Program 204 – Contemporary Rhythms

Leo Lockwood

with Milt Lee

[audio:https://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/s2_progs/204_cr.mp3]

Arlie Neskahi :
In Indian country, the term “boarding schools” usually evokes images of children torn from families, mouths being washed out with soap, long braids chopped. But for some, the boarding school was a garden in which new things sprouted and grew. This was true for an Arikara musician who picked up his first set of drum sticks at Flandreau Indian School. Today, on Contemporary Rhythms, Milt Lee talks with Leo Lockwood about his introduction to contemporary Native music.

Musical opening with drum sticks on cardboard sound

Milt Lee :
Great music doesn’t necessarily grow out of a great environment. Musicians often seek rhythm and sound out of need, out of loneliness, out of heartbreak. In a sense, boarding schools were like an incubator. Leo Lockwood, an Arikara man from New Town, North Dakota, is one of these people.

Leo Lockwood :
I think the whole influence of music started way back. When I was in the third grade I was shipped off to a boarding school, and at the time there wasn’t very many activities and with the boarding school life, there’s a lot of peer pressure. There’s a lot of rivalry between kids and one of the things that I’ve done was that I retreated into my room for safety. And they had this phonograph that you could check out and I found it more comforting to go check out the phonograph and listen to all, you know they had some up to date music, and then just staying by myself listening to music.

Lockwood :
And then after awhile, as I got a detail, one of the personnel would give me a little bit of money now and then, I bought myself a pair of drumsticks from the local music store. And I put one of the album covers, I just put it on top of the garbage can, this square garbage can, and I would start drumming to the beat of the music. I’ve done that for third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, and you know, from all that time I was getting real interested in, what would you call it, the rudiments of music and drumming.

And then when I got into high school, there was, into Flandreau, they had equipment there that, for a band you know, drums, guitars and amps, and I’d never played on a full drum set. And I tried it out and it seemed so easy for me.

Lee :
While still in high school, Leo and his buddies formed a band. They played all over in boarding schools and sometimes in bars.

Lockwood :
And one time we played down at Vermillion at a place called the Crow’s Nest and they kind of had to get special permission to book us in there because we were all under age. And as we were playing, there was this guy that just happened to stumble in the door. He was kind of drinking, and he came up to the band and he said, “My name is Floyd Westerman.”

Music:
Custer Died for Your Sins
Floyd Westerman

” Do you mind if I do a few numbers with you?” And we didn’t know who he was but once he got on stage, he was playing all these songs and he just kind of like, we’re just thinking gee, I wish this guy would go away. He’s taking over the whole show. (laughs)

Lee:
Floyd Westerman was the new voice of Native music. He was heavily into the American Indian movement and his music put protest to a country beat.

Lockwood :
But I always remember that. He probably don’t remember us and little did I know, a few months later, he came to the school with his whole band, and they sounded good. He had his records and everything and it was just like, wow, man, he was right there playing with us, you know.

We were influenced by Floyd when he came up on stage, and I still remember how good they sounded. And to me, it was just like, I want to be good. I want to be up on stage. I want to be kind of in that light to have all the people really appreciate me, you know, for the music and stuff.

Lee :
In the boarding schools, making music began as a survival tool, a way to get by, a form of expression. But these early musicians, like Leo Lockwood and Gordon Bird, paved the way for the next generation, groups like Indigenous and Lightfoot, and Jackie Bird.

Besides, it just gets under your skin. You can’t help yourself – those strings, those sticks, that beat.

Music:
Ancestors
Gordon Bird

Lockwood:
The thing for me is when you get together with these other musicians, and you hear the sound that when you all come together, it sounds so good. Its just like you’re a part of this sound and it just feels good.

And music was one of the biggest things that kept me in school. I think if it wasn’t for music, because my academics weren’t that great, and I really didn’t like being in school cause to me it was like, I don’t really want to do this English, and I don’t really want to do this writing, but I know that this weekend, I got a dance in Marty. So I’m just going to kind of hang in there so I can get that done, you know. But I eventually did.

And as I got done with that, I eventually went on to community college. I got my associate’s degree. And this school was encouraging me to go a little more, and I got my bachelor’s degree. And they kept encouraging me, and I got my master’s degree. And now I’m sitting here thinking, I got my master’s degree and I’m a kid that didn’t even like school. (laughs) But I’m saying that if the music wasn’t there in the beginning, I probably wouldn’t even have a GED. And I always look at music as my stepping stone that took me a lot of places, that got me to where I’m at today.

One of my goals now is – remember that movie that come out – that school of rock? I’m going to try to create something like that for the kids around here. I have a place where I’m going to set up all the equipment. And then, there is a few little kids that are interested in music. I’m going to try to capitalize on that, encourage them, and try to reinforce their music. And hopefully, I can recreate kind of what happened in my life so that they will stay in school. They will stay away from drugs and alcohol, and find music as a good tool that will help them.

Lee:
From New Town, North Dakota, this is Milt Lee for Wisdom of the Elders.

Neskahi :
Contemporary Rhythms is written and produced by Milt Lee of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe and his wife, Jamie Lee, who live and work in Rapid City, South Dakota. Check out their website, realrez dot com for more of their work.