Blackfire Road Report

It all started just over 18 years ago...
We only knew two songs, the instruments were much bigger than us, and the 1989/90 new years crowd looked pretty intimidating. The raw rock/punk songs were ones we had written 'cause we didnt know how to play anything else. This essentially was the birth of Blackfire.

A handful of albums, eps, misc recordings and countless tours later, here we are; still fiercely independent and finishing mixing our new full length album.

Please join us in celebrating this year by continuing to carry the flames of resistance against the destruction of life and the environment.

We are planning to tour the US and through Europe again this year so we hope to see you on the road in '07!

"Action is the antidote to despair." - Joan Baez

Ahee' hee'
~k~

STOP DESERT ROCK!

ISSUE: Dine' Establish Blockade at Proposed Desert Rock Power Plant
Sithe Global & DPA are proposing to build the Desert Rock power plant , a 1,500 MW Coal Fired plant in the Four Corners area on the Navajo Reservation. This is an area already polluted by 2 other major coal power plants ( Four Corners and San Juan power plants ). Local Navajo residence and community members oppose this project for many harmful reasons!! This Desert Rock power plant is still in the environmental review process and has NOT yet been permitted.
Community members have established a blockade to prevent preliminary work for the power plant.

ACTION: Join the blockade, send supplies, make a donation, write letters, & pressure investors.

Check out Klee's blog and pics.

STOP PEABODY!

ISSUE: Massive mining plans underway at Black Mesa, Arizona have serious
environmental, social, and human rights impacts.
Peabody Western Coal, the world’s largest coal company, has plans to
extend its mining operations on Black Mesa and has filed a lease extension
application with the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Peabody plans
to obtain a ‘Life of Mine’ permit -which means it would be permitted to
continue its unsustainable and dirty coal mining practices until all of
the coal is removed! Plans include relocating at least 17 families.
More info & background.

ACTION: Send a letter today to the Office Of Surface Mining, asking them to extend the critical deadline to allow impacted communities adequate time to prepare their input on stopping a destructive coal mining project. Click here for a sample letter.

SAVE THE PEAKS!

ISSUE: Flagstaff Water Commission Bypasses Public Process on Reclaimed Water for Snowmaking. On Wednesday, December 13th, the Flagstaff City Council announced that utilities director Ron Doba renewed a contract to sell treated sewage effluent to Arizona Snowbowl for snowmaking purposes on the San Francisco Peaks. This was a behind closed door deal! Click here for more info.

ACTION: Let's let the Flagstaff Water Commission know that we want "REAL SNOW FOR THE PEAKS!"
PROTEST - Thursday, December 21st (Solstice!) - 3:00 PM at Flagstaff City Hall
Write the Flagstaff City Council Members and Ron Doba (head of City Utilities) and let them know that you think reclaimed wastewater snowmaking is a health hazard not worth risking!
Flagstaff City Council: 211 W. Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
email: council@ci.flagstaff.az.us
Flagstaff Utilities Department: 211 W. Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
email: rdoba@ci.flagstaff.az.us

www.desert-rock-blog.com
www.blackmesais.org
www.savethepeaks.org

DESERT ROCK BLOCKADE REPORT
December 15th, 2006





Ya'a'teh,
I just returned to Flagstaff from Burnham, New Mexico where community members have established a blockade to prevent preliminary work for the proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant. On Tuesday, December 12th Elouise Brown & elder Alice Gilmore along with their relatives and concerned community members took action and stopped representatives of Sithe Global from entering onto their land. It was found that the New York based company Sithe Global, along with Dine' Power Authority which is an enterprise of the Navajo Nation, had been drilling for water near Alice Gilmore's home.

A tent has been raised, a fire is being kept and donations are slowly pouring in.

The elders and folks out there have experienced harassment and threats from law enforcement and other officials. In an incident last night a sheep dog had reportedly been run over, skinned and left for dead near the encampment.
They have also stated that their elected representatives are ignoring them. Aside from Navajo Nation Vice President Frank Dayish visiting a few days ago and promising to deliver a yet-to-be-seen port-a-potty, no other officials have met with these folks to hear their concerns.

