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Past Performing Arts | Music
$6 access (suggested)$12 members, students, and adults 55 and over (suggested)$18 general public (suggested)$36 access sponsor (suggested)
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ACCESSIBILITYWe strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
Joe Rainey’s powerful vocals combine with processed samples and beats in this fresh take on powwow music that pays homage to its rich history.
During the 2016 Eaux Claires festival (founded by Aaron Dessner of the National and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver), powwow singer Joe Rainey, an Ojibwe member of the Red Lake Nation, witnessed a spontaneous moment that gave him an idea. Reuben Crowfeather, a member of the Hunkpapa Lakota tribe and drum group Iron Boy, began to dance, in full traditional garb, to Minneapolis producer Andrew Broder’s (of the indie group Fog) electronic beats. Rainey cites this unexpectedly compelling pairing as an inspiration for his own future collaboration with Broder.
The result was Niineta, one of 2022’s most critically acclaimed albums and a preview of what you’ll hear in this performance. Featuring Rainey’s vocals and samples of powwow from his personal archives supported by Broder’s respectful and exciting tracks, this bold new offering to the indie scene can’t be missed. (program approx. 60–75 mins.)
IMAGE CAPTION Joe Rainey, photo: David Guttenfelder.
Joe Rainey grew up as a part of the Red Lake Ojibwe tribe in what is now called Minneapolis. At the age of five, he started recording powwow singing groups with his General Electric tape recorder, and his mom enrolled him in a dancing and singing practice with the Little Earth Juniors soon thereafter. He went on to sing with various drum groups, including Big Cedar, Wolf Spirit, Raining Thunder, Iron Boy, and Midnite Express, before teaming with Broder on Niineta.
PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BYDoris Duke Foundation
WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BYOhio Department of DevelopmentGreater Columbus Arts CouncilThe Wexner FamilyInstitute of Museum and Library ServicesOhio Arts CouncilCampusParcOhio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery ThemeThe Columbus FoundationNationwide FoundationVorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BYMike and Paige CraneAxium PackagingNancy KramerOhio State Energy PartnersOhio History Fund/Ohio History ConnectionLarry and Donna JamesBruce and Joy SollJones DayAlex and Renée Shumate
Past Performing Arts
Joe Rainey
