Smoke Signals 9
JULY 15,2008
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'Looking Wolf Project' set for Internet release in August; brings career full circle
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By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
On his soon-to-be-released CD
"The Looking Wolf Project," Jan
Michael Looking Wolf Reibach suc
cessfully combines the searching
melodies of the Native American
flute with the edgy, crunching gui
tar chords and wall-vibrating drum
beats of alternative rock 'n' roll.
And for the artist, "The Looking
Wolf Project" fittingly brings his
musical career full circle from his
days of playing rock 'n' roll in Port
land bars to being one of the world's
most recognized and honored Native
American recording artists on the
Native flute, having released 12 CDs
and two DVDs and received almost
20 awards.
"I'm so excited about it," says
Kathy Sohler, Reibach's agent based
in Forest Grove. "It's such a wonder
ful CD. Jan poured his heart and soul
into it, and it will draw more young
people to the sound of his music. It's
more contemporary, more hip. It's
another step up ... or three or five."
'The Looking Wolf Project" features
f 10 tracks six rhythmic Native flute
instrumentals and four vocal tracks
t that interweave the Native flute into
rock arrangements. It also features
Reibach playing most of the guitar
licks. The new CD will be released via
the Internet at lookingwolf.com in Au
gust and arrive in brick-and-mortar
record stores early in 2009.
Sohler says she plans an initial distri
bution of 17,000 copies nationwide.
For the 42-year-old Reibach, who is
a Grand Ronde Tribal member of Ka
lapuyan descent and also the Tribe's
Lands Management manager, the
timing of "The Looking Wolf Project"
and its potential for significant cross
over appeal occurs at a demanding
time in his life.
Between his music career, job at
the Tribe, family obligations and
teaching gig at Oregon State Univer
sity, where he teaches two classes for
three terms a year, he realized there
were not enough hours in a day to
do everything, so he decided against
touring behind the new release.
"Everyone knew this was a studio
project," he says in his McMinnville
home nestled in a west hills subdivision
just 20 miles from Grand Honde. "Ev
eryone knew something had to give.
"I worked really hard to get a de
gree in real estate and I did not want
to give up my classes. I love teaching.
It's in my heart."
Recorded between November 2007
and May 2008 in Keith Sommers'
studio in McMinnville, as well as
at Grammy Award-winning pro
ducer George Noriega's studio in
Hollywood. Fla., The Looking Wolf
Project" seamlessly melds Native
American flute with rock V roll
and includes a cover of Bob Dylan's
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
Every song on "The Looking Wolf
Project" has emotionnl meaning to
Reibach, particularly the Dylan cover,
which is a salute to Reibach's uncle
Mike, who walked on in April 2005.
"1 !e used to sing that song to me when
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal member Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach will soon be releasing his CD "The Looking Wolf Project." Reibach
sings and plays the Native American flute and guitar on the album.
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I was little," he recalls. "And I sang it
as his funeral. The song represented
sadness to me for a long time."
But Reibach wrote a third verse
to the song to honor his uncle: "Like
a prayer upon the windUncle won't
you have pity on meIt took my whole
life just to seeWe should be walking
hand in hand."
"The verse is a prayer," he says.
"My uncle stood for unity. He talked
about it all the time until he passed
away. I wanted to honor him with
that. I le thought that all people were
equally important."
Other tracks include the hard-hitting
"Addiction," which tackles Na
tive American battles with drug and
alcohol abuse and includes Native
American chanting.
"We wrote the music first and the
words just came from my heart,"
Reibach says. "That was the first
time I've chanted like that. It took a
lot of takes, but that was fun."
The love ballad "Everything" was
written for Reibach's wife of 20 years,
Rhonda.
"Phoenix Rising," another rocking
vocal track, is a nod to the Confeder
ated Tribes of Grand Honde, which,
like the mythical bird, has risen from
the ashes of Termination.
Even the instrumental flute tracks
involve Tribal inspiration. "Fire-N-Water"
is a nod to Reibach's Tribal
colleague in the Lands Management
Department, Ann Ix-wis.
For all the excitement Reibach feels
about "The Looking Wolf Project," he
says it will be his final release for five
years. His son, Shane, will be enter
ing McMinnville High School this fall
and he does not want the demands
of being a touring musician to steal
away from being a father.
"There was a time when winning
awards was important to me," he
says about the maturation of his life.
"But now to have my Tribe accept
me, have my music respected and
now that my son is in high school, I
can't just take off."
"It'll still be there in five years,"
Rhonda interjects at the family din
ing room table.
Reibach shakes his head.
"I'm not Bon Jovi," he soys.
However, that doesn't mean he's
totally retired. Reibach will perform
.July 19 at the Home Center in Salem
and will go to Milwaukee, Wis., in
September for the Indian Summer
Music Awards. He's also booked for
gigs at Flute (uest in Seattle on Sept.
20 and at Spirit Mountain Casino on
Sept. 26 for National Indian Day.
He'll also perform at the Native
American Music Awards in ()ctoler
with Noriega and at the casino again
in November for Indian Heritage
Month and the Trile's 25th Restora
tion celebration.
He's also planning on producing
a CD for his son. who is into Chris
tian rock; mentoring Ann Lewis
son, Kenny, who plays guitar; ami
thinking of recording some of his own
Christian songs.
"I will always make music," he
says. "Music is a great bridge that
brings people together. Music is
beautiful. It always has been and
always will be a part of my life.
"If my Tribe calls upon me to play,
I'm there."
But there's no denying how jazzed
Reibach is about the impending re
lease of "The Looking Wolf Project,"
its cover feat uring a colorful Picasso
esque overlapping of seven wolves
perhaps representing the success
ful blending of Native American flute
with rock 'n' roll.
"This was something that was in
side of me all of the time. When I first
heard the CD, I felt like. 'Wow, that
should shake things up,' " he says. "I
feel like I left a foot print in the Na
tive Americon music industry.
"There was a question if this could
ever be done, but I think my experi
ence as a lead guitarist in rock bands
helped bridge the gap between alter
native rock and Native flute."
Fourteen-year-old Shane has al
ready given "The looking Wolf Proj
ect" a big thumbs up by putting the
CD on his iPod.
"I like it." Shone says. "It's really
good."
"I'm still inspired by the same
things," Reibach says. "The wind,
sun, mountains, birth, water, fire
... alt living things. My inspirations
have not changed ... just how 1 con
vey them."