John Trudell Archives Re-Releases The Critically Acclaimed ‘AKA Grafitti Man’ In A Limited Edition Vinyl

John Trudell Archives announces a re-issue of the critically acclaimed John Trudell release AKA Grafitti Man in a limited edition vinyl on Record Store Day, worldwide on April 22, 2017, in a partnership with Record Store Day and Inside Recordings. The limited edition piece, translucent red, 180-gram vinyl manufactured by the Pallas Group in Germany, includes printed lyric sleeves, and a full digital download of the album along with a bonus video for Rockin’ The Res.

AKA Grafitti Man was originally released in 1986, and then again in 1992, with executive producer Jackson Browne, as a compilation of the earlier collection of recordings. Upon release the album was hailed by Bob Dylan as “the best album of the year . . .”.

This limited edition album will be available worldwide at all Record Store Day retail stores on April 22, 2017.

ABOUT JOHN TRUDELL
John Trudell (1946-2015) was a leader for the Indian of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, and went on to serve as Chairman of the American Indian Movement (AIM) from 1973-1979. On February 11, 1979, he burned an American flag on the steps of the F.B.I J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington D.C., as he’d been taught in the military to burn the flag once it had been desecrated; and the US government’s treatment of Native Americans and its classism and racism had desecrated the flag. Some 12 hours after the flag incident, a fire “of suspicious origin” burned down Trudell’s home on the Shoshone-Paiute reservation in Nevada, killing Trudell’s pregnant wife, Tina, their three children and Tina’s mother. The F.B.I. declined to investigate, and the blaze was officially ruled an “accident.” After the fire, Trudell turned his tears into writing poetry and later, spoken word music and acting. A lifelong activist and human rights advocate, he was quoted as saying “I’m just a human being trying to make it in a world that is rapidly losing its understanding of being human.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT JOHN TRUDELL
“The triumph of John Trudell is that he has been able to bring the strength of a brilliant activist into the arena of the arts — tender, intact, but still on fire.” Buffy Sainte-Marie

“More than any man I know, John Trudell’s life is the expression of his beliefs. Most of us muddle through the day with our ideals in tow, but John’s politics, art and way of life perfectly reflect his passion and energy for the Native American cause. He was an inspiration to me in making the documentary film “Incident at Oglala,” about Leonard Peltier’s fight for justice, so much so that I cast him as the charismatic Indian leader in “Thunderheart,” a movie that deals with the government oppression of the contemporary Native American. There wasn’t an untruthful moment in his performance. ‘Sometimes they have to kill us,’ he told me, ‘because they cannot break our spirit.’ John is one of those rare unbreakable spirits.” Michael Apted, Director

“Probably the most charismatic speaker I’ve ever heard.” Bonnie Raitt

“John Trudell is a crazy lone wolf, poet, prophet, preacher, warrior full of pain and fun and laughter and love, spilling out a vision of fable and truth, love and war, from the unique and somewhat desperate point of view of the Wild American. He’s a reality check. No paranoid; he’s aware of the Enemy (a formidable Predator with no respect for any form of life). Justice is a fire that burns inside him. His spirit cries out for it. It makes him dangerous.” Kris Kristofferson

“An extremely articulate, eloquent and effective speaker . . .” Federal Bureau of Investigation

“I’d known of John ever since his work with my guitar player friend Jesse Ed Davis and their group AKA Grafitti Man. His poetry, the sound of his voice, was so powerful. I knew of his activism as the spokesperson for the United Indians Of All Tribes takeover of Alcatraz and his leadership in the American Indian Movement. John and I worked together several times over the years, and each time I grew to admire him more. His acting in film was terrific. His music was outstanding. His prose and poetry were beautiful. And more than anything he was a solid stand-up guy. I cherished his friendship and will miss him deeply.” Robbie Robertson

“If the whole world is a Rez, then Graffiti Man (John Trudell) is a prophet predicting many trends that have happened since this album was released 25 years ago. From consumerism, to the New World Order being an Old World Lie, to Rock n’ Roll is a revolution going way passed 33 1/3, John saw way into the future. This record can still teach us much, coming from a talent who was a future hip-hop or street artist ahead of his time. ‘Somewhere a wild horse listens,’ and I hope it’s John, on the other side, hearing our praises.” John Densmore

JOHN TRUDELL AKA GRAFITTI MAN
TRACK LISTING
1.Rockin’ The Res
2.Grafitti Man
3.Restless Situations
4.Wildfires
5.Baby Boom Ché
6.Bombs Over Baghdad
7.Richman’s War
8.Somebody’s Kid
9.Never Never Blues
10.What He’d Done
11.Beauty In A Fade
12.Tina Smiled