"p^TERTAINMENT
Page 12 __Thursday, April 8,1999
Happy being
blue
Midwest favorite Indigenous
finds national audience
Eh Christopher Heine
Senior staff writer
It’s been proven. Successful people can stay
humble.
Even if their blues-rock band has been invited to
play for the president. Even if they have the second
most requested song in America.
Even if they’re Indigenous.
The Marty, S.D., four-piece band, burgeoning in
popularity with blues fanatics across the country, is
expected to play to a packed house at The Zoo Bar,
136 N. 14th, tonight at 10. *
But the American Indian band of two brothers, a
sister and a cousin would never let you know that
they are a hot item.
Its 20-something members would rather talk
about the source of their music, and the reason why
they are so successful at their young ages.
“We owe everything we are musically to our par
ents,” said bassist Pte, which means “Buffalo” in
Nakota Sioux.
it s almost like they planned everything.
Pte, brother Mato Nanji (guitars) and sister
Wanbdi (drums) were home-schooled by their par
ents as they grew up on the Yankton Nakota Indian
reservation in South Dakota.
Pte said their parents, Greg and Beverly Zephier,
have always encouraged them to pursue the band.
Their father played in a group called the Vanishing
Americans in the 1970s.
“Some parents don’t let their kids join bands
because of what they see onTY” he said. “I feel so
fortunate to have parents who let us do what we love
to do. And we’ve learned a lot from what they’ve
taught us about music and life.”
One of the things they picked up from their inti
mate learning environment was there father’s love of
such blues-rock legends as Buddy Guy and Stevie
Ray Vaughn.
Mato Nanji, whose name means Standing Bear,
said his father’s influence is a key to his guitar style.
He said any of the same popular blues influences that
make up his father’s record collection, are his
favorites as well.
Whatever the source of inspiration, Mato Nanji
is making waves of his own.
The tell, broad-shouldered 24-year-old is widely
considered tp be one of the most exciting young
blues pickers in the world. Yet, Mato Nanji said his
father “takes over the room” when he plugs in to jam
with his children.
“When he starts playing I just have to stop and
go, ‘Whoa,’” he said.
It was Zephier’s collection of music equipment
that led to each of his children finding an instrument
to learn.
Pte said his father didn’t push the children to
play or teach them how.
“He wanted us to do it if we wanted to,” he said.
“He’d teach us how to tune our instruments and some
basic chords. Beyond that he believed if we learned
on our own that we’d never forget it.”
Indigenous began playing as a three-piece until
their cousin Horse came to live with them. Horse
Please See INDIGENOUS on 14
I&ck Townley/DN
MATO NANJI, the frontman of Indigenous, plays in the Nebraska Union Ballroom on
Wednesday night. Indigenous will take the stage tonight at the Zoo Bar, at 10.
The beat plays on for Polka fans
Polka concert at Pla-Mor raises questions about its future popularity
Matt Haney/DN
By Jason Hardy
Staff writer
During the 1950s, a
polka show in Nebraska
v/as a sure bet for a big
> crowd and a fun night.
Since then the
i turnout at polka shows
N has dwindled both in
size and variety of
//V those attending.
//\ Performers and
Jf venues alike just
aren’t getting the
response they once
4/ enjoyed.
■SgP^^ Still, those loyal
to the music persist.
BP “Lets face it, when I
started in the early ’50s we
used to get 1400 people easily,”
jf saia Kon INaanemy, trontman lor
jP the Ron Nadherny Polka Band of
F Omaha. “You can’t gpt that anymore,
but the music has still maintained
itself throughout all these years.”
Tonight, as part of the ongoing
Great Plains Music and Dance
Festival and Symposium, the Pla
Mor Ballroom is showcasing a night
of polka music and dancing with the
Focus on the Festival
A week-long look at highlights of the
Great Plains Music and Dance Festival
and Symposium
Ron Nadherny Polka Band and the
Colorado River Boys.
Unfortunately, events like
tonight’s have become increasingly
rare, and since he founded his group
26 years ago, Nadherny says the
opportunities to perform aren’t as
plentiful.
“The demand isn’t as great any
more,” Nadherny said. “As people
grow older the crowd kind of dies off.
Around our area we have mostly
older people. Wisconsin still main
tains a fairly young crowd, but we
have a lot of great bands still working
here.
“I think Nebraska and Wisconsin
are the states that are really holding it
together”
Nadherny said a key player in
keeping polka alive was Pla-Mor
owner, Bobby Lane, who has contin
ii
I think Nebraska and
Wisconsin are the
states that are really
holding (polka)
together”
Ron Nadherny .
polka artist
ually booked polka acts over the
years, despite waning attendance..
Lane said that while the shows didn’t
attract massive crowds anymore,
there was still a loyal group who
made booking polka acts worth it.
“The people who love die music
really put out an effort to attend,”
Lane said. “One of the disappointing
things is that we’re not seeing as
many young people attend as we used
to.
“It’s something that people are
clinging to, but everything changes.”
He said that while younger gener
ations weren’t being exposed to as
Please See POLKA on 14