RECAP: Indigenous at Lincoln Calling

Who would’ve known that a blues band from South Dakota would unite audiences -young and old- in the middle of downtown Lincoln. Indigenous made up of band members Mato Nanji, Justin Cournoyer and Evan Nanji easily provided sultry rock and roll blues that caressed my ears, and made ‘dad rock’ something more tangible for a younger audience. The head banging rock paired with the sexy reverb of the electric guitar and bass and the raspy rock n’ roll echo of lead singer Mato, makes it easy for audiences of many generations to find common ground. At first glance, you might think this audience was full of families, but the closer you look the more you can grasp at the fact that multiple generations have come together to lend an ear and listen to this Native American/Indigenous blues band. As my hips swayed to the jazzy rhythm, and my head banged to the rock n’ roll beat, I felt a sense of connection and belonging in a crowd of people I usually might not associate with. It was easy, and even felt natural to make eye contact with other members of the crowd and nod in agreement that this music was in fact amazing. Mato’s ability to make love to the microphone invests the audience in a love story about romance, loss, making up, breaking up, and getting back together again. Music often covers the theme of love, but Indigenous does it like no other. They get their listeners invested in this human experience just by the strum of their seductive guitar. And, that’s a great way to summarize Lincoln Calling - audiences of all ages, ethnicities, incomes and experiences coming together to enjoy something that’s been uniting humans since the beginning of time: music.