Season Two: Episode Five
Ryan talks with KP (Black Belt Eagle Scout) about her song selection, “Get Up” by Sleater-Kinney” as well as going on tour to open for the foundational band, growing up in a pre-iPod world with those CD booklets, their shared love of the band Weedrat, and more.
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Transcript
Ryan: My guest on today’s episode is KP, a musician who released music under the moniker of Black Belt, Eagle Scout. KP makes profoundly beautiful music and the Black Belt Eagle Scout record from 2023, The Land, the Water, the Sky, is a masterpiece. With influences drawn from alternative rock and indigenous music traditions, the album is filled with beautiful atmospherics, entrancing rhythms, pensive guitar, and captivating vocals that would fit right at home on a mixtape with Mazzy Star and early 2000’s Wilco. Comparisons and descriptions don’t really do it justice; it’s a beautiful record that deserves your undivided attention.
We recorded this conversation back in January before Black Belt Eagle Scout opened for Sleater-Kinney in the spring. Since then, KP was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis which has made playing and performing music challenging. If you have the means, please consider donating to the GoFundMe that was set up to help ease the burden as she heals and recovers which I will link to in the show notes and transcript at letsmixtape.com along with a raffle of beautiful earrings inspired by The Land, the Water, the Sky that is currently going on to benefit the GoFundMe.
While you can stream Black Belt Eagle Scout wherever you get your streaming, I’d also encourage you to pick up an album or some merch which you can find linked in the show notes as well. All three LPs will look great on your record shelf, right next to that copy of The Hot Rock, by Sleater-Kinney, which is where we’re kicking off our conversation today. Let’s make a mixtape.
[Intro music by Scotty Sandwich]
Ryan: KP, thank you so much for joining me on this season of let’s make a mixtape.
We are talking of course, about songs. That remind us of home and you picked Sleater-Kinney’s, from The Hot Rock, you picked “Get Up.” Why does this song remind you of home? Why did you pick this song?
KP: Well, there were so many songs that I could choose from because there are a ton of songs that remind me of home and I was like: “I could go this direction. I could go that direction.”
There’s so many things, but I just so happened to be going on tour with Sleater-Kinney in a month. I was like, you know what? They have so many incredible songs that remind me of home. One in particular is “Get Up.” It was my favorite song growing up.
I’m from the Swinomish Indian tribal community. So it’s a little area in Northwest Washington State, along the water. I live on an island, although it’s doesn’t seem like an island because it’s connected by a bridge and Swinomish is about an hour or so north of Seattle and then maybe like two and a half hours north of Olympia, where the band started.
And so it’s kind of like a local connection to that band. And yeah, “Get Up” is a great song. I love the chords in it. It’s beautiful. And that was one of the songs that I learned to play the drums to.
Ryan: Oh, wait, did you start off playing the drums?
KP: No, I sort of started playing guitar and drums at the same time. But piano is one of my first instruments. And then the flute is also one of my first instruments. And so, guitar and drums, kind of like the rock stuff, came later. After the classical, you know, school band-era of my life. So, so yeah. I’m a drummer and I play drums on all of my records.
But, yeah, it’s, it’s a really cool beat. And I remember sitting in my bedroom on the Rez, just kind of trying to figure out what that beat that Janet was playing and I finally got it because it’s like- has some hits on an offbeat and then you have to be on beat. It was a really cool way to learn how to organize the notes of a drum beat in my head.
Ryan: That’s really cool. I wouldn’t even say it’s a primary musical talent. I play bass and only bass. I wish I was a little bit more well-versed in other instruments, but looking at weird rhythms and trying to dissect them and get kind of get that into my brain, it’s always such an interesting challenge.
But like once it clicks, I feel like it’s always permanently there and I can never get rid of it. But those weird rhythms are fun. I can only imagine doing that with the drums. That’s incredible. That’s those weird rhythms, man.
KP: Yeah. I think also like it stuck out too, just cause it was hard to figure it out.
And then I listened to that song over and over and over again. It was also at a time when I discovered the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls in Oregon. So you had to create an “express yourself” piece, which was anything from writing to recording a song to painting, anything that expressed yourself.
And so I wrote something about the song, “Get Up” in order to get into the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. And I originally tried to sign up for guitar, but I think for whatever session I was going to, they had already filled the guitar spots. And so my second choice was drums. And so I went there and I learned some more drums.
