The Local Musician: Lyrically linking the Flagstaff community
Greenlaw, Tha Yoties & the power of local music
Camille Sipple
The local music scene in Flagstaff brings the community together in countless ways. By consuming local music, the Flagstaff community has the opportunity to experience a multitude of diverse music styles. Local bands, Greenlaw and Tha Yoties represent just a couple of styles that continue to thrive within the local scene.
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The Celtic stylings of Greenlaw
Greenlaw, a local Celtic band, performs live on a weekly basis at Flagstaff’s Mead Hall. Rod Robinson, Michael Satterwhite and Greg Ulrich are just a few of the various Greenlaw members. All three, however, came from an “Irish Session” background.
“Irish Sessions are a longstanding tradition where people in Ireland would typically get together, sit in public places, bring instruments and just play music all night,” Robinson said.
Robinson explained that each of them has been involved in Flagstaff’s local Irish Sessions for years and many of the tunes and songs they play as Greenlaw originate in those sessions. Irish Sessions can be found all around the world, Robinson said.
Greenlaw often introduces a variety of traditional Celtic instruments to community members who stop by the Mead Hall to take a listen. One example is Satterwhite’s percussion instruments, the bodhrán and bones.
“I play bodhrán, which is an Irish drum, and bones, an ancient rhythm instrument,” Satterwhite said. “I’m pretty comfortable with most types of music we play within the Celtic realm. It’s exciting because everybody brings different talents to the table, as far as knowledge, practice and so forth.”
Ulrich explained that a good bodhrán player can get more beats and sounds out of that single instrument than any drummer or percussionist in a rock band with access to a full drum set.
For those who stumble upon either a Greenlaw performance or an Irish Session, it can be a pleasant surprise, Satterwhite explained.
“Some people might have lineage in their families that’s connected to the Celtic regions so touching home with a little piece of what might be in their blood is pretty exciting,” Satterwhite said.
Greenlaw has been performing locally with a variety of members since 2018 and can most consistently be seen performing at the Mead Hall in Flagstaff, Arizona every Thursday. The band focuses specifically on traditional Celtic instrumentation.
Tha Yoties and the strength of reggae
Tha Yoties, a reggae style band local to Flagstaff, began a bit haphazardly and raggedy according to lead singer Ed Kabotie.
“In Yotie lore, we often say it all started with me being arrested by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department and getting stuck here,” Kabotie said. “So I was going through a really intense probation and that’s why I was playing on the street. And the whole thing kind of went from there. The trio — myself, Hunter [RedDay] and Andrew [Baker] — that was a pretty hungry pack of Yoties. We played anywhere and everywhere. It was just crazy.”
Kabotie, RedDay and Baker were the original Yotie trio at the time of its inception, 10 years ago. However, Alec Tippett quickly made his way into the band as well. During a performance, Tippett grabbed a guitar, jumped on stage and, much to Kabotie’s surprise, fit effortlessly into Tha Yoties’ style and has been a constant within the band ever since, Kabotie explained.
Though each of Tha Yoties’ members had been musicians for a good portion of their lives, they shifted their specialties after starting the band and Kabotie said they each were a bit rusty to start. Kabotie had been solely a drummer his whole life and was stepping into the role of front-man for the first time. RedDay had not played bass in years, and Baker needed to reacquaint himself with the drumset.
“We were kind of misfits at the beginning,” Kabotie said. “We were already Yoties. We were already colorful but kind of raggedy and shaggy, both musically and in our appearance I think.”
The genre of reggae was what truly connected the band at first, Baker explained.
“I would say the conduit was reggae,” Baker said. “I have more of a hip hop background and Ed has more of a metal background, Alec’s more punk-rock, Hunter’s a bit of everything. So we all have fairly diverse backgrounds but reggae is definitely the thread connecting us.”
RedDay explained that including Native-style music such as the Native American flute was a unique aspect of Tha Yoties that he and Kabotie also sought to incorporate. The band looked to hold tight to its geographical roots and portray the cultures surrounding them through their music.
“I always say, I think why a lot of people want to come to Flagstaff is because they see the mountain and it attracts people,” RedDay said. “That’s the beauty of the sacred mountain. That’s what it’s always been about. Foremost, it attracts a lot of creative expression and people who want to do creative things.”
"Reggae is rebel music. It’s angry music. It’s a cry — which is what I feel like we’re doing. Tha Yoties are crying out. We’re howling for the people on the lands of the Colorado Plateau. "
ED KABOTIE, Tha Yoties
Tha Yoties have been performing consistently for the community and spreading the importance of their messages since 2013.
The community connection
However, more often than not, Tha Yoties see the entire 'Four Corners' as a larger community in and of itself, Tippett said. Through this mindset, the band has been able to create countless connections and relationships that have led to new projects and opportunities. Tippett said he sees his fellow band members as trailblazers in that sense.
