Joe Rainey's avant-garde powwow strikes a chord in the Midwest
Joe Rainey grew up in south Minneapolis. He's heading on a European tour after the success of his debut album, Niineta.
Courtesy Joe Rainey
Joe Rainey creates a unique fusion of powwow and experimental electronic music. He is from south Minneapolis and is a citizen of the Red Lake Nation.
Rainey talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about his debut album, which has gotten quite the buzz both in the Midwest and nationally. You can find his music here.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
"Niineta" is the debut album from musician Joe Rainey.
Courtesy Joe Rainey
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Well, we've played the music of our next guest on the show before for our Minnesota Music Minute segment. He's from the South Side of Minneapolis. He's a citizen of the Red Lake Nation who fuses powwow with experimental electronic music. Joe Rainey's debut album has gotten quite the buzz, both in the Midwest and nationally. Let's listen.
[MUSIC - JOE RAINEY, "Bezhigo"]
I am so honored that Joe Rainey is on the line right now. Hey, welcome to the program, Joe.
JOE RAINEY: Thank you for having me, Cathy. I'm really excited to talk with you.
CATHY WURZER: And I'm excited to talk to you, too. Hey, tell us about the music we're listening to.
JOE RAINEY: This is one of the songs off the album Niineta. The song is titled "Bezhigo," and it is one of the favorites of many people that we talked to. And it made it on the top 100 of Pitchfork last year, and I'm really, really happy for that.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, you should be, because that is amazing. Let me ask you about the music. The New York Times, Pitchfork, other publications have tried to describe your music. I'm quoting now, "layers of powwow songs set to industrial strength drums, and fused," as Pitchfork says, "with techno, industrial, hip hop, dub, and noise." How do you describe your music, and where does it come from, from within you?
JOE RAINEY: It definitely comes from where I grew up. And the place that I call home, Southside Minneapolis, it is four hours South from my home community of Red Lake. And not being able to grow up in Red Lake might have had its disadvantages, but I think I stayed connected through my family, and I really embraced being a city Indian.
So making this album, I wanted to keep something as public, what powwow music is, I wanted to switch it up a bit and I wanted to make something that was in its own lane. So when it comes to describing what we created, it becomes difficult because it is in its own lane.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm. What is the reaction among folks in other communities, other Native communities, those who might be more traditionalist when it comes to powwow music? What kind of feedback have you gotten?
JOE RAINEY: Well, I've gotten a lot of great feedback. And they're just happy to see the representation that comes from being a powwow singer. It's a thankless job, being a singer in a Native community.
CATHY WURZER: Didn't you grow up recording powwows?
JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. Yes, I still do. I still do.
CATHY WURZER: And what did you learn in those early years?
JOE RAINEY: I learned a lot. I learned about the different styles of powwow singing and the different songs and how many songs there are, how many drum groups there are. And they all come from different places. Being able to travel and see their home communities, being invited into their homes, traveling to different powwows in my younger years, those are some of the best memories of I've had of singing. But powwow singing is something important in my life, for sure.
CATHY WURZER: Did you initially have any hesitation at all about putting a new twist on a tradition like powwow?
JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't say that I didn't. But I thought about it because being a part of a group means a lot more to me than just going out on my own and doing my own thing. But creatively, I felt like this needed to be said, and I wanted to keep it tasteful. And you know, I didn't use any language, just in the title itself, but I wanted to keep it true to who I am as a contemporary Indigenous artist. I wanted to make this for my family.
CATHY WURZER: Hey, we need to hear some more music. We're going to play another cut off the album. This is called "Turned Engine."
[MUSIC - JOE RAINEY, "Turned Engine"]
Tell us about the inspirations behind that.
JOE RAINEY: Well, this song had Allie Bearhead from The Bearhead Sisters. Recently they won a Juno Award, which was a huge accomplishment for them. And I envisioned a woman's voice on a few of these songs. This was the person who I thought fit the best. She's a great vocalist, and I wanted to highlight who she is on this song.
CATHY WURZER: Let me ask you about female voices in powwow, because I haven't heard many. Now, I know you posted a video on your Instagram account and you're singing with your daughter, and she's got such a beautiful voice. Do you think that she might follow in your footsteps?
