Mato Nanji set to bring Indigenous blues to the Square
Seeing that the blues was invented by people who had been wronged by society, it’s no wonder that the South Dakota band Indigenous has been one of this decade’s most effective blues torch bearers.
On the group’s fifth studio record, “Broken Lands,” released last week, singer/songwriter/guitarist MATO NANJI pays tribute to his Native American heritage over the course of a dozen rich, openhearted tunes. It’s the first Indigenous record that’s not a family affair; up until 2006, the band was comprised of Nanji, his brother, sister and cousin. The latter three left the group after recording its fourth album, “Chasing the Sun.” Perhaps as a result, “Broken Lands” tackles questions of love and loneliness amongst Stevie Ray/Hendrix riffage and Nanji’s welcoming, Darius Rucker-ish voice. When the band opens for Big Head Todd and the Monsters next week, the Thursday at the Square crowd will be in for some introspective six-string fireworks.
How much of an influence has the new five-piece band had on your recordings and performances?
With every record, I want to do something different. The last record was pretty much a three-piece, with keyboards added in here and there, and with “Broken Lands,” I wanted to add a lot of different things. I might have done a little bit of that in the past, but never had the opportunity to stretch it out.
Do you have a bigger sound now?
Definitely. I’ve always liked having more guitars and keyboards. It always adds more room and makes it sound a little bigger. I’ve always been a big fan of female backing vocals, so I’m glad my wife did a lot more of that on this record.
You co-wrote this album with your wife, Leah Nanji. What did she bring to these songs?
She brought everything. Melodies, lyrics, etc. It all just fell together without much discussion — which had never happened to me before. It might have something to do with me and her growing up in the same area and experiencing similar things.
Hendrix is a clear influence of yours, but you still manage to make unique statements.
When I was first starting out, my dad told me to take all this good music and not set a boundary. Just listen to everything, and get what you can out of it. I think that really comes through on this record — the variety of music.
— Joe Sweeney, Special to The News
