Jesse Welles was previously in a band called Dead Indian.
There had been some concern, confusion and even controversy around the band name. The Resist release, included an insert with information on why they chose their name. Dead Indian was named not by Jesse, but by the drummer Simon Martin, who is the author of this note:
They used the name “Dead Indian” to provoke a reaction and make people think about the history of indigenous peoples. The name is intended as a form of art to address cultural bastardization and historical injustices. They used their platform to highlight issues people “don’t want to think about,” like the events at Standing Rock. The note further argues that art should make people uncomfortable to prompt reflection on societal responsibility for past and present issues.
A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST: RESIST
A lot of folks have asked, “why Dead Indian?” and it’s a fair question. It gives people some trouble, it can make you feel guilty or angry or sad. It’s heavy and it’s real and it’s rough around the edges, and you can be assured that people will take it on face value without listening to the message or asking about it. I was born on St. Regis Mohawk reservation, in upstate New York where my father’s fathers have lived for centuries. Jess and Dirk were raised just outside the heart of Cherokee country, in the south, surrounded by ignorance and racism. None of us grew up wealthy or well-off, no silver spoons or handouts. We all lived in the shit one way or another and we’ve all witnessed the bastardization and slow destruction of a culture, my culture, by various media outlets and consumerism and “SOCIETY.”
When you have a voice or some sort of privilege, you use it to reach out to the people who wouldn’t otherwise listen. We didn’t have much, but tried to use it to bring up things that people don’t want to think about, to make folks uncomfortable- that’s what art is for. People don’t like to consider the millions of indigenous peoples who were killed or marched or forced to assimilate just so great-great-granddad could get his 40 acres and a mule- it makes them feel like the bad guy. If we can invoke that feeling from music, or art, or even just a band name then I think we’re doing exactly what we’re meant to do. This is only more relevant now with recent happenings at Standing Rock, which you don’t see anything about on your TV because if they had their way you wouldn’t even know about it. It’s the same story over and over, salt the earth and re-write the narrative so you don’t have to be the monster. The upside of the modern-day social media face space opinion machine is that it’s finally giving some people a small glance into this world where they’re responsible for some of the bad shit that’s going on.
