Great Plains captures the essence of
the landscape and the history...
by Sarah Bowing.

The intense collaboration of haunting melodies and soulful lyrics on Great Plains provide a unique experience for both the student and novice of the American West and its native peoples.

The Great Plains album is a journey through one of the most exciting and restive periods of American history. Andrew Hogarth’s extensive travels throughout the Great Plains are reflected in his lyrics and familiarity with his topic. He has captured the honesty and plight of the Lakota and Cheyenne people through his many meetings with both respected tribal elders and contemporary Plains Indian people, building a relationship of trust and friendship with them. Chris Fishers’s powerful voice and melodies wrap the words in the light and shadow that became so familiar to the people of the Great Plains.

The music transports the listener through an age of violent change and sad inevitability, yet it is also a celebration of love and a way of life forever lost. Championing the lives and ways of some true leaders of humanity, Great Plains challenges the listener’s preconceptions and stereotyping of native Americans as portrayed and encouraged by Hollywood and highlights an emotional genocide fostered and then largely ignored by the United States government.