Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"A conspicuous example of excellence among female Native American artists." - Billboard Magazine
"In her songs Arigon gets right to the heart of the issues without any of the paraphernalia which white audiences expect of her." - The Yorkshire Evening Post
"Politically and culturally sharp." - Williamette Weekly
"An undeniable combination of talent, electric personality and unstoppable drive." - The Native Voice Newspaper
Been playing your latest CD. Had two regular new music (not native show) DJs ask about it and play it. Had two calls the week I played the whole thing through, asking who you were. That was the first time I had two calls during the same show that wasn’t my wife with shopping instructions." -- DJ Dennis McClain - WVUT-FM -- Inside The Circle
'The Red Road'
Review by Julio Martinez
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Arigon Starr stars as the population of Sapulpa, Okla., in her one-woman musical show 'The Red Road,' at the Autry National Center.
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Native American singer-songwriter Arigon Starr channels all the denizens of the All Nations Cafe in Sapulpa, Okla., in this witty, insightful dissection of Native American activism, racial stereotyping, tribal infighting and small-town politics. Helmer Randy Reinholz's active staging occasionally rushes the action, but Starr displays a facile ability to flow from character to character, assisted by Christina Wright's minimal costume accents. Also enhancing her perf are Craig Dettman's colorful cafe setting and the mood-enhancing lights of Leigh Allen.
Accompanying herself nicely on acoustic guitar, Starr wends her way through 18 character-driven tunes that incorporate an eclectic range of styles as she relates the doings at the cafe during a visit from country music star Patty Jones. As Jones prepares to broadcast a live TV special from this old Route 66 truck stop, a colorful menagerie of locals and visitors endeavor to promote their own agendas.
With minimum exposition, Starr exposes the yearnings and hang-ups of such townsfolk as put-upon cafe owner Verna; her chronically depressed 13-year-old niece, Loretta; Verna's good-looking brother, Merle Jr.; staunchly loyal fry cook Emmitt and his precocious 9-year-old, Beatles-loving son Desmond; outrageous local Creek Indian DJ Clyde; and the insufferably I'm-more-Indian-than-thou activist team of siblings Richard and Bonnie Doolittle. Added to the mix is oddball English rocker Danny Dacron, who's passionately inspired by all things American Indian while still wary of stray tomahawks.
Starr takes a jaundiced view of many aspects of modern Native American activism and how her people are viewed by the outside world. She pointedly takes on the pecking order of tribal politics as Bonnie asserts that Native American status should be rated by geography, claiming Minnesota-based tribes are the only remaining "real Indians."
Another hilarious segment focuses on Danny's myopic musings on the transcendent status of Indians as icons of the Old West.
Starr's songs underscore this tuner's thematic throughline. They include punk rocker Danny's over-the-top "Indian Eyes"; Emmitt's homage to the diner, "The Menu Song"; Richard's attention-seeking, Elvis Presleyish "Baby, You're the Best"; and country singer Jones' penchant for trucker life ("A Trucker's Bride," "A Trucker's Widow".
The hard-driving, rap-tinged "Choctaw Blues" and Western swinger "Sapulpa Boogie" also are musical highlights.
Starr's guitar work offers more than adequate accompaniment, incorporating some dazzling solo licks that serve to set up and highlight her vocals. But an accomplished onstage backup band would do much to free this power-lunged performer and give "The Red Road" a much-deserved chance to move on to a larger venue.
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Sets, Craig Dettman; lighting, Leigh Allen; costumes, Christina Wright. Opened March 30, 2006; reviewed April 2. Runs through April 30. Running time: 1 HOUR, 15 MIN.
Date in print: Wed., Apr. 5, 2006, Los Angeles
- Daily Variety
April 1, 2006
THEATER REVIEW
Caught in 'Road's' comic whirlwind
Native American stereotypes take a licking in Arigon Starr's lively one-woman show.
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By Lynne Heffley, Times Staff Writer
It's gettin' a mite crowded at the All Nations Café in Sapulpa, Okla.
Country music star Patty Jones has arrived at this casual Native American gathering spot to do a live TV special, local radio host Clyde is on hand to broadcast the goings-on, and a self-reverential Indian activist and his militant sister have made an unwelcome entrance.
Verna, the financially strapped owner, must cope with the chaos as well as with her angst-ridden 13-year-old niece; the fry cook, Emmitt, and his 9-year-old, Beatles-crazy son; and assorted other visitors. The latter include a punk rock star from England, the only non-Native American in the nutty bunch.
