast Horse andCornerstone Theater called we
Choon.
This play toured the differentcommunities within South Dakota,
(23:53):
both urban and res, andfeatured a cast of some who are
part of the Cornerstone TheaterCompany roster, but also
first-time actors who are fromRapid City and the Pine Ridge
area and different places.
I was lucky enough to work onthe sound design for it and when
(24:13):
we were talking about a openingsong, immediately it was.
You know, we need to get Tianaon this, simply because it's the
play itself is such a and it'sa struggle that occurs in not
(24:46):
just South Dakota but many otherplaces in terms of like, what
the LGBT community faces, whatwomen face on the reservation
and in the urban areas andthroughout America in general.
But it is also a story aboutfinding those ancestral
strengths and powers and thoseand maintaining and living, and
so we reached out to tiana andwithin a day she had this song
created for us that we justproduced around um, can you talk
(25:07):
a little bit about that?
Because we we saw from our endyou come in and record the song
and we're all good, but for you,what was that creation like in
terms of us commissioning thatfrom you?
Speaker 3 (25:21):
What thoughts came to mind is you know what's going
to help me to be resilient andmake myself get through these
challenges and you know, there'schallenges throughout the
storyline of this play and Ithought what's going to help me
(25:43):
Really, where is this power thatI need right now?
What is it that's going to helpme?
And, in reality's, it's youyourself and that dedication
that you you make towardsyourself to make things happen,
(26:06):
regardless of the situation, andalways, uh, look towards
yourself and that power you haveand making that promise.
Making that promise to yourselfbecause you deserve it and you
owe that to yourself.
You owe that to yourself tohave that willpower and that
(26:29):
courage.
So I take courage, I promisethat to myself, even though
times get hard.
And that courage, so I takecourage, I promise that to
myself, even though times gethard.
That's basically what I wantedto say within the song and
somehow the melody came aboutand I looked at one of my dad's
old Sundance songs he made and Itook part of the lead and I
(26:52):
twisted it a little bit and itjust somehow came together.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
I first met Delia Waskowicz in I believe it was
2014 at a powwow in Regina,saskatchewan, and she was so
nice, she was so friendly, sheeven almost tripped over some
bleachers to say hi to me andthings you know were so light
and natural.
(28:10):
She gave me a CD and I was sohonored honestly, I gave her one
of mine too.
The time Sunrise to Sunset gaveher a copy, and so I was
listening to the album and thesong I Was Dreaming came on and
it made me cry.
She told me about that song.
(28:33):
I asked her.
I heard the powwow version.
I asked her what inspired thatsong and she said well, my
mother died.
She said I went to this hilland usually I would be there all
day.
I wouldn't even eat, I wouldn'teven, and usually I would be
(28:55):
there all day, I wouldn't eveneat, I wouldn't even drink water
, nothing, and I would just fallasleep there.
And then, you know, when I'dfall asleep, then I'd dream of
my mom and I would hear her, asif we were, you know, visiting
and laughing like she was alive,like she was right here.
(29:15):
And so every time I hear it, Ijust feel so much of that
emotion in there and how sheblends her powwow-style voice
with her contemporary vocals andhow she plays the guitar, and
all of that really inspires me.
So I always look to her asalmost like a pillar of strength
(29:39):
as well for females in thismusic industry, native females.
She always encourages me toplay guitar and sing too.
She said you can do it.
She always tells me that youcan do it.
I know you can, can you sing mysong?
So one day I covered it.
Do it.
I know you can, can you sing mysong?
(30:00):
So one day I covered it and shewas so happy and I was so
blessed to have this camaraderiewith her, have her support and
everything.
So this song is super near anddear to my heart.
Oh, there's so much.
Buddy Redbow really paved theway for us Oglalas you know us
(30:23):
Lakotas out here in music and hemade it out there, played for
so many people, went far andwide and then still he would
come home.
He would come home and do showsfor his people.
He'll go to schools.
He'll do little shows, you know, at the park or something you
(30:47):
know.
He would just be so humbleabout it and you know, always
proud of where he comes from,uses his language and his
songwriting and that philosophy,the philosophy that even in the
Indian love song like whenyou're going to go to sleep
tonight, pray for me, and sayingstuff like that, I totally get
(31:10):
it.
I hear the elders in his voice,I hear the ancestors in his
voice and even though it'scontemporary music for our
people, I can.
I can hear how traditional hewas and, uh, south dakota lady,
it made me cry and I don't know,I don't know why, but I, I feel
(31:31):
this uh, what's ita in there?
It's like a sadness, like, um,a sadness or a longing for a
time, wanting to know, uh, whatthat time was like for him and
what it was like to live when helived.
So, um, you know, there's,there is a echioloao no Wa, not
(31:58):
only in our traditional musicbut in his music.
And after posting that song onetime, my older sister said you
know, dad used to sing that allthe time.
He used to sing that around thehouse all the time.
So I guess that makes sense whyI cried too.
I think my dad's spirit's alittle bit attached to the song.
(32:22):
But yep, there's so manyreasons, but I'd pick those as
my top reasons.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Before we leave, is there anything you'd like to
share, or say Tiana?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to
share little parts of myself.
Um, you know I don't get verymany chances to speak, or you
know, I'm mainly singing, sobeing able to speak and share is
a little bit difficult.
But I'm always happy to branchout, to share some of my heart
(32:58):
with everybody and have a goodtime listening to music and
appreciating it.
So, yeah, I appreciate you forbringing me on, and especially
as the first artist to do this.
So I really hope for the bestfor all the other upcoming
mixers.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
The Collective Spirit Podcast is produced by First
Peoples Fund, whose mission isto honor and support Indigenous
artists and culture bearersthrough grant-making initiatives
, culturally rooted programming,and training and mentorship.
Learn more atfirstpeoplesfundorg.
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