Native American band draws from all of America’s musical influences

When the Native American band Dark Water Rising takes the stage on Friday, April 3, in the McKissick Museum’s Booker T. Washington Auditorium, don’t expect an evening filled with the haunting sounds of chanting, drums and flutes. That’s because even though Dark Water Rising is technically an American Indian group – members belong to North Carolina’s Lumbee and Coharie tribes – the band’s music pulls from rock, soul, gospel, blues and even a little bit of emo.

“Blues and jazz are part of eastern North Carolina’s music culture, so it makes sense that those genres would flavor the music of Dark Water Rising,” said Douglas Peach, South Carolina Folklife and Traditional Arts program director

Since their formation in 2008, Dark Water Rising has been featured on National Public Radio and their 2013 album, “Grace and Grit: Chapter I,” recently was awarded a NAMMY (Native American Music Award) for “Best Gospel/Inspirational Recording. And Charly Lowry, the group’s lead singer, was a finalist on the television program “American Idol” in 2004.

Appearing with Dark Water Rising is blues singer Lakota John, an 18-year-old Native American who carries a life’s worth of blues in his young voice. For this performance, John will be joined by his family – known collectively on-stage as Lakota John and Kin. The group’s 2014 self-titled album was nominated for Best Blues Recording at the 2015 NAMMY awards.

The show, entitled “Native and Now,” is the fifth and final public program for McKissick’s exhibit “Traditions, Change, and Celebration: Native Artists of the Southeast.” The exhibit closes in July.

For more information, visit artsandsciences.sc.edu/mckissickmuseum

To reserve a free ticket, visit http://tiny.cc/s42qvx.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Native American band draws from all of America’s musical influences."