When my friend Cy and I arrived we were warmly welcomed. We had passed a few law enforcement vehicles on the way, but the camp was completely peaceful. Although we heard of the harassment of the resisters, we also heard of their resolve to stand until their homes, their sacred sites and their ways of life are protected.

Please take a moment and support the families who are courageously taking a stand!

Ahee' hee',
Klee
You can view more pictures at http://www.blackfire-desertrock.buzznet.com





Alice Gilmore.

MORE SUPPORT IS NEEDED!

This is a call to participate in the blockade from the community:
"This direct action is Dine’ – Native based. You have been invited by the Dine’ grassroots families that live on the land where the proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant may be built."
For more information on participating in the blockade, where to go and what to bring check out: http://www.desert-rock-blog.com

A few specific items that were requested are:
-  Unleaded gas in appropriate containers for a generator
-  A Port-a-potty (Navajo Vice President Frank Dayish had promised one days ago and has yet to provide)
-  Various kitchen Supplies including: Hefty trash bags, large pots, ladles for stew, paring knives, paper towels, baking powder, hand soap, toilet paper, a washpan and big bowls.
-  Monetary donations to cover costs of radio announcements

Video cameras and digital cameras would also be very helpful.

Please contact DineCARE and Dooda Desert Rock Committee if you would like to help. 
 
Contact:
Sarah Jane White, Doodá Desert Rock Committee                               (505) 860-6166
Dailan J. Long  , Diné CARE,   Doodá Desert Rock Committee            (505) 801-0713
Elouise Brown, Doodá Desert Rock Committee                                    (505) 974-6159
Lori Goodman, Diné CARE                                                                  (970) 759-1908


For more up to date information visit: http://www.desert-rock-blog.com

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO HELP:

Contact the Following Authorities! Tell them you have heard about
Desert Rock's harassment of Navajo elders and youth. Tell them you
are extremely concerned! If enough people contact these offices they
will know that the world is watching.

Shiprock Police Department
phone: (505) 368-1350
fax: (505) 368-1293


Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley's Office
P.O. Box 9000 Window Rock, Arizona, 86515
phone #: (928) 871- 6352

also: George Hardeen, Navajo Nation Communications Director Office of
the President
Office #: 928-871-7000
Cell #: 928-380-7688
e-mail: georgehardeen@opvp.org


Bureau of Indian Affairs (Gallup Office) they are conducting the
Environmental Impact Statement.
Harrilene Yazzi, NEPA Coordinator Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo
Regional Office
P.0. Box 1060 Gallup, New Mexico 87305
Phone: 505-863-8314
Fax: 505-863-8324

For those who cannot make it out to Burnham, NM there maybe places to hold solidarity demonstrations/vigils at near you:

SITHE GLOBAL POWER LLC
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
NEW YORK
Sithe Global Power, LLC
245 Park Avenue
38th Floor
New York, NY 10167 
Phone: 212.351.0000
Fax: 212.351.0880
Contact: mitchell@sitheglobal.com
 
REGIONAL & AFFILIATE OFFICES
TEXAS
Sithe Global Power, LLC
Three Riverway
Suite 1100
Houston, Texas 77056
Phone: 713.499.1155
Fax: 713.499.1167
Contact: white@sitheglobal.com
 
TORONTO
Sithe Global Power, LLC
Commerce Court West, Suite 5300
199 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M5L 1B9
Phone: 416.869.5647
Fax: 416.947.0866
Contact: baxter@sitheglobal.com

Ya'a'teh!
We have been hard at work recording our new full length album.
We are currently working with producer Ed Stasium (Living Color, Ramones, Reverend Horton Heat, 7 Seconds, Talking Heads...) in a studio near Durango, Colorado.
We've tracked the drums and are now in the midst of recording bass, guitars and vocals.

We'll keep ya'll updated here on myspace and drop some reports and pics here and there.
Thanks for all your support!
Ahee' hee',
Klee

Pics
1. Clayson preparing to track drums
2. Clayson in action
3. Producer Ed Stasium
4. Klee
5. Jeneda
6. Pics of Joey Ramone and Don Fleming (producer of "One Nation Under")

Warped tour part 2


Ok ok, its been a while since the last post... weve been moving nonstop so let me collect my thoughts...

