Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month will be celebrated with a performance from Cody Blackbird on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 P.M. in the Martha Street Culp Auditorium. Cody Blackbird, of The Band Blackbird and The Blackbird Three, plays a fusion of Native American Flute and Contemporary Rock music. Blackbird has won several Native American Music Awards and is also a Grammy member.
His latest solo release was in August with an album entitled Sonoran Echoes. Since then, Blackbird has continued to create music with The Band Blackbird. Their latest single, “Carnivals and Circuses,” dropped on this past Friday, Oct. 31, on Halloween. Blackbird co-founded The Band Blackbird with his brother, Caleb. Their most recent album, Existence is Resistance, was produced by Jason Cropper, co-founder of Weezer. John Popper of Blues Traveler is also featured on three tracks.
“Last year, we were celebrating the Native American Festival, so a couple of students suggested bringing a live performance to our campus as part of the Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month,” Nathnael Tadesse, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Organizations, shares the inspiration for the event. “They suggested the name Cody Blackbird and looked for it, and then we tried to arrange it for him and the band to come to campus to celebrate the National Indigenous Heritage Month for this year.”
The Band Blackbird has recently joined Blues Traveler on their Fall 2025 Tour. Their first show together was Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Harrisburg, PA. During his time on tour, Blackbird is going to take a break and visit East Tennessee State University to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month.
“The goal is really to celebrate the Indigenous People’s Heritage Month with the campus community and maybe with the community at large, just to have fun at the same time while we are here on campus,” Tadesse said.
Blackbird will perform with free admission for all attendees, encouraging the community to gather and celebrate with live music.
