STARVING WOLVES have released their second single “Mixed Blood” - the raw and deeply personal track for frontman David Rodriguez that evokes a complicated sense of self-identity. Like their first single “Please Listen,” the new single will donate all proceeds to charity.
Specifically, the charity involved for this single is called the 4KINSHIP Diné Skate Garden Project. The Diné Skate Garden is a part of the Navajo nation located in the Two Grey Hills chapter that serves the Toadlena or rather “Tóhaaliní” (Where the Water flows Out) community by providing a skatepark and equipment to indigenous youth in remote communities. Additionally, the charity recently put on an all-female skate competition to help foster skateboarding among young girls.
”Mixed Blood” is a track that demonstrates frontman David Rodriguez’s personal identity crisis as he contemplates the meaning behind being of American and Mexican descent. This conflict started at an early age as he experienced bullying and trauma related to his heritage. Rodriguez explains: “I remember being called halfbreed and not really being accepted by either group. It leaves you feeling very alone and lost. However, as you grow up, you find out who you are and realize we don’t need any approval from anyone, we choose how to live and accept who we are.”
Beyond his personal experiences growing up, Rodriguez contemplates his ancestral lineage and the history associated with it. Specifically, he traces his Mexican roots back hundreds of years ago and how the title “Mixed Blood” takes on an entirely different meaning: “One is the mixing of blood between the natives of Mexico, for example the Aztecs and the Spanish. It was a brutal genocide and rape of the natives.”
It’s also hard to ignore the incredible art accompanying this single! It features the work of Sergio Sánchez Santamaria, a Mexico City-based artist. Rodriguez was blown away when he stumbled upon Santamaria’s work online. “He does this incredible scratchboard, wood cut looking art. He is just a unique Mexican artist that really shows his passion of Mexican history and his love for his culture!”
Click here for more information and to donate directly to The Diné Skate Garden:
www.4kinship.com/dine-skate-garden
released November 3, 2023