Ryan: Amazing. And how long did you stick with that camp?
KP: I was a part of it for like over 10 years or so. And it just was a lifestyle because it had a really great community and I met a lot of friends. I have friends that have been in my life since my first day of going to the music camp.
And then I just kind of stayed involved because it was a great community of people to learn from and to play music with. So I did everything from like being a teacher to being a staff member. And then I was one of the chairs of their board of directors. So it was a long relationship.
And then I eventually stopped just cause I was touring a lot and then I ended up moving and yeah.
Ryan: I guess kind of tying it back. “Get Up” in a way- it has that geographical tie to home for you being that Sleater -Kinney were geographically close, but also in a way, home in terms of origins as you were kind of diving into learning drums more and diving into that more rock style.
KP: Yeah. I mean, I can remember when I first learned about Sleater-Kinney and I think it was maybe like a couple of years after their album One Beat came out and then maybe they were about to put out the record after that, I forget what it’s called, off the top of my head. It’s the one that, oh, The Woods.
And so, they had already had so many albums. And I just dove in, and I remember driving to the small town, a city town called Anacortes, and listening to “I want to be your Joey Ramone” and like kind of older stuff. And I remember my dad being like, “what is this that we’re listening to?”
I remember saying like, “it’s this cool band called Sleater-Kinney” I was listening- had all the CDs in my backpack.
Ryan: Oh, I remember those days. Before converting to iPod, I think I had like two or three massive binders that would just weigh me down.
KP: I remember having a backpack that like my mom got me from Target and it had all of my CDs in it and I just would carry it around and yeah, I did have one of those booklets to just go and choose whichever I wanted to listen to and-
Yeah, those were the days.
Ryan: I always brought all of them with me and I don’t think I ever listened to more than a handful. I mean a small percentage, but I’m carrying around this heavy binder of CDs just because I feel like I’m going to want to listen to something and be in the mood for it and need it.
But I won’t have it. So I want to make sure that I have it.
KP: I feel like people were maybe more dedicated to music back then just because you had to like physically take it with you in maybe not the most organized way or, yeah.
Ryan: Tell me a little bit, you’re touring with Sleater-Kinney coming up here. It seems like they were a very formational band for you. What’s that like getting to go on this tour?
KP: I mean, it’s the coolest thing in the world.
Like if you would have told me when I was, I don’t know, 15: “guess what KP this band you’re listening to right now? You’re going to go on tour with them.” I would have slapped you. I would have been like, “no, what are you talking about? Me? Who even am I in this moment?” But you know, I’ve worked hard in my life and I have gone on tour and made friends with all sorts of musicians and luckily my music fits in the same genre as theirs.
I was always on this path to tour with them in some capacity or what, or whatnot. And so it’s happening. I got a chance to play in their band, which was really awesome, too. It was, not this last September, but this September before that, so 2022.
I played,- they like last minute needed a guitarist ’cause my friend, Fabi [Renya, also the founder of She Shreds], was playing with them and she couldn’t do this show in Chicago at Riot Fest. That was a really weird and cool experience, which I was like, “sure, I feel like I can learn all of your set in a week and come play this festival with you. That’s totally no problem.”
And I did. And, but I didn’t realize that Riot Fest is huge, like thousands and thousands of people until pretty much right before we are going up on stage to play. And then I was like, what am I doing?
Ryan: Is that the biggest stage slash crowd that you’ve, that you’ve played to?
KP: You know, it might be up there.
I can’t, I don’t know if I have- I think so probably, but maybe there’s another one that’s big too, I think it’s, I think it’s fair. I’m trying to think is Newport Folk Festival that big? I don’t know if it’s as big or like Pitchfork. I don’t know. It might be very, very big because I’m pretty sure.
Ryan: I mean those are also some pretty big festivals too.
KP: So yeah, the headliner was like Nine Inch Nails and so, but anyway, going back to it, I think, yeah. The beginning is that’s the song “Get Up,” like really awesome and inspired me to just kind of think about music in a different way. It has all these, just kind of interesting parts to it, like speaking, and then different, different kinds of rhythms and one of the things I really love about it is that there’s a guitar line that kind of plays through the whole song. It’s this deep line that keeps it going and then there’s a lot of things like layered on top that come in and out here and there.
