Portugal. The Man and Blackbird Team Up on Rousing New Song ‘Backup'

Members from the Alaskan bands talk to us about their recent collaboration

- DAVID BRITTO

Alaska-bred and Arizona-based rock outfit Blackbird – comprising vocalist-flutist Cody Blackbird, vocalist percussionist Caleb Blackbird and drummer Justin Hyland – recently teamed up with fellow Alaskan band Portugal. The Man on their soaring new track entitled “Backup.”

With Portugal. The Man’s guitarist Eric Howk adding a splendid solo to the song, the band’s bassist Zach Carothers talks to us about the collaboration while Blackbird’s Cody fills us in on how the song came together in this interview with Rolling Stone India.

When did work on the song “Backup” begin? Talk to me about the songwriting process.

Cody: Backup originated back in February 2020. As many of our songs did at the time, an instrumental song heavy on the native flute. We regularly perform at an indigenous-owned marketplace in Scottsdale, Arizona called The Native Art Market and ‘Backup’ was a song we really just improvised on the spot at a show there one time. We hit the road on tour that late February and COVID hit a couple of weeks later canceling the rest of the tour and sending us home. Like everyone else we were pretty shocked at what was going on in the world and the rest of the song started to come together.

How did the collaborations with fiddle player Sage Cornelius and Portugal. The Man come about?