Las Cruces, NM was soo nice. Some folks even came all the way down from Tuba City, NN! I was getting onto the groove of the shows, finally got to see Against Me! and check email. I was slightly dreading the Phoenix show, it being on the Farce of July and at the Cricket Pavilion, formerly "Desert Sky", and all.
Quite a few years back we played an earth day event there with bands like Local H and the Meat Puppets and the security wouldn't let anyone slam dance... at least during our show. So we addressed that issue onstage of course. The next band went on and ppl start slammin', so naturally i jumped into the pit. Suddenly I found myself being carried away by multiple muscle headed security guys and told to leave. No fun and no freedom of speech or movement for us that earth day.
Ok, back to the Warped Tour. It was awesome to see so many kids from the Rez, although the stage we were on was tucked away, folks found us. We naturally expressed our views on how we as indigenous peoples really have nothing to celebrate on this day of so-called "independence" 'cause 1. this country is stolen land 2. the injustices against indigenous peoples and the earth continue to this day 3. this country is furthering its legacy of colonialism with its "free" trade policies and unprovoked wars. Yeah, the list goes on and on.
I found myself feeling strangely nostalgic, I felt like we were just getting warmed up and reconnecting with old friends. This was our last day scheduled for the tour. Lots of our friends came out, a security guard barked at me (didnt throw me out though (; ), and I saw Joan Jett!
The first time i saw Joan Jett was at a small club in NYC. I was in the city by myself for some reason or another and Joey Ramone asked if I wanted to go to some party. Who would say no? And there she was playing for like 250 people and it was one of the best shows of my life. On this particularly hot Phoenix day the Warped crowd definitely wasn't as excited as i was to see Joan Jett. A handful of us were sprinkled about singing along and jumpin about, most other people seemed hypnotized (possibly trying to figure out how they felt about someone rockin' out who was bad ass when their parents were their age).
Later I caught up with some folks and traded some merch. The Barbecue was mellow, on my way out i ran into some of the more well known politically driven band's members and tried to extract how they reconciled being on such a consumerist based tour, yeah, big can of worms there... I got a lot of different answers, none of which made me feel any more comfortable with my own attempts of reconciliation. Brian from Bouncing Souls seemed to have the best idea. Water balloons plus rockstars and any innocent bystanders equals fun. A small crowd between tour buses was the perfect target. Launch and run, then do it again. I was wishing I had hundreds of the harmlessly humbling hydro-projectiles. Alas we quickly depleted our rounds and it was time to go.
A few seeyalaters and we were back in the RV and on the road. I didnt see any fireworks. No flags other than the usual nationalistic displays. It was great.

More later...
~klee

BLACKFIRE Road Report
Day 1 & 2 - Warped Tour '06 - Houston & Dallas, TX
By Klee

Check out more pics at www.blackfire.buzznet.com

Here we are on the Warped Tour again, this time we have back up with our friend Rafe Sweet on sound and our cousin Meghan Benally on merch.
We tried as hard as we could to find a Straight Vegetable Oil powered vehicle and had to settle for Propane (no King of the Hill pop culture jokes :P) instead.


The crew and the ride!

The Warped Tour is an interesting phenomenon, for 12 years now well over 600 people including crew and bands have moved across the country spreading sweaty pseudo-punk, emo, metal & a range of other unclassifiable music to the masses. In Kevin Lyman's own words (the founder of Warped Tour), "I hear often from people that they feel that the Van's Warped Tour is the place where they feel like they fit in, can be themselves, and are not pre-judged." Cool.

The first date we jumped on was Houston, TX. Yeah Texas, it's hard to fathom but yes, we are in the Lone Star state.
The stage times are randomly selected so we must arrive at production headquarters everyday at around 9AM, find out what stage and when we're playin, set up our merch booth, chill for a bit (more like endure the humidity/heat of the day on the blacktop), get in line for lunch and eat (by the way, Warped has got to have some of the best catering with Vegan options to boot!), play our short set (about 20 min per band), get in line for dinner, check out the Warped customary Barbecue which is hosted this year by bands 8 FINGERS DOWN & SUNSTREAK, which are both awesome groups to share the stage with, there's also some semblance of an after party affectionately dubbed "Trash Party", and then we drive and drive and drive... and do it all again the next day.
There's no room for monotony when you have so many bands on an exodus like this.


