A few months back, I put together an episode of The Nightowl Radio Show on WHCL where I examined the horrendous and lazy use of Native American imagery and stereotypes and worn-out tropes in popular music. You know the songs … “Indian Lake” by the Cowsills, “Apache” by the Sugarhill Gang, and don’t EVEN ask me to explain “John Wayne is Big Leggy” by Hayzi Fantayzee. Just don’t.
That being said, recently my YouTube feed directed me to this cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black” as performed by a contemporary UK funk band. I listened to it, I liked it …
And then I saw the band’s name.
There you go, folks. The group calls themselves Mohawkestra.
I will note that there are NO Mohawks in the band Mohawkestra. I suspect there aren’t even any North American indigenous people in the group, either.
But that has not blocked this band from releasing a few funk-and-bongo covers of popular 1960’s rock tracks.
Look. The musicianship is top-notch. These songs are funky and solid.
But the band’s name … combined with that logotype that was horribly out of date 30 years ago when whatever high school football team used that logo said, “Nuh-uh, we’re done with it.”
So, as far as I’m concerned, I can blog about this today and include it as a K-Chuck Radio post …
But this group needs a new name before I put their music on my radio show. One that doesn’t make me feel totally unclean when I announce them to a listening audience whose broadcast range actually reaches the Oneida Indian Nation reservation area.
Nice try, guys.
Chuck The Writer 