Indigenous Halloween Playlist: Witches, devils and a voodoo queen

Miles Morrisseau
ICT

It’s that time of year when speakers are pumping out some spooky sounds.

So with inspiration from Redbone’s “Witch Queen of New Orleans,” which is on heavy rotation on many Rez radio stations come late October, ICT has come up with some howling and haunted tunes to bring an Indigenous voice or two – or 10 – to your Halloween soundtrack.

Here is the unofficial, and always incomplete, ICT playlist for Halloween.

Redbone: ‘Witch Queen of New Orleans’

The song that inspired this list is a tasty bit of Indigenous swamp boogie that was uniquely Redbone. Not as well known as their international smash hit, “Come and Get your Love,” this song went to 21 on the U.S. charts and all the way to number 2 on the British charts. The band, led by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, of Yaqui/Shoshone descent, released this track about fabled voodoo princess Marie Laveau in 1971. Redbone would go on to become the first Native American band to hit the top five on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1974 with “Come and Get Your Love.”

Robbie Robertson: ‘Showdown at Big Sky’

This apocalyptic ditty by the late Robbie Robