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The Sky Ute Fairgrounds is going to rock Saturday.<\/p>\n
For the 10th year, REZ-olution X, the Southern Ute Tribal Fair Youth Concert, will feature an afternoon of rock and metal bands, most from the Four Corners. The drug- and alcohol-free event will be capped off with a bonfire and fireworks display.<\/p>\n
The concert is part of the 98th annual Southern Ute Tribal Fair & Powwow.<\/p>\n
Robert Ortiz, the concert\u2019s founder and organizer, does the scouting for bands to play the show. He said that over the years, he has built up a network of musicians who keep him updated about new groups. A tight-knit group, he says they are like family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Four Corners area has a really large underground metal scene,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll go to local shows in Farmington, Bloomfield, Shiprock, Durango. Through the years, I\u2019ve become friends with a lot of the people in these bands, and they\u2019ll say, \u2018Hey, there\u2019s a show in Dulce, come check it out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The bands set to play Saturday include:<\/p>\n
Souls on Monday from Louisiana <\/em>Blinddryve from Albuquerque <\/em>Graves Of The Monuments from Page, Arizona <\/em>Suspended from Albuquerque <\/em>Shiprock\u2019s Under Exile <\/em>Born Of Winter from Window Rock, Arizona<\/em>Ethnic De Generation from Kayenta, Arizona, and Gallup, New Mexico;<\/em>Testify01 from Coolidge, New Mexico; Ethan 103 from Window Rock <\/em>Condemn the World from Red Valley, Arizona<\/em>Durango-area\u2019s 1000 Rogues<\/em>A reunion of sorts, Ortiz said some of the bands have performed at the concert before, and it has been interesting to see how the bands have grown and gotten better over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been focusing on bringing Native American bands to the Southern Ute reservation,\u201d he said. \u201cThe hope of this is to give exposure to the youth that Native American musicians are making and playing music, and maybe inspire the youth of the community to do the same \u2026 to see them on stage and meet these guys as just normal, everyday guys \u2013 or girls \u2013 who are playing in a band, and they can be inspired and say, \u2018If they can do it, why can\u2019t I?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The concert is a community event, and it wouldn\u2019t be as successful as it has been without the community\u2019s support, Ortiz said, adding that he has young people offer to help with the show.<\/p>\n \u201cWe promote this event for the kids to have at least one night to have fun and listen to good music with friends and hang out,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a community event because we get different entities in the tribe to help. I do it, I organize it, but there are a lot of other people behind the scenes to help make it work. It\u2019s always about the kids. The community is really supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n Ortiz said the bands that perform are committed to inspiring young people, too.<\/p>\n \u201cSome years aren\u2019t as big as others, but one time I asked a guy, \u2018What\u2019s it like to get to a venue and there are maybe five or 10 people?\u2019 He goes, \u2018As long as we reach one kid, that\u2019s all that matters.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n