Keith Secola will be the featured musician at this years’ KSJD “Summerfest – A Taste of Cortez” at The Cortez Cultural Center. This free event will feature local food and live music on Saturday, Aug. 24.
A seven-time Native American Music Award winner, Secola is an icon of Native music. Critics have dubbed him as the Native version of both Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
He is an accomplished artist, garnering awards and accolades as a musician, singer, songwriter, composer and producer. He is highly skilled with the guitar, flute, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and piano. A well-respected musician, he has worked with such music legends as Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead.
Secola is one of the most influential artists in the field today. Rising from the grassroots of North America, he is a songwriter of the people. His numerous appearances include the Grand Opening Gala of the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, The Kennedy Center and the SXSW in Austin, Texas and he is a staple at the Grassroots Festivals in New York, North Carolina and Florida.
He has self-produced five well-received independent CDs, including fan favorite singles like “Frybread,” “4R Ancestors,” “Wide Open Spaces” and the classic hit “NDN Kars.” Twenty-four instrumental tracks featuring flute, guitar, and percussion by Secola provide a rich audible environment on “Homeland” (2001), the soundtrack for the PBS documentary film of the same name.
His third album on his own Akina Records label, “Fingermony” (2000) is best classified as “Alter-Native” showcasing an eclectic compilation running from beautiful instrumental ballads and Native rhythms to on-the-edge rock, folk-inspired tales, blues and reggae sounds. “Native Americana” (2006) followed, and demonstrates a whole new bag of musical tricks, fusing traditional sounds with contemporary ones earning Secola a NAMMY for “Kokopelli Blues,” a song that resets a traditional icon in a modern world with a blues track that features Native flute. Secola’s long-anticipated sixth album, “Life is Grand” (2012) is a 16 song collection of rock and folk, merging roots music with a Native soul and demonstrating a new level of artistic maturity.
KSJD is a 501-c (3) non-profit organizations whose vision is to create and provide a public media service of greater value, wider use and deeper impact for the people of the Four Corners region.
The Cortez Cultural Center is a 501-c (3) nonprofit organization the goal of which is to increase knowledge of and appreciation for the vast archaeological resources of the area; to provide enrichment experiences including lectures, museum exhibits, art displays, and Native American cultural programs; to increase understanding among the cultures of the Four Corners; to stimulate an interest in higher education among our young people; and to contribute to the overall health of community life.