GRAND RAPIDS — For Keith Secola, music has never been about being on stage.
“The stage is really wherever you play,” Secola said in our conversation on Headwaters before the Rangers performed at Kick It With KAXE on May 28. “It’s a matter of singing the songs and being present in the present moment.”
That philosophy led a chat about community, songwriting, the Iron Range and Rangers — the collective of musicians Secola recently reunited for a new album, which, as it turns out, was decades in the making.
When talking about performing, Secola said he knows authenticity and sincerity are the most important things. That sincerity, he explained, comes from staying grounded in the present.
“The Anishinaabe people talk about the present tense [being] where the medicine is,” he said. “If you’re too far thinking of the future, or you’re concentrating on the past, it creates anxiety for people. And then the restlessness of the past takes away from the present tense.”
That message resonates with anyone grappling with uncertainty and upheaval.
“It's a mindfulness of the present tense,” Secola said. “Once you get used to that the future is uncertain, you can let go of that a little bit. And people need to do that. They just kind of got to be easier on themselves and let go of them things that deprive them of their happiness or their peace of mind or being 'un-present.'”
Rooted in Iron Range musical history
The Kick It With KAXE performance, alongside The Cactus Blossoms, featured Rangers, a collaboration of songwriters rooted in Iron Range musical history.
The project traces back to the late 1970s and early ’80s, when Secola and fellow musicians performed original music together in a band once known as The Schwartz Brothers and Sweetwater. Many of those musicians, alongside newer collaborators, now form Rangers.
The resulting album, RANGER, brought together multiple generations of Northern Minnesotans. Recorded with producer Rich Mattson at Sparta Sound, the album features contributions from nine songwriters and musicians connected through decades of friendships and creative partnerships.
Secola described the record as deeply tied to place, specifically the Iron Range communities that shaped the band members' identities. He also gave KAXE flowers for the role we've played for area musicians over the decades.
“I think wherever you see communities that have a stronger local music scene, they have a good radio station that promotes their artists and promotes that originality and allows us to be artists, songwriters, musicians,” Secola said. “KAXE was always part of that magic.”
Stories behind the songs
In talking us through the album track by track, Secola highlighted the songwriters and stories behind each song.
“For us to do an album like that, you know, we're supporting our musicians up here and the musicians are writing songs about our history.”
"No Place Like Home” was written by Sharon Rowbottom, reflecting on mining communities and disappearing landscapes — like the now-defunct Parkville, Minnesota, where several of the members grew up. “Who Is That Man on the Buffalo Nickel” by Rosemary Barrons questions Native identity and representation.
“We don't want to be angry Indians, but we can't be Disneyland Indians either,” Secola said. “And so [being] truthful Indians is the path that we're going.”
“Truth” by Germaine Gemberling becomes “almost like a philosophical mantra.” “Without a Crown” is Secola’s song, which takes “an egotistical look at our leaders.”
The record also embraces humor, fun and spontaneity like “Dog Party,” a song that includes real and fake dog barks. "Someone’s Having Fun,” written by Mattson, features Secola playing bass “with no bass training other than enthusiasm.”
“There were a lot of great accidents on this record,” he said.
An ongoing, communal spirit
Though Secola no longer lives on the Iron Range, the region remains central to his identity.
“I always tease my friends — I’m the hereditary chief of the Iron Range,” he joked.
He grew up in Parkville, a community dramatically altered by mining expansion over the decades. He spoke about losing access to the woods and waterways he knew as a child, and how that loss still affects him today.
The Rangers lineup itself reflects an ongoing spirit, bringing together longtime collaborators alongside younger musicians like Thor Leseman, Tim Saxhaug, Mattson and Gemberling.
“To me, it's important ... to pass it down a little bit,” Secola said.
Secola’s May 28 appearance at Kick It With KAXE also included a great set by The Cactus Blossoms and a celebration of KAXE volunteers, something Secola was extremely excited about.
“Maybe we’ll get a few of them to sing with us,” he laughed. “We’ll have a little volunteer contest.”
There was indeed no group singing or contest (everyone won!), but there was an all-volunteer dance to the Secola classic “NDN Kars” at the event.
In Keith Secola fashion, even the concert itself became less about performance and more about communal participation.
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