Nicholas Galanin Closes the Distance

Explicit content warning

04/29/22 • 73 min

Nicholas Galanin is the force behind musical projects Ya Tseen, Indian Agent, and Silver Jackson. Based out of Sitka, Alaska, he creates art – both musical and physical – from and for his Tlingit community. Continuum is core to Galanin’s being. Being of both Tlingit and Unangax̂ heritage, Galanin’s work is concerned with serving his community and creating space for their voices, art, and culture in a world that has intentionally tried to strip it away. His collaborations as part of the Black Constellation represent an important statement of solidarity between Black and Indigenous artistic communities.

In this episode, we journey with Galanin through his numerous musical projects, his HomeSkillet festival and label, and some of his various exhibits and large scale art installations, like the “Never Forget” piece that saw him placing the words “INDIAN LAND” in Palm Springs in the style of the Hollywood sign. Galanin’s work is a mirror to the past while reflecting toward the future.

Listen to a playlist of music from the episode and read the transcript on KEXP.org.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/fresh

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to a playlist of music from the episode and read the transcript on KEXP.org.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/fresh

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

Universal Mother: JusMoni’s Love In Practice

JusMoni is not just a musical artist, but the embodiment of her city and a vessel for her ancestral spirits. She’s a mother, a poet, an organizer, a bereaved, and a light. Her music and performance is where these many facets of herself intersect. While she may be the youngest member of the Constellation, her wisdom exceeds her age and finds the ears of the rest of the constellation.

On this episode, Moni shares her story – and by extension, a deeper story about Seattle. Moni and her peers reflect on the Eritrean restaurant Hidmo that became a hub for local hip-hop, the intersecting identities with her family that she channels through her performance, motherhood, and her community and social justice work.

Listen to a playlist of music from the episode and read the transcript on KEXP.org.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/fresh

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Episode

OCnotes, the 808 Punk

Otis Calvin, III – aka OCnotes – is a prolific, renegade artist. A songwriter, producer, and visionary who not only transcends genre but denies any type of barrier – musical or otherwise. With a staggering nearly 300 albums to his name, OC is as prolific as they come. Fiercely independent in all senses of the word, Otis doesn’t compromise his vision for anything or anyone – let alone capitalist industry structures that would only hold back his astounding output. He’s the Dennis Rodman in a collective full of Dennis Rodmans.

In this episode, OC gives his candid thoughts about the music industry, his always expanding catalog, and the punk roots that inform his art and approach. For OC, the process of making music itself is a spiritual practice. Beneath all the grit and tenacity is a deep love for music and expression.

Listen to a playlist of music from the episode and read the transcript on KEXP.org.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/fresh

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.