Ryan: Did you get a chance to play “Get Up” with them?
KP: No, we didn’t play that song, that would have been cool. Yeah, mostly like the newer stuff.
Ryan: Sure. Sure. Sure. Well, you talk about through-lines. Do you feel like you incorporate through-lines into your music as you’re writing?
KP: Yeah, I definitely do. And I don’t even think it’s ’cause I recognize that within that song or whatnot.
But when I was in high school, I remember seeing Geneviève Castrée play a lot of shows at our local all-ages music venue back then. It was called The Department of Safety and she played with a BOSS music pedal, a loop station. And I remember being like, “what is that? I want to know what this is.”
And so she gave me all the info and I found it and later got one. And that’s kind of been one of the bigger factors in my writing is using a loop station because I write by myself primarily. And so, being able to have someone else in the form of a loop, playing with me, it helps me be able to create different parts of the songs.
And so some of those guitar through-lines are primarily just because I am looping this guitar part and then I happen to write a couple parts along with that guitar loop.
Ryan: I love- there’s just something about your music, especially The Land, The Water, The Sky, it just feels just very- it just flows in just such a peaceful, beautiful way.
It just flows so well together. So that’s really interesting. It feels like those repetitive moments that really kind of just pull you into it and just kind of keep you in that, in that moment, which I think is, is incredibly beautiful.
KP: Thank you so much. That is such a really nice thing to say about it.
I appreciate it.
Ryan: I listened to it a lot. It’s beautiful. Your vocals are just absolutely incredible. And I love the different tones that you play with your guitar that just really compliment and accent your vocals so well. And just, yeah thank you for putting that record into the world.
KP: You know, I worked with a really good friend, Takiayah Reed, and she has this band called Divide and Dissolve. Her and I, we’ve known each other for a really long time. And so it just kind of naturally came about. You know, destined to make a record together and-
Ryan: I didn’t realize, Oh, that’s so cool.
KP: Yeah. So I remember when we were sharing that we’re going to work together, there were a couple of people who were like, “so is it going to be a metal album?” No, it’s still rock. It just has maybe a little bit more like etherealness to it. And so yeah, she really kind of pushed me out of my comfort zone sometimes, which helped me grow, I think, as a musician.
’cause like I would just be afraid in the past to do something and then I wouldn’t do it. But whenever I would be like, “okay, well maybe we can do this.” She would, like a cheerleader, be like, “yeah, let’s do it. Let’s go for it.” And then that ended up taking us in down these paths and roads that I think really were beneficial to this record and like the style of songwriting that we’re going towards.
So it was really fun. And I think that it allowed me to see what it’s like when you collaborate and when you expand and when you let people into your world and in your creative, you know, crafts. And so, yeah, it was a good experience to learn from.
Ryan: That’s awesome. They put out a record last year, right? I believe? It was really good. That’s cool. I didn’t know you collaborated. Are there any other similar collaborative experiences that you’ve had?
KP: I started writing music with my friend Mato Wayuhi, and he kinda does like hip-hop music.
He is most known, I would say, for writing the score and the music for the television show Reservation Dogs. And so he has some original songs in that show and score, but we started collaborating at the end of 2022. And then we played our first show last year in Vancouver, BC.
And then we’re trying to get some more time together to collaborate and it’s kind of like, I don’t know, cute indie rock with some beats and some singing in it. And it’s nice to be able to do that style of music and see what comes from just like actually like, you know, him writing parts and me writing parts and having the instrumentation of both of us be a part of the song.
So that’s another collaboration that I’ve been doing.
Ryan: As you say, you know, pushes you in a direction that you might not necessarily go as you’re working on music on your own. And you mentioned Reservation Dogs. I love how that show used soundtrack throughout and you had several songs on the soundtrack, correct?
KP: There’s a couple. Yeah let’s see. There was like a couple seconds of a song that me and Mato did. And then in the second season they had one of my songs open the show and then one of my songs close the season [editor’s note: this moment, when the Rez Dogs make it to the Pacific Ocean and Daniel – their fallen friend – appears and the BBES song “Salmon Stinta is playing , brought me to tears]. And that was really cool. But yeah the music in those TV shows has been really cool because it’s also introduced me to other indigenous artists and their songs and yeah, it’s been really great to be a part of that family even if it’s just like a couple songs in it, you can still say, “Oh, I’m a part of Reservation Dogs.” And it’s a cool thing because it just opened so many doors for people, especially indigenous creatives.
