Farmer, Plateros heading to D.C.

Gary Farmer plays the blues with his band "Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers" at Coal Street Pub in Gallup N.M. Friday June 13, 2008. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Staff Photo

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Diné Bureau

TOHAJIILEE — New Mexico band Levi and the Plateros and musician Gary Farmer are scheduled to perform at the American Indian Inaugural Ball in Washington in January.

The musicians will be part of an all-star ensemble of Grammy and Native American Music Award winners from throughout the country, including Micki Free, Bill Miller, Keith Secola and other Native American musicians.

The event — called Native Music Music Rocks — is scheduled to take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington , Va., Jan. 20. It is being sponsored by Hard Rock International and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

A singer and harmonica-player, Gary Farmer resides in Santa Fe and is an accomplished film and television actor.

“I’m ecstatic to participate in this particular inauguration.

Because of Barack Obama, this is a great event to participate in,” Farmer said.

Members of the Plateros are 16-year-old Levi on vocals and lead guitar, his father Murphy on bass/vocals and his cousin Douglas on drums. The Plateros is a Native American blues band from the Tohajiilee Navajo Indian reservation about 35 miles west of Albuquerque.

The band was nominated for a Native American Music Award for the best blues recording in 2007 and 2008. The Plateros picked up nominations for best blues song in 2007 and 2008 by the New Mexico Music Awards. Also in 2008, the band was nominated for best blues/jazz song and best rock song for “Don’t You Know” and best gospel/religious song for “Lord Of All” at the 2008 Native E-Music Awards.

For generations — since the late 1950s — the Plateros have been known for singing and as musicians within the Tohajiilee Navajo reservation. In 1999, a then 7-year-old Levi made his way to the main stage of performing members of the family. Raised in a family of musicians, there was no doubt that this would be the road he would take.

While he played drums at his first show with his dad in Shiprock, Levi has since put away the drums and picked up the Fender Strat.

The Plateros has played at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington, the national UNITY conference in Reno, Nev., and the National Museum of American Indians in.

In the new year, the Plateros is expected to play in Hollywood, Florida, and Mount Pleasant, Mich.  

In April 2005, the band released an EP called “Get It Right,” and followed that in 2006 with a self-titled CD “The Plateros.” In 2007, the band released “Levi and the Plateros.” The first Christmas CD by the Plateros — “Diné Christmas” — is a limited edition CD full of Christmas blues tunes. A new album will be released in March.

The Plateros holiday songs “Diné Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock” can be heard on its Myspace page.
Information: www.myspace.com/theplateros