2008 Woodie Awards
Musician Jim Boyd gives audience members taste of Native American contemporary music
Tim Madigan
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Entertainment
Schuler Auditorium was filled with an eclectic mix of fans Tuesday night to witness musician Jim Boyd perform. While the majority of the fans were NIC students, there were also families, babies and a few senior citizens.
The fan base fits a musician like Boyd perfectly. It's hard to put a label on what Boyd does. It's described as "Native American Contemporary," but at any given time during the concert one could hear rock, blues, country, jazz, folk and everything in between.
Boyd began the performance by screening two music videos, the first of which was his hit solo "Inchelium." Next he showed "Stick Indians," a playful video about mysterious evildoers.
Switching between two guitars and a harmonica, Boyd moved into his live set. The concert lasted about two hours with Boyd mixing old favorites with new material. At times Boyd even took shouted requests from the audience.
His most well-received songs were the ones taken from the soundtrack for the film "Smoke Signals," a popular film based on the short stories of renowned author Sherman Alexie.
Boyd performed songs that contained serious messages, such as broken relationships and alcoholism, but also kept it light and upbeat with occasional tunes that were funny and catchy.
He also had several songs that about some people he knows from the Colville Indian Reservation, of which he is a member.
"To be honest I really didn't know what to expect," said Patrick Johnson, a sophomore from Bethesda, Md. "I had never heard of Jim Boyd, but the poster looked interesting so I went. I really liked it. It was consistently entertaining, and he's a great musician."
Boyd is a multi-talented artist. While he is first and foremost a musician, he is also a songwriter, producer, director, spokesperson and businessman.
Boyd has won six Native American Music Awards and founded his own independent record label, Thunderwolf Records. Boyd has also recently taken an interest in filming material for his own music videos.
"I love the blues, so I decided to go see him when I heard he could play," said Charles Salley, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C. "I was not disappointed. He had great lyrics and some very catchy riffs. You could tell he really cared about his music. At times he seemed so wrought with emotion, but then he would just move on to the next song."
The fan base fits a musician like Boyd perfectly. It's hard to put a label on what Boyd does. It's described as "Native American Contemporary," but at any given time during the concert one could hear rock, blues, country, jazz, folk and everything in between.
Boyd began the performance by screening two music videos, the first of which was his hit solo "Inchelium." Next he showed "Stick Indians," a playful video about mysterious evildoers.
Switching between two guitars and a harmonica, Boyd moved into his live set. The concert lasted about two hours with Boyd mixing old favorites with new material. At times Boyd even took shouted requests from the audience.
His most well-received songs were the ones taken from the soundtrack for the film "Smoke Signals," a popular film based on the short stories of renowned author Sherman Alexie.
Boyd performed songs that contained serious messages, such as broken relationships and alcoholism, but also kept it light and upbeat with occasional tunes that were funny and catchy.
He also had several songs that about some people he knows from the Colville Indian Reservation, of which he is a member.
"To be honest I really didn't know what to expect," said Patrick Johnson, a sophomore from Bethesda, Md. "I had never heard of Jim Boyd, but the poster looked interesting so I went. I really liked it. It was consistently entertaining, and he's a great musician."
Boyd is a multi-talented artist. While he is first and foremost a musician, he is also a songwriter, producer, director, spokesperson and businessman.
Boyd has won six Native American Music Awards and founded his own independent record label, Thunderwolf Records. Boyd has also recently taken an interest in filming material for his own music videos.
"I love the blues, so I decided to go see him when I heard he could play," said Charles Salley, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C. "I was not disappointed. He had great lyrics and some very catchy riffs. You could tell he really cared about his music. At times he seemed so wrought with emotion, but then he would just move on to the next song."
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