Ryan: Do you feel like- have you seen a little bit more indigenous representation over the past years and overall in terms of media? I mean, nowhere where it should be, obviously, but do you feel like it’s coming to more prominence?
KP: Yeah. And I mean, this is my own opinion. I feel like there’s probably like various other depths of who’s seen what, but like just my perspective of being in the music scene and everything.
I think that the explosion of Reservation Dogs, is something that really kind of sparked so many opportunities for other shows. And then at the same time, like with those actors in those shows, they were doing all these other shows too, like Rutherford Falls and then Dark Winds and then just like all these other types of media.
And then it kind of just spread fast, I think. And also with the rise of more like social media and with TikTok, all these things that kind of boosted it. Because I remember when I was going on tour in 2018 being like, I feel very alone. And sometimes I still do just because I’m in the indie rock world and there are tons of indigenous musicians, but they’re just in other genres.
So, yeah, I think that it’s been awesome to see so much representation come about and- but not just saying like it’s representation for representation’s sake. It’s incredible talent. Like just like sheer talent and interesting, beautiful stories and just there’s a door open to so many cool things that I think that people are interested in and they want to learn more about. So yeah, that’s my answer, I guess, to your question.
Ryan: No, that’s fascinating.
I feel like I’ve, you know, I’m arguably fairly removed from from indigenous culture, but I feel like I have seen in mainstream popular media, it come to more prominence. And, you know, with the radio show that I’ve done, I tried to dig into different music cultures around the world, but also, you know, American, Turtle Island, indigenous music as well.
And finding bands like Crossing of Indian Tribes (XIT) and stuff. Which, diving into their records, it’s just incredible. This music that was buried by the FBI. It’s like, “God damn it. What the fuck? This music is so good, but we’ve just, we’ve hidden it from our cultural narrative.” And so I’m glad to see that it seems to be coming out a little bit more.
I think it’s, it’s beautiful. And I really want a new Weedrat record.
KP: I mean also I’m like, do they have one? Demos, but I don’t know if they have like a full length album. Maybe they have live stuff. I hope that you- I’m slowly clicking on their Bandcamp. I don’t know if you can hear me. Maybe they have singles and- Oh no, they literally have an album. Okay. Well, yeah, I would like to have a new one. Well, no, they, I’m looking at one on their Bandcamp from 2015.
The Rat Commeth and then, I think that I’ve seen them live so many times that I just know their songs from seeing them live. But yeah, one of my dreams and goals in life and I’m slowly, slowly trying to get there is to have my own recording studio and also so that I can record indigenous musicians and primarily for free, especially if finances are a barrier for their stuff to get recorded.
Yeah, so that’s something, and I was always like, Weedrat. I want them to be the first people I record.
Ryan: That that’s amazing. That’s amazing to create your own record studio, recording studio to record indigenous musicians. That’s, that’s amazing. That’s an amazing goal.
KP: I think, hopefully, I’ll just keep going at it. It’s a slow pace just because I’ve got a lot going on and then you have to put a bunch of- you have to invest in nice equipment.
Ryan: You have a day job at a nonprofit [Potlach Fund], correct?
KP: Yeah. I’ve been working for them since 2020. It was during the time when the pandemic happened and then everybody sort of had to switch.
Like I said earlier, I worked for the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. They were a nonprofit, so I had some experience. And then I also, before that too, worked at a music venue booking shows. And so I had this kind of experience that I was like, “okay, find a day job.” And so, yeah, I still work for them and we’re, coming into this year, going to announce some grants and celebrate 21 years of the nonprofit.
Ryan: Is providing grants and leadership development is the primary-
KP: Yeah, that’s on the website, but it’s- so we service, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Native artists and tribes and native organizations can apply for funding, whatever type of funding we have at the moment, which I think it’s based on our strategic plan and where we’re going and what we want to support.
Every year there’s usually a grant or two that rolls out and then we’ve been trying to put together more programs for people to come together as well. So that’s kind of where we’re at right now. And yeah.
Ryan: Awesome. I love it. Do you feel like it complements your musical and creative output as well?