Meghan at the merch booth and Rafe at, well im not sure where he's at...

Houston was buzzy and quick, the stage ran late and I accidently had a speaker cable in my guitar rig which created this overwhelming buzz that added an new unwanted dimension to our sound. Johnny from AMERICAN BLACK LUNG (a Tucson group that rocks!) lent me his guitar in the midst of our set to no avail... as we later found the culprit cable. It was a ruff set to kick things off with for sure.
Dallas was better, an energetic crowd and decent time slot with a bit of sleep made for a good mix. I have to add here that my sis Jeneda is like 8 months pregnant and she's rockin' out! We met some cool folks and ran into some people that had seen us at the '04 Warped show.


Some live shots in Dallas (By Rafe)

When we walked into the show the first thing we saw was an Army recruiting booth, so a few of people from the Take Action booth (cool folks on the tour promoting various issues for youth to get involved in) decided to really take action and distribute literature that presents some good questions that people should consider before enlisting. One of the guys from Take Action had a sign he made expressing concerns about the Haditha massacre in Iraq. At first things were pretty chill, the recruiters didnt approach us and we passed out hundreds of flyers in minutes with pretty positive response. There were a few discourses going on but nothing outta hand. The arguments seemed pretty centered around a couple of points, 1. "We shouldn't be not supporting our troops in Iraq 'cause theyre fighting for our freedom and we've never been there so we can't say anything." 2. "Recruiters dont lie. If someone isnt smart enough to ask all the questions its their own damn fault." Most of the conversations we're civil, "I dont like what youre sayin but I respect your right to say it."



Taking Action!

At one point someone grabbed the Take Action guy's sign and attempted to crumple it up and throw it, I caught it and continued to hold it up expressing that this was freedom of speech. I guess some military folks dont value the constitution.
A man who looked like he was working at the venue jumped in, "I served, im a vet, and what you recruiters are doing is shameful, this war is wrong."
At this point a large circle of about 50 people had gathered, on one side the military supporters and on the other a mix of punks, emo kids, and general Warped Tour attendees. One military guy said, "this isnt the place to do this, go make your statements somewhere else, we're here for the music." I guess he didnt hear Anti-Flag or the other groups expressing strong disgust with the presence of recruiters at the Warped Tour. Someone responded, "Hey, this is what punk is all about! Recruiters are the ones who dont belong here!"
This is when things got a bit out of hand.
A young military supporter held up a sign she made that stated, "It takes balls to hold up a sign that says 'Support our Troops'."
A very aggressive man grabbed the sign out of the Take Action guys hands and proceeded to rip it up and throw it to the ground, the sign was quickly snatched up and raised into the air, which of course necessitated more grabbing and ripping.
I expected a riot, we're in Texas after all. Words were quickly expressed, "You just tore up freedom of speech, you tore up the Constitution, is this really what you're fighting for in Iraq?", "You care more about Iraqi freedom than freedom of speech here." A moment of debate ensued, "Im a commander and we got people all over who are scum...", a quick retort, "...yeah, like in Washington, in the Whitehouse!". Laughter. One young punker pointed out, "You are hypocrites!" That seemed to get the most response 'cause he was quickly surrounded by a few of the "Army of One" who were ready to pounce on him. Security was non responsive so luckily Clayson arrived with a camera in hand and the situation was pretty much diffused, the "Army of One" just started yelling into the camera instead of beating this punk rocker down. After a few more moments of heated debate the crowd started dwindling.
Then I see my brother being taken from the crowd by a large man who made a statement about the war to me earlier. I follow, who are you? why are you taking my brother? He responds that he's head of Warped security yet he's not wearing anything that readily identifies him as security, no classic "security" shirt, just a black band shirt. I ask him again, "why are you taking my brother?" He says he doesnt have to tell me, i ask him if he's a law enforcement officer, Clayson asks if hes being detained, he proceeds to grab me now and then my back stage pass and rips it off and my brothers yelling that they are (the passes) "our (Warped Tour's) property".