“There are relationships that have been formed that bring exciting music from out of town or somebody from another state,” Tippett said. “That helps boost up this scene [Flagstaff] and whatever is going on over there. It opens people’s minds up to new ideas, musically and culturally. So, I think that’s what Tha Yoties have taught me about what ‘local’ means. I almost have a community and family in different parts all over the Colorado Plateau now, which is a really beautiful feeling.”
Kabotie continued by explaining that the style of music that Tha Yoties have tried to embrace is “edutainment.” His definition of local has a lot to do with the songs Tha Yoties produce and what they, as a band, embrace as local to them.
“When I think of Flagstaff, to be honest with you, I think of 50% of the arrests made are Native American people who make up only 8% of the population,” Kabotie said. “I think of friends of mine that I went to jail with who are dead because they froze on the streets because they were going through the revolving door situation here. I feel that people come from all over into this town and they know nothing about the history, about the people.”
Despite being a relatively high-energy band that enjoys rocking out with their fans, Kabotie explained that Tha Yoties also exist to bring important local issues to the surface. As a band, they hope to use music as a form of strength, storytelling and an uplifting sense of power that allows them to howl for those who need a voice.
“Reggae is rebel music,” Kabotie said. “It’s angry music. It’s a cry — which is what I feel like we’re doing. Tha Yoties are crying out. We’re howling for the people on the lands of the Colorado Plateau. We’re howling about the fact that the Havasupai are the only ones affected by the contamination of the Grand Canyon mines. We’re howling about the fact that the Ute Mountain Ute are the only people affected by the contamination of the White Mesa Mill. 500 open pit uranium mines on Navajo Nation. 45 billion gallons of water stolen from Hopi.”
Kabotie explained that Tha Yoties’ music should help serve as a way to bring these topics to the forefront of people’s minds. Music, as Tha Yoties see it, is a way to not only recognize the carefree joys in life, but also to understand the pain and suffering that characterizes much of history and influences modern cultures.
“I feel like the town of Flagstaff has so much beauty both in its people and its situation but from my perspective I see a lot of abuse and pain and division,” Kabotie said. “To me, to bring people together, you first have to point out the chasm between us. When you can take a good hard look at that and a good hard look at its history, and even the history of this country, that’s what’s going to bring us together, from my perspective.”
Baker explained that he believes music has an innate power to bring people together and create a sense of community among even the most divisive populations.
"To the people of Flagstaff: Vote with your feet and come out and support live music"
ROD ROBINSON, Greenlaw
Greenlaw also maintains a primary focus on community engagement, Robinson explained, especially regarding accessibility.
“The focus of what we play has always been community,” Robinson said. “It’s always been a participatory thing. If you go to sessions in Ireland, people will sit down and just play what they know … someone might start singing a song and they don’t need to be a great singer because it’s communally accessible and everybody listens and everybody appreciates it. To me, I think that’s the appeal of the music we play — it’s simple and straightforward enough that it’s accessible to both musicians and listeners.”
The number of creative minds milling around Flagstaff on a daily basis is what makes the city so special, Baker explained. Those creatives who remain rooted in town are the ones who, in turn, mold the local culture.
“There’s always a transient kind of potential here,” Baker said. “A lot of people have to come and then leave. A lot of people can only be here for so long and then have to move on. But the people who have stuck around for a long time, they make it feel like home and feel local
When it comes to the local community, audience members are actually just as important to live music as the musicians are, Ulrich explained.
“The audience is essential,” Ulrich said. “It’s so much fun to play with an audience because you get feedback from them. You’ll see someone enjoying it. You’ll see someone get up and dance. That just makes our day.”
Kabotie urges the community to not only support local live music but utilize the power of music to lift up the most important messages to the forefront of everyone’s minds.
“If you believe in your message,” Kabotie said. “If you believe in your music and you can’t do anything else — you’re just pushed on and on by something inside of you — then go for it … Keep howling. Play for change.”
Simply joining an audience and watching a local band or musician play, is a vital form of support when it comes to local music and culture.
“To the people of Flagstaff: Vote with your feet and come out and support live music,” Robinson said. “Because then you’ll keep feeding that music culture. None of us make money out of it but we sure enjoy having an audience.”
The concept of community is at the core of Flagstaff’s local music scene. Tha Yoties and Greenlaw both strongly encourage those who are interested in live music or are musicians already, to join them in preserving those community ties.
RedDay offered some parting advice to anyone with hopes, aspirations or dreams, no matter what they may be:
“Nothing’s given to you,” RedDay said. “You’ve gotta earn it. You’ve gotta work for it. Nothing comes easy … That’s life. I wish everyone the best and I wish everyone to stay positive in what they do in life. Know that you are loved and you will always be loved. You were put on Earth to do great things. The future is yours.”