JOE RAINEY: She already has been singing with me for a while. And women voices and powwow are normal. They stand behind the drum in some communities. Some communities allow them to sit down, but there are different teachings for each community. And traveling and respecting them was something that I learned early on. Women singers are really, really powerful singers, and I have a lot of respect for them and I thank them constantly for being an inspiration for my own daughter, who has been singing since she was 3.
And so she's been looking up to them. And you know, she's a YouTube kid and so she can find powwow music and watch her favorite backup singers daily on YouTube. So she's not far behind my footsteps, but she is well on her way, yes.
CATHY WURZER: Good, good. Oh, I'm glad to hear that, I am.
Now, as you know, on the program, we always ask musicians to send us a song from another musician that's inspiring them. And you sent us "Nothing I Can Do" by the band Indigenous. We're going to take a listen to that right now.
[MUSIC - INDIGENOUS, "Nothing I Can Do"]
VOCALIST: (SINGING) Walking down this road long enough.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, I like this a lot. Joe, tell me about this.
JOE RAINEY: Yeah, this is the band Indigenous. This was one of the first concerts I ever been to was watching a Native band do their thing in the blues world. And I was mesmerized by the lead singer and lead guitarist, Mato, and his guitar playing. And they were all a family band. They opened for Santana, and they're from a Yankton Sioux tribe in South Dakota.
So I now have extended family there in that territory, so they do know of the band. So I'm very happy I'm looking forward to eventually crossing paths and tell them how much of an inspiration they were to me as a-- little did I know-- as seeing natives on a stage. I appreciated that back then, but I even appreciate it more now.
CATHY WURZER: Speaking of being on a stage, you look like you've got a pretty busy few months here, looking at your schedule. Where are you heading to next?
JOE RAINEY: We are flying out to Europe for our three country little run here. We'll be back in eight days, but we're going to Nantes, France, Brussels, and then off to the Hague, Netherlands, for the Rewire electronic festival there, which we are really excited for all three of those stops. It is my first time overseas, so I'm looking forward to the train rides and seeing the countries for themselves.
And yeah, I've just-- we're hitting up the Canadian folk and jazz festivals this summer, and then we'll be on Oregon this coming August.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
JOE RAINEY: And we have a few dates coming up in Minneapolis, as well. So just keep your eyes peeled to my Instagram, which would be the most helpful place to see where we're going next.
CATHY WURZER: Right, we will do that. I'm writing that down right now.
Joe, I know you're busy. You are so kind to take time to talk with me. And I love your music. I love what you're doing. Thank you so much, and best of luck.
JOE RAINEY: Make a wish. Thank you for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Joe Rainey is a Minneapolis born singer, member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe. He now lives in Oneida, Wisconsin. You can follow him on Instagram @rainmanmnx33.
[MUSIC - JOE RAINEY, "Bezhigo"]
I am so honored that Joe Rainey is on the line right now. Hey, welcome to the program, Joe.
JOE RAINEY: Thank you for having me, Cathy. I'm really excited to talk with you.
CATHY WURZER: And I'm excited to talk to you, too. Hey, tell us about the music we're listening to.
JOE RAINEY: This is one of the songs off the album Niineta. The song is titled "Bezhigo," and it is one of the favorites of many people that we talked to. And it made it on the top 100 of Pitchfork last year, and I'm really, really happy for that.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, you should be, because that is amazing. Let me ask you about the music. The New York Times, Pitchfork, other publications have tried to describe your music. I'm quoting now, "layers of powwow songs set to industrial strength drums, and fused," as Pitchfork says, "with techno, industrial, hip hop, dub, and noise." How do you describe your music, and where does it come from, from within you?
JOE RAINEY: It definitely comes from where I grew up. And the place that I call home, Southside Minneapolis, it is four hours South from my home community of Red Lake. And not being able to grow up in Red Lake might have had its disadvantages, but I think I stayed connected through my family, and I really embraced being a city Indian.
So making this album, I wanted to keep something as public, what powwow music is, I wanted to switch it up a bit and I wanted to make something that was in its own lane. So when it comes to describing what we created, it becomes difficult because it is in its own lane.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm. What is the reaction among folks in other communities, other Native communities, those who might be more traditionalist when it comes to powwow music? What kind of feedback have you gotten?
JOE RAINEY: Well, I've gotten a lot of great feedback. And they're just happy to see the representation that comes from being a powwow singer. It's a thankless job, being a singer in a Native community.
CATHY WURZER: Didn't you grow up recording powwows?
JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. Yes, I still do. I still do.
CATHY WURZER: And what did you learn in those early years?
JOE RAINEY: I learned a lot. I learned about the different styles of powwow singing and the different songs and how many songs there are, how many drum groups there are. And they all come from different places. Being able to travel and see their home communities, being invited into their homes, traveling to different powwows in my younger years, those are some of the best memories of I've had of singing. But powwow singing is something important in my life, for sure.
CATHY WURZER: Did you initially have any hesitation at all about putting a new twist on a tradition like powwow?
JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't say that I didn't. But I thought about it because being a part of a group means a lot more to me than just going out on my own and doing my own thing. But creatively, I felt like this needed to be said, and I wanted to keep it tasteful. And you know, I didn't use any language, just in the title itself, but I wanted to keep it true to who I am as a contemporary Indigenous artist. I wanted to make this for my family.
CATHY WURZER: Hey, we need to hear some more music. We're going to play another cut off the album. This is called "Turned Engine."
[MUSIC - JOE RAINEY, "Turned Engine"]
Tell us about the inspirations behind that.
JOE RAINEY: Well, this song had Allie Bearhead from The Bearhead Sisters. Recently they won a Juno Award, which was a huge accomplishment for them. And I envisioned a woman's voice on a few of these songs. This was the person who I thought fit the best. She's a great vocalist, and I wanted to highlight who she is on this song.
CATHY WURZER: Let me ask you about female voices in powwow, because I haven't heard many. Now, I know you posted a video on your Instagram account and you're singing with your daughter, and she's got such a beautiful voice. Do you think that she might follow in your footsteps?
JOE RAINEY: She already has been singing with me for a while. And women voices and powwow are normal. They stand behind the drum in some communities. Some communities allow them to sit down, but there are different teachings for each community. And traveling and respecting them was something that I learned early on. Women singers are really, really powerful singers, and I have a lot of respect for them and I thank them constantly for being an inspiration for my own daughter, who has been singing since she was 3.
And so she's been looking up to them. And you know, she's a YouTube kid and so she can find powwow music and watch her favorite backup singers daily on YouTube. So she's not far behind my footsteps, but she is well on her way, yes.
CATHY WURZER: Good, good. Oh, I'm glad to hear that, I am.
Now, as you know, on the program, we always ask musicians to send us a song from another musician that's inspiring them. And you sent us "Nothing I Can Do" by the band Indigenous. We're going to take a listen to that right now.
[MUSIC - INDIGENOUS, "Nothing I Can Do"]
VOCALIST: (SINGING) Walking down this road long enough.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, I like this a lot. Joe, tell me about this.
JOE RAINEY: Yeah, this is the band Indigenous. This was one of the first concerts I ever been to was watching a Native band do their thing in the blues world. And I was mesmerized by the lead singer and lead guitarist, Mato, and his guitar playing. And they were all a family band. They opened for Santana, and they're from a Yankton Sioux tribe in South Dakota.
So I now have extended family there in that territory, so they do know of the band. So I'm very happy I'm looking forward to eventually crossing paths and tell them how much of an inspiration they were to me as a-- little did I know-- as seeing natives on a stage. I appreciated that back then, but I even appreciate it more now.
CATHY WURZER: Speaking of being on a stage, you look like you've got a pretty busy few months here, looking at your schedule. Where are you heading to next?
JOE RAINEY: We are flying out to Europe for our three country little run here. We'll be back in eight days, but we're going to Nantes, France, Brussels, and then off to the Hague, Netherlands, for the Rewire electronic festival there, which we are really excited for all three of those stops. It is my first time overseas, so I'm looking forward to the train rides and seeing the countries for themselves.
And yeah, I've just-- we're hitting up the Canadian folk and jazz festivals this summer, and then we'll be on Oregon this coming August.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
JOE RAINEY: And we have a few dates coming up in Minneapolis, as well. So just keep your eyes peeled to my Instagram, which would be the most helpful place to see where we're going next.
CATHY WURZER: Right, we will do that. I'm writing that down right now.
Joe, I know you're busy. You are so kind to take time to talk with me. And I love your music. I love what you're doing. Thank you so much, and best of luck.
JOE RAINEY: Make a wish. Thank you for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Joe Rainey is a Minneapolis born singer, member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe. He now lives in Oneida, Wisconsin. You can follow him on Instagram @rainmanmnx33.
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