The bandaged pass...

Now im being detained with my brother and we're being escorted to the security office of the tour. Cut to the security office and Kevin Lyman (Warped founder), the head of security and the media coordinator are there. At first the discussion is heated, something about how my brother didnt have a pass to film and the presence of a video camera is what created the situation. We say the camera diffused the situation, we have witnesses. Kevin Lyman proceeds to tell us how the Army/Marines arent getting booth space from Warped but its a deal that those groups have with the venues. Now he feels differently about the military but in his day the army was a place where people went to get "straightened out" and that if anyone is enlisting now than they know what theyre getting themselves into. He says in all the years of the tour there's been only 3 fights.
We ask, "So how do we move forward?" Make sure we get a pass to film. What are the rules? You can only film in certain areas 'cause FUSE has rights to film all around, you cant film certain bands, you can only film certain things. How come no one told us this before when we asked about what to expect at the tour. 'Cause theres too many rules to let everyone know about.

Funny how none of the white folks who were threatening to beat up some punk got into any sort of trouble at all...

Where were the rest of the bands who made statements against the war when we needed 'em? Maybe next time.
Wait, I think I just heard someone say, "Fuck War, Lets Party!".
But i know i know, what should i expect when i pass by a Well$ Farg* booth everyday that says it all, "The Fun of Money Tour."
It is quite amusing to see little punkers and others scrambling around for prizes by grabbing at fake flying bills.

Check out http://www.objector.org/ & http://www.veteransforpeace.org/ for more info.

More later...

~Klee


Whats wrong with this picture?


HOOTERS & RECRUITERS ON THE WARPED TOUR (ITS VERY AMERICAN)**
Day 3 - Warped Tour '06 - San Antonio, TX
By Klee

Today went by pretty quick. The same glorious ritual, set up, play, tear down, eat somewhere in between it all. I think i found my mantra for the tour, its disjointed but im working on it, "This is for all the people who came for the music and not just to be a consumer. Thanks for supporting independent music on the Warped Tour." It's hard to play on the "Mall Punk" stage (Hot Topic, it's solar powered though!) across from a "H**ters" food booth, I think thats why i have a headache.
I finally got to meet the people handling the recycling on the tour. See, the Warped Tour is trying to go green, which it, as every festival, should. They have a recycling program (get in free to the show if you pick up recyclables) though there are no recycling bins as alternatives to trash cans, a solar powered stage (which we're playin on), all the production vehicles (16 of 'em i believe) run on biodiesel, booth space for non profits and local activist type groups, and on a day off where a few of the bands helped with relief efforts in Louisiana. The person I talked to was reluctant to share their frustrations but ultimately stated that they couldnt get production to give them any more money for recycling, even though they were on their last roll of bags for recyclables. Most of what gets recycled on the tour is what gets discarded on the ground unless volunteers dig through the trash and find items that are not contaminated. Which must be a very, very small fraction of what gets used. Still, at least they're trying, right?
On the subject of volunteers, maybe its no secret but i've discovered that some (im not entirely sure how many exactly) of the Independent bands on Warped have an arrangement where they volunteer to set up and tear down stages and sound systems so that they can play. It's a pretty cool arrangement, you pay your way, sell your merch, play your set, tear down, drive, set up and do it again and again for as long as you can last and hopefully people will listen to your music and buy your CD so that you can have gas money to get to the next show.

Its hard to be an Independent band in the States these days, it seems like almost no one will go out of their way to listen to you if you haven't been on the radio, TV or crammed down their throat by some other means of advertisement. Sigh. Still with me? I know this is a lot, but theres so much more... how about a subject change. My cousin Meghan was educating me about "The New Boy Bands", the emo bands that stir the same youthful hysteria that New Kids on the Block did back in their days of glory, but i dont know, i feel like ive been deprived of something when i don't recognize the name of the band that all the boys in cute girl pants and all the girls that look like the ones on myspace who have like 50 million friends are standing in line for hours for autographs and pictures of. Whoa, too many cans of worms here (or too many free energy drinks, i usually never touch the stuff, but...). lets bring it back to good 'ol fashion punk, whatever that is.

More later...

