Indian Red / Fly Home Flagboy

Laura Vecchione live at the Paradise Lounge Boston, MA July 21, 2007

"Indian Red" and "Fly Home Flagboy" are songs for New Orleans. "Indian Red" is a sacred song of the Mardi Gras Indian Culture of New Orleans. I heard this beautiful version sung by Cara Harrison on New Way Pockey Way. It inspired me to write "Fly Home Flag Boy." Please visit levees.org and emergencycommunities.org to help.
www.lauravecchione.com
www.myspace.com/lauravecchione

Bass: Richard Gates
Guitar: Raleigh Green
Drums: Dave Mattacks
Keys: Larry Luddecke
Video by Sean Huck sphuck@gmail.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• laura
• vecchione
• new
• orleans
• flagboy
• indian
• red

[Aswadah]

You sang the song very well...but it just isn't right. This song is a spiritual prayer sang by African-Americans in honor of their oppressed African and Native-American ancestors. I know you mean no disrespect in singing this, but some songs should be left alone. Just because you CAN sing it doesn't mean that you SHOULD.

[lauravecch]

@Aswadah Thanks for your thoughtful comments. At the time, Katrina had just occurred and I wanted others to feel the sacred nature of New Orleans that I felt. I regret this video doesn't show that I always credit Cara Harrison and explain that the song is a prayer to a culture of which I am clearly not a part. In the urgency of the moment, I felt that the chance they might never hear it or know about the Indians outweighed my being outside the culture. It was not my intention to offend.

[caraharrison01]

Annamarie84, since you were wondering who sang the version you heard on wwoz, i thought i'd let you know it was me. I sang the anchor as well as all harmony lines. It is on the "New Way Pockey Way" cd by the Young Guardians of the Flame which can be purchased at the Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans. You can also get it on a new compilation recording named "We Call Her New Orleans" and is available at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans.

[ufgatorpaw]

Music is for EVERYONE, sung with respect. Culture, like religion, can be adopted and is no less meaningful to the listener. IKO-IKO

[trytomakeitreal]

Beautiful version. It's just me, but I think music isn't even real if it's not tying people together. The woman sang this with real love. That's what counts.

[bkmiller54]

@lauravecch

I think the people villainizing you for singing Indian Red are waay off base. It's a beautiful tribute to the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. Music is for ALL people. That's like saying Clapton shouldn't sing the songs of Robert Johnson, or Ellis Marsalis shouldn't play - oh, I don't know - Van Cliburn?

[iconoclasticism]

I'm sure you see, now, that New Orleans don't belong to us no mo'. Katrina provoided these folks with the perfect opportunity to come down here and represent New Orleans in ways that are useful to their American myth. Of course, within their representations, our bodies and our cultre are reduced to one dimensional motifs. Thus, we have "Treme", etc.

These folks have an unassailable sense of entitled to whatever they can take.

Now, maybe we can better understand the experience of Palestine!

[alphabravo90]

As a white man I can say, Miss Vechhione, you have no excuse for not knowing how offensive this is. You say you wanted to educate people about the MG Indian culture; well I hate to be the one to break this to you, but white girls from NY singing songs they have no business singing is not a part of their culture and it doesn't educate anyone.

[djuanadennis]

sing it i am a BIG CHIEF I LIKE IT

[djuanadennis]

sing it i am a BIG CHIEF

[BACK2NO]

first Obama den da Saints i thought seen it all but indian red sung north of da mason dixie line??????