Kinłani, Diné Tah (Flagstaff, AZ) — Klee Benally will release a new album, entitled The Unsustainable Sessions, on November 26, 2019. The album is now available for pre-order via digital download or compact disk at www.kleebenally.bandcamp.com. The Unsustainable Sessions is Klee’s second acoustic album and features twelve songs that dig deep into contemporary Indigenous conflicts. “So long as we’re fighting for justice, art should help move people into action.” states Klee, “If these songs can be twelve more rocks thrown against despair, that’s what matters. This is an Indigenous acoustic agitation for liberation.”
The Unsustainable Sessions was written and recorded over the summer with support through Patreon, a crowd-funding subscription platform to support and grow independent artists. “From providing necessary funds to make this happen, to feedback on art and collaborations, this album wouldn’t have been possible without the Patreon community.” says Klee, “I’ve been an independent artist for more than 30 years, so this platform helps enormously. I’m working on growing my support base so I can make more music, films, art, and write.”
The Unsustainable Sessions are a follow-up to Klee’s previous solo acoustic album “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance” (2013). “I took a break from making music in 2012 when my guitar wasn’t enough to stop bulldozers from desecrating sacred sites. I was focused on organizing and coordinating actions, then one day I woke up and said, ‘oh yeah, I’m an artist too.’” said Klee.
Klee’s next projects he’s building support for are two books and a board game. You can sign up to support him on Patreon at www.patreon.com/kleebenally.
Klee is also planning a short music, speaking, and film screening tour for part of the winter and Spring of 2020. You can contact him to book a presentation at indigenousaction[at]gmail.com.
You can watch the music video for “Over the Edge/In Reverence” here: https://youtu.be/CoxxSr5jfMY
Klee Benally is a Diné (Navajo) musician, traditional dancer, artist, filmmaker, & Indigenous anarchist. He currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. Klee is originally from Black Mesa and has worked nearly all of his life at the front lines in struggles to protect Indigenous sacred lands. Klee is an has produced documentaries, an award winning feature film, and continues to organize Indigenous justice campaigns. In a previous life he was the guitarist and singer in the Native American Music Award winning rock group Blackfire & dancer in the internationally acclaimed traditional dance group, The Jones Benally Family.
The track list:
- Over the Edge/In Reverence
- After the Fire
- Hands on the Barbed Wire
- When Banners Become Shields
- Blood in my Eyes
- The Unsustainable
- If it Ends Tomorrow
- She Was A Mountain
- ACAB Round Dance song
- Holding Up The Sky
- An Elegy for Broken Windows
- To the Ground