~Klee

**title credit: Blacktooth aka Skunk

What im listening to:
"The Hand that Feeds" by NIN

*Disclaimer: These are my personal views, they dont necessarily represent what my brother and sis think about all this... its just my perspective at the moment. :)

SAVE THE SOUTH CETRAL FARM!

DISPATCH FROM SCF - 12PM - June 11th 2006 - I've been out at the South Central Farm in L.A. for the past few days. The folks here are engaged in direct action to save this unique 14 acre community farm located in the midst of miles of concrete, warehouses and rail ways. This farm is maintained by Mexican and Indigenous families who face the threat of eviction. The resistance has been going on for 21 days to protect this beautiful oasis. 

In many ways this is not only an issue of food security but of racism, classism and the ongoing destruction of our cultures and the earth.

Support is urgently needed! (glorious jobs of doin' dishes, making banners, cleaning bathrooms, holding workshops, etc... and of course hangin out with cool peeps!)

As i type this helicopters circle above and youth patrol the parameter.
If you can, come out now to the farm and volunteer!

Ill be posting more about the farm and some pics to my blog (www.blog.myspace.com/eelk) in the next few days.

Respect!
~Klee

Please visit for more information!
www.southcentralfarmers.org/

www.southcentralfarmers.com/

THINGS YOU CAN DO!
1. Call and email the Mayor
mayor@lacity.org
213-978-0600
as a voter in support of SCF we urge you to close the deal to save SCF!

2. Call and email Jan Perry!
councilmember.perrylacity.org
213-473-7009
as a voter in support of the SCF we urge you to please champion the farm's survival!

3. Make a Donation! www.southcentralfarmers.org

4. Stand in Solidarity with the Farmers! COME VISIT THE FARM!

www.southcentralfarmers.org/

www.southcentralfarmers.com/

Croatia, Macedonia & Serbia.
Through the slivers of media reports on wars and uprisings, Slobodan Milosevic and war crimes, i never knew what to expect coming into the area known as the Balkans in Eastern Europe.
Our show in Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia, was a pulsating night of energy mostly driven from our sense of the issues that people in this region are facing. The first things we learned about the area were where places were bombed during the most recent war (1991-1995). We had a discussion earlier in the day about current issues affecting indigenous peoples in the States, including info about Black Mesa and the Peaks struggle. We showed part of the Snowbowl Effect and had some great questions. Some awesome Anarcho-punk connections here!

After Croatia was Macedonia where we played in Tetovo and Skopje. Macedonia is the only country in the world that recognizes the Roma people ("gypsies") as a nation. Theres a lot of tension between Albanians and Macedonians due to recent conflicts, but overall when we talked to people they expressed strong desire to heal the wounds that divide them. Skopje is an incredible city to hang out in, I ended up walking around with a couple of people talking about Indigenous issues, feminism and the recent wars of the area, sorta all at once. I missed the info shop but made some cool connections, hope to be back with the "Bad Kids"!

I didnt know what to expect coming into Serbia, but for sure the expectations i did have were shattered. We had many conversations with people about their experiences during the NATO bombings of Belgrade, most everyone shared how they would hang out with friends and watch the "firework shows" from the highest points they could find in the city. It was cool to hear how much of the uprising that ultimately overthrew Milosevic was initially from a "Get out the Vote" campaign. The campaign was centered around major rock concerts to get youth to vote and ultimately was a little too successful (getting about 80 percent new voters if i remember correctly). From what was shared with us Milosevic wouldnt concede the election so people just rose up (of course not overnight, there were many demonstrations and creative actions that lead up to this) and marched on the capitol (about 500,000), against rubber bullets and tear gas and ultimately against real bullets until the military couldnt do a thing. Theres so much more to this, i urge you to check out what you can find online... ill post some links here when i can.

We're also getting lots of reports from friends back home who have gone to New Orleans and the affected region... for more on what you can do and to hear the other side(s) of the story check out www.indymedia.org and www.commondreams.org.

Peace,
Klee (This email thing is like hit and run this tour... more later...)


1. Belgrade show 2. Belgrade 3. Borek burik - our Road Manager/Agent for Eastern Europe.
4. Ludwigsfeld, Germany (sp?)