KP: I think so. There’s been times where we’ve had to create videos for when we announce a grant and they want background music and I’ll just like hop in Garageband and create an original song.
Ryan: Have you used anything that you’ve created?
KP: For Black Belt Eagle Scout? No. It was mainly just “this is really cool that I can do this for my job. I’m creating this atmosphere in this video for them.”
Ryan: That’s awesome. That’s so cool. Tying the music that you’re creating, tying that back to home, it feels like The Land, The Water, The Sky, and correct me if I’m completely off base, It feels like it’s very much tied to a concept of home. Is that fair to say?
KP: Yeah. Definitely. I mean, it’s about my journey moving back home and reconnecting and figuring out who I am as an adult in my tribal community and then just kind of singing it out and being inspired by the land, the water, the sky.
By being inspired by going on walks on our homelands and along our waters and just kind of reeling all of that in and expressing it within a record. So yeah, for sure.
Ryan: And as you’ve, you know, it’s a very specific area of land that you’re singing about, but you’ve toured this all around the world.
I think you went to Australia recently. How has the resonance been with the other side of the world? And have you seen other indigenous populations from from those areas coming out?
KP: Yeah, I mean, this world is beautiful. To be able to see so much of it is such a privilege, and to be able to just look around; I learned so much. I’m a Rez girl, I grew up on a reservation, and I’ve had so many cool experiences traveling the world trip, doing things.
I love playing music and meeting beautiful people along the way. I was only in Australia for two days, very short time, but New Zealand, we were able to visit a Marae in Auckland – kind of like an indigenous house. And yeah, and we got to visit some of the indigenous people from the Auckland area.
It was really beautiful just kind of being welcomed into that space. It was a good time. I’m looking for the specific name cause I want to mention it, so I’m kind of. I’m kind of dawdling, but I actually don’t know if I saved it. But, oh yeah, and then right before we were in New Zealand, we were in Alaska.
And I was invited to play at the Anchorage Museum and Áak’w Rock Festival in Juneau. And Áak’w Rock Festival is this like indigenous music festival. And it was really cool to be a part of that as well. I remember during one of our songs, “Spaces,” or pretty much right after it, I had my parents on stage singing with me.
They gave us these necklaces and they literally came on stage. I thought, “what’s going on?” ‘Cause we have four songs to play, but it was just cause my parents were singing on one song and they’re going to go off stage and they came on stage and they gave us these necklaces and they put them on us.
And yeah, so there’s been really wonderful experiences like that I’ve been able to share with other indigenous people.
Ryan: That’s beautiful. Oh, that’s amazing.
KP: Yeah. It was great. Yes.
Ryan: Is there anything that you’d like to talk about that we haven’t touched on or any other indigenous artists that you’d like to mention?
KP: Yeah, I mean, Mali Obomsawin created like these really beautiful songs.
Ryan: Oh, it was, I think I read an interview. It was like a co-interview between the two of you. Because Portland and Portland, right?
KP: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Portland and Portland. We did something with Talkhouse, but like, yeah, their music is really beautiful, like a jazz artist.
Yeah. My friend Raye Zaragoza has this new kind of Americana folk, kind of pop song out right now with- I always forget how to say their, say their name. Aysanabee? Aysanabee. I’ve met them, but I can’t remember how to pronounce their artist name. But yeah, there’s a lot of really great, incredible musicians out there.
Ryan: Thank you again, so much, for taking the time. Is there, is there anything about home or anything else that you would like to say before we sing off?
KP: Just thanks for talking to me and yeah, I appreciate it.
Ryan: A massive thank you to KP for joining me on this episode of Let’s Make A Mixtape. As I said at the top of the show, please consider contributing to the GoFundMe to help ease the financial burden on KP and her husband. You can find a link to the GoFundMe in the show notes and transcript at letsmixtape.com where you will also find links to Bandcamp and YouTube embedded videos of the musicians we talked about and more.
On next weeks episode I talk with Sijal Nasralla of Dunums and The Muslims. Thank you so much for listening. Be sure to check out the season two playlist on Spotify or YouTube, you can find the links to those in the show transcript as well at letsmixtape.com. Please subscribe and rate the show to help feed those algorithm gods so other folks can find their way to the show. All recording and editing was done by yours truly, intro & transition music was written and recorded by Scotty Sandwich.