Add them all up and you get … Arigon Starr, rollicking through a near-tour-de-force performance of her rowdy, witty, big-hearted, one-woman comedy, "The Red Road," a world premiere Native Voices production at the Autry National Center.
Set against a backdrop of the emerging Native American activism and resurging tribal populations of the 1970s, Starr's fast-moving show, directed by Randy Reinholz, weaves a wispy story of loss and love around original country songs and wicked jabs at white and intertribal stereotyping and cultural quirks.
Comic barbs fly as Starr moves her various alter egos around Craig Dettman's cafe set — a red booth, checkerboard floor, TV show mikes and lights, and a radio sound-effects table.
Grist for her comic mill are prejudices regarding the superiority of geographic location — "real Indians" live in Minnesota, claims militant Bonnie — and how members of different tribes view one another's idiosyncrasies (with snickers and a jaundiced eye).
One of Starr's most wicked takeoffs is inspired by how some nonnative people see Native Americans as otherworldly and as quaint remnants of the Old West — a viewpoint embodied by punk star Danny's penchant for mythologizing all things Native American while keeping an eye out for tomahawks.
Throughout, Starr plays a mean guitar, with showstopping hot licks that match her rafter-raising vocal stylings.
She varies her satiric and soulful country songs according to character, from Patty's twangy country ballads and Danny's howling "Indian Eyes" to Emmitt's loving and loud rendition of the cafe's down-home menu.
Costume designer Christina Wright keeps things simple. Starr slips into character with a change of hats or the flap of a kitchen towel, aided by lighting designer Leigh Allen's shifting patterns and washes of blue and red, black and white.
Before a passing tornado clears the air, Verna is betrayed by her ne'er-do-well sister, then unexpectedly finds herself pursued by three suitors and the rumor that she was an adopted white baby.
Emmitt is moved to reveal his hidden passion, and activist Richard channels Elvis.
No, not all the jokes will resonate deeply, but Starr, nimble even when her careening pace makes her character transitions a tad ragged around the edges, has an ample supply of wit — and heart — to go around.
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'The Red Road'
Where: Wells Fargo Theatre, Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
Ends: April 30
Price: $20
Contact: (866) 468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com
Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
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- Los Angeles Times
Discography
Meet The Diva
Wind-Up
Backflip
The Red Road - Original Cast Recording
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Arigon Starr's energetic performances have been entertaining diverse audiences around the United States and England. She uses her strong voice and aggressive, rhythmic guitar playing to tell her stories of life in contemporary Native America.
Her country-pop-rock songs about being a Native American in the 21st Century have caught the ear of promoters and programmers across the country.
Her three CD projects have included such diverse influences as The Beatles, The Smiths, The Eagles, Gram Parsons, The Rolling Stones and punk rockers Patti Smith and the B-52s to give life to the Native American world Arigon Starr lives in every day. Her music has garnered two Native American Music Awards and multiple nominations.
Fans of Arigon's music include Native American radio programmers like The American Indian Radio on Satellite, Native America Calling, Earthsongs and Native Sounds, Native Voices. She is also a popular favorite on community radio stations like Portland, Oregon's KBOO-FM and Los Angeles' KPFK-FM, where her song "California Indians" is heard as the theme song to the weekly program "American Indian Airwaves." She is also well-represented on several of XM Satellite radio's diverse programs. Folks who drive through the Southwest can always hear Arigon's music on the 50,000 watt powerhouse AM station KTNN 660 AM, which is the voice of the Navajo Nation.
Promoters have showcased Arigon's lively performances at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Milwaukee Indian Summer Festival, Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum Festival in Portland, OR and the Native American Music Awards in Albuquerque, NM. She has performed at various colleges, schools and universities across the US including University of Washington, Haskell Indian Nations College, Cal State Los Angeles, and Humboldt State University. Arigon is also popular with the museum crowd, with appearances at the Gilcrease Musuem in Tulsa, OK, the American Indian Community House in New York City, Warm Springs Museum in Oregon and the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.
Arigon Starr is also a busy actress in Hollywood, appearing in several productions by Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. She debuted her one-person show "The Red Road" on March 30, 2006 at the Autry National Center and continues to tour the show around the country. Recent stops have included New York City and Washington, DC.
With her winning personality, positive outlook and satisfying music, Arigon Starr is a unique Native American entertainer -- and at home with any audience.
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