Indigenous with opening performance by The Cody Blackbird Band

FEATURED ARTIST – Indigenous

4-piece Native American blues rock band from South Dakota, Indigenous consists of Mato Nanji and very popular Navajo rockers Levi Platero, Bronson Begay & Douglas Platero.  They have won Native American Music Awards for blues recording of the year as well as artists of the year. 

Front man, Mato Nanji, was born and raised on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.  The group’s music is motivated not only by blues and rock greats, such as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and B.B. King, but also by the social issues and cultural bonds of the Mato’s Nakota roots.  Mato has also picked up a devoted audience as a featured member of the annually sold out Hendrix Experience Tour since 2002. 

November saw the release of their 11th commercial outing “Gray Skies”. Mato once again forges ahead, pushing himself to new personal bests. Gray Skies contains the high-caliber guitar playing for which Mato has become known, along with his strong, soulful voice which are applied to a fresh assortment of high-level blues rock songs.

Mato Nanji dedicates his latest release Time Is Coming (on Blues Bureau International) to the indigenous youth and all young people on the indigenous reservations.  Nanji’s father, the late Greg Zephier, Sr., was a well-known and highly respected spiritual advisor and spokesperson for the International Indian Treaty Council.  In addition to this leadership role, he was an accomplished musician and a member of the musical group, The Vanishing Americans.  Formed by Greg and his brothers in the ‘60’s, The Vanishing Americans toured nationally and shared bills with such legends as Bonnie Raitt.  Besides being heavily influenced by the music his father and uncles were making, Mato was exposed to Greg’s vast collection of blues records by legendary artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King.  Consequently, Mato embraced and began utilizing his own musical talent at a young age.  With the experience, love and wisdom of their father to guide them, Mato, his brother, sister and cousin formed the band Indigenous while in their late teens.

After much time invested in practicing and building a following, they began touring extensively across the country.  In 1998, they released their award winning debut album Things We Do.  The title track’s video, directed by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals), won the American Indian Film Festival Award and was shown at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.  Indigenous’ music caught the attention of blues icon B.B. King and the young band was invited to play on his annual B.B. King’s Blues Tour in 1999 which began a musical journey Mato is still traveling today.

OPENING ARTIST – The Cody Blackbird Band

Cody Blackbird is a traditional Native American Flutist who is Eastern Band Cherokee and Dakota. To date, he has released four full-length albums and performed with the likes of Grammy award winners Joanne Shenandoah, Bill Miller, and Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer Nokie Edwards of The Ventures. Cody has also shared the bill with such artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd's Rickey Medlocke; Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary; Arlo Guthrie, Nahko Bear, Xavier Rudd and more. With the 4-piece Cody Blackbird Band he creates a new genre he calls "AlterNative Blues Rock Fusion" setting Native American Flute and traditional vocals as the main component alongside the band's unique style of blues rock guitar and bass in original compositions.

Part of our venue's effort to bring quality, fun, and affordable events, concerts, and bands to 4th avenue in downtown Tucson, AZ.