We had a chat with deaf, multi-disciplinary artist Dead Feather about his journey as a person and artist and his new single ‘American Dreams’
A fiercely unique artist with a distinctive story and background and a sound that conveys every facet of it, Dead Feather is deaf self-taught musician who’s mission is to use his art, in various forms, to shed light on the historical mistreatment of Native American communities by the United States.
His debut album Cate Heleswv (Red Medicine) Vol. 1. and in particular the single ‘American Dreams’ sees the artist utilising an alternative rock sound, among other influences, to spread his message and make his point, and through a collection of immersive guitar riffs, thought-provoking lyrics, and a distinctive and off-kilter style that feels entirely his own, has created something that feels compelling and new while conveying messages that have been passed down through generations. The artist’s distinctive appeal and captivating story had us decide to have a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about his story, the project, and his future plans.
Who TF is Dead Feather?
Dead Feather is a deaf multi-disciplined artist whose work tackles the subject of assimilation and the civilization process concerning the North American Indian, in particular the Mvskoke-Creek. The Dead Feather concept also incorporates themes of conflicted spirituality, cultural isolation and being deaf into the creative aesthetic. You can visit deadfeatherart.com for more information on the Dead Feather concept.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve always fiddled around with my acoustic guitar for years, since about 2008 or so, back when I was really into writing poetry. I was always interested in how songwriting worked. It wasn’t until recently, about 2 years ago, that I started taking songwriting seriously. After a failed attempt at getting sponsorship and funding for a stage play in which I expand on the stories of various Mvskoke-Creek deities and monsters, I sat down and forced myself to learn the finger placements of various chords and studied the song structures of my favorite bands. Eventually the songs for Cate Heleswv (Red Medicine) Vol. 1 were conceived. I’ve always wanted to make a rock record, but being deaf, it seemed like an impossible dream.
Why do you make music?
Well, the Dead Feather concept is ever growing. I do poetry, paintings, masks and short films based on various Mvskoke-Creek deities and monsters that have been eradicated due to the civilization process, dolls that teach a small conversation in Mvskoke-Creek (among other things), and other forms of expression. The music is just an extended canvas to the Dead Feather concept. I suppose I make music to educate myself on my culture and history. It’s just another form of artistic expression.
What are your biggest influences?
I have quite a few influences. Education-wise, I inherited my grandfather’s extensive library of Native American history. Any time I come across any information regarding Mvskoke-Creek deities, traditions or customs, that’s always pretty exciting to me. As far as musicians and bands, there’s too many to name. Buy I will say the artists who influenced Cate Heleswv (Red Medicine) Vol. 1 would probably be the Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith and Andy McCoy. The album is very rock oriented. Fashion-wise, my influences are from the same. A mixture of Andy McCoy, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Perry & Steven Tyler, and the early Black Crowes era with a little bit of Hedi Slimane thrown into the mix. Lyrically, I’m influenced by Pablo Neruda, Frederico Garcia Lorca and Leonard Cohen.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
Right now, exploring the music field, I would say the biggest moment is finally getting the album pressed onto vinyl format. As a creative type, I’m constantly expanding my mediums in which I express myself. I’ve always wanted to incorporate vinyl into the Dead Feather concept. As a collector of vinyl records, I had to sell off a portion of my collection to fund my own vinyl pressings. But I consider the whole ordeal poetic, in a sense.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
Hmm.. I’m deaf, so that’s an interesting question. What I’m hearing probably isn’t what others are hearing. But I suppose I would say, in short, my sound is dark and profound with a mixture of rock and americana with a little bit of education thrown in. It’s unique in its own way. You may feel a spiritual pull while experiencing the album. We termed the style “Porretv” (bo-thlee-dah) meaning to witch; to conjure in Mvskoke-Creek. It was a term I threw around to describe my paintings and art before I got to the studio to record the album.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
I’m not sure what my “I made it” moment would be. I’m lucky enough to have everything I need. Food, water, clothing shelter, a few talents. I’m guessing the usual “I made it” moment for most is being able to live excessively. If I had the ability to live excessively, I would probably look into opening a Native American language and history program for those unfortunate to have access to those type of resources. I would probably look into bettering Native American health services as well.
We love your new single ‘American Dreams’, what more can you tell us about it?
Thank you! American Dreams was the second song I wrote for the album Cate Heleswv (Red Medicine) Vol. 1. I wanted to really capture the atmosphere of the Dead Feather concept in general with this song. Adam Stanley and Issac Nelson up at Remote Studios played a huge role in capturing the Dead Feather sound as both instrumentalists and audio engineers. The song is basically an observation from an uneducated deaf man born into the lower spectrum of the social class hierarchy. It’s an observation of the historical relationship between the US and the Native American community, in particular the Mvskoke-Creek. Lyrically the song takes from my experiences growing up and not having access to the proper resources to learn about my culture and history and having to borrow from other tribes and cultures to learn about my own due to the eradication of any traditional beliefs and practices due to the civilization process put into place by George Washington. The lyrics look into the same organizations and people in power that set this process into place and still continue to bring destruction to the planet and the common man to this very day all while doing away with any cultures or practices that do not align with the Church. American Dreams is an introduction to the various thematic elements that make up the Dead Feather concept.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
For the near future, I’m hoping to continue on with the Cate Heleswv (Red Medicine) project. There’s three more volumes for the project. We’ll see what happens In the meantime, I’m just enjoying sharing the current album with anyone who will listen and creating whenever the need arises.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
My biggest fan right now? Probably my mom, sister, cousin or fellow documentarian Wilson Stiner. Nobody is giving any feedback and I’m trekking this music thing all alone. But four fans are better than none. And for that, I’m grateful.
