Signal 99, an award winning heavy metal rock band with Navajo roots, will play Saturday, August 17 at the Whitecup Coffee House in Cortez.

Navajo front man Orlondo "Chuck" Haven returns to Cortez where he grew up, living here from 1980 to 1992.

"I played the baritone at Cortez Middle School and it was my older brother Alonzo who taught me how to play the guitar," Haven said.

Since then, Signal 99 has gained national recognition and a following in the U.S. and Europe. The band has an anti-hate message in its lyrics and campaigns for MetalHeadsAgainstMS.org

Last year they were added to Pandora's worldwide playlist, and in 2011 the band and its album "The Gospel" were nominated by the Native American Music Awards for Best Debut Rock Group and Best Video for "Banner of the Corpses."

Signal 99 is currently gaining airplay and fan recognition in Europe on several radio stations.

Haven was named by the Navajo Times as "one of the most notable people of the Navajo Nation for 2012" for his work with multiple sclerosis and helping other musicians with his home based record label Kandy Records.

"I enjoyed growing up in Cortez and had a lot of fun there in our home on Market Street," said Haven, whose family is originally from Ganado, Navajo Nation. "I'm hoping some of my old friends will come to the show."

Signal 99 is recording a new album, he said, and "the challenge is to try and outdo the last one. I tend to write about life's ups and downs and personal experiences. I'm not as angry as I used to be in my song writing."

The band will also play the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally in Ignacio, Colo. on August 28.