Going To The Stick Games by Jim Boyd

Beth Bramhall: Accordion on Stick Gamin'

Cover Photo: Shelly Boyd

Cover Layout: David Sams

Her Song is dedicated to the memory of Dotsie Marchand

©2004 James Lee Boyd

Filtered Ways ©1993 James Lee Boyd

Her Song ©2002 James Lee Boyd

The Stick Game is a traditional game that is played by Northwest area tribes and some tribes in British Columbia. It's a game of chance, that at one time was used as an ice breaker between tribes when they would gather. Today, these games are still played.

This game utilizes sticks, which act as scoring devices. There are also a couple sets of bones. Each set of bones include one with a stripe around it, and one without a stripe, which is the bone the opposing team tries to guess as it is hiding in the hand of a player on the opposing team. The team that has the bones and can keep the opposing team from Guessing the correct bone wins sticks, until the game is finally won by the winning of the Kick Stick.

There are also the Stick Game songs. These songs are used to both distract the other team, and to pump your team up during the game. This recording is dedicated to the people who keep the Stick Games and those songs alive.

JIM BOYD is a singer/songwriter and member of the Lakes band on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington, State. He grew up among two brothers and three sisters, moving on and off the reservation as their father was in the United States Air Force for twenty years.

Boyd's interest in music started at a very early age and grew throughout his school years as he was introduced to various instruments such as trumpet, drums, guitar, bass guitar, cedar flute, and keyboards. He performed in many cover bands as well as original music groups including Greywolf, XIT and Winterhawk. Although Boyd has spent many years in the music business, he realized early on that as an original artist, his interest wasn't in the commercial music field. Most of his lyrics were about Indian issues, tradition, and politics. This

resulted in Boyd forming his own record label, allowing him to continue his issue oriented music direction. Boyd became certified in recording engineering, and then went on to receive a small business management degree in order to be self sufficient in recording and marketing his own music. He has also held several board of director positions which focus on Indian issues, business, and the arts.

Boyd's first solo release was in 1989 when he recorded a release on Canyon Records called Reservation Bound. Since then he has released many more "Native American contemporary" category titles including: Unity, Reservation Blues, First Come, Last Served, alterNATIVES (2002 Record of the Year-Native American Music Awards), Jim Boyd with Alfonso Kolb LIVE AT THE MET, and Jim Boyd & Kyo-T, LIVE (2003 Best Pop/Rock Recording-Native American Music Awards), and Going To The Stick Games. All recordings were released on his own Thunderwolf Records label and distributed by Sound Of America Records, Zango Music, Four Winds Trading Company, Bonds Indian Supply LLC, Drumbeat Indian Arts, amazon.com, CD Baby, and Thunderwolf Mail order. Jim Boyd's music can also be found at all Borders stores.

Boyd collaborated with writer friend Sherman Alexie on songs included on Alexie's movie Smoke Signals on Miramax, which is included on the soundtrack on TVT Records. This recording received the Best Compilation Award in the second annual Native American Music Awards . Boyd and Alexie also co-wrote a song that was included on the HONOR CD with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Indigo Girls, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Matthew

Sweet, among others. Boyd's single "Where's Your Honor Mr. Gorton," about Washington State Senator Slade Gorton, was also nominated for Song/Single of the Year in the third annual Native American Music Awards.

Jim Boyd performs his original music as a solo artist with a guitar and vocal performance that includes cedar flute at times. He also performs as a duo, or with his group Jim Boyd & Kyo-T with Boyd on guitar and lead vocals, Alfonso Kolb on drums and background vocals, Brad Greene on keyboards, and Marty Meisner on bass guitar.

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