About

Native American Punk Band Ethan 103 is an Artist to Watch in 2017

ARIZONA NATIVE PUNK ROCK – All the members of Ethan 103 are Native American, with blood from the Navajo and Oneida tribes. When you encounter the band online, the first thing to get in your face is this self-descriptor, which they’ve stamped into their logo like a UV ink re-admission hand stamp at a punk rock nightclub.

Those roots are important, so pay attention here. We’re talking about roots that first took hold of the scorching Arizona earth in the Navajo Nation’s capital, Window Rock, before the band transplanted themselves in the Valley of the Sun.

Phoenix Metro is no less scorching, especially when its hot asphalt radiates heat into the night to the high-energy, melodic tune of Ethan 103 blazing through the local punk rock scene. Their progression has been relentless. It’s like someone struck a match back in 2006, and the more you try to contain the fire, the stronger it grows. Watching Ethan 103 play an outdoor venue on a summer night is like standing downwind of a wildfire ripping through urban gutters. Imagine a mystical, ancient desert fire on the gritty streets of New York City in the 1980’s… that would give you an idea of this band, rebel-rocking to the chaotic yet purposeful beat of their own drums in Tempe, Arizona.

A part of what makes Ethan 103 unique in the scene is their ability to merge their cultural and musical traditions. Take their song “500”(2011), which has been described as not just a punk rock anthem, but as “an anthem of survival of the Native American people… to honor the resistance, survival, and resilience of Native American people from colonization and termination attempts.”

Ethan 103’s cultural roots reach into the heart of their music while the band’s complexity challenges audiences on multiple levels. Inspiration for their “heavy-grained, high-tempo” sound comes from influences such as Bad Religion, Pennywise, Misfits, and Blink 182, but the band plays in and around their own brand of punk rock, a mélange of skate punk, alternative rock and melodic hardcore that both parallels and reflects Native history and culture. They offer music heavily fueled by passion and opposition.

We look forward to working with you!