Activist's concert benefits KAOS

ROSS RAIHALA, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Thursday, March 21, 2002

American Indian poet and activist John Trudell performs in Olympia nearly every spring.

This time, however, he's throwing a bone to fans who appreciate his music as much as his message.

Joined by his band Bad Dog, Trudell will perform selections from his new CD "Bone Days" tonight at the Capitol Theater.

Actress Angelina Jolie produced the album, which was recently released by Daemon Records, the label run by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls.

Trudell is promoting "Bone Days" with a tour that supports public, community and college radio stations.

His Olympia concert will benefit KAOS 89.3 FM, the local station run from The Evergreen State College.

"In a society where people are supposed to have the right of usage of public airwaves, the right of usage of those airwaves is becoming more and more dominated by private and commercial interests, thus denying the people a voice in the society," Trudell said in a statement.

Activism has been a constant force in Trudell's life, starting with his days growing up on the Santee Sioux reservation near Omaha, Neb.

He spent much of the '70s serving as the national chairman of the American Indian Movement before a suspicious fire killed his family. Following that incident, Trudell left politics for life as a poet, actor, lecturer, musician and artist.

In 1981, he published a collection of poetry, "Living in Reality." A year later he began to experiment with rock music. He found help from an old friend, Jackson Browne.

"(Browne) allowed me room to roam around in his world," Trudell once said. "So I was around recording studios and musicians. And I've always liked rock 'n' roll anyway. So I began to think about joining the poetry with the oldest indigenous musical forms and the newest musical forms."

Trudell went on to release several well-received albums; Bob Dylan declared Trudell's "A.K.A. Graffiti Man" the best release of 1986.

He continues to share his life experiences through word and song in performances across the country.

"I'm just a human being," he once said, "trying to make it in a world that is very rapidly losing its understanding of being human."

John Trudell

- When: 7 p.m. today.

- Where: Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. S.E., Olympia.

- Tickets: $10 general admission, $8 students.

- For information: Call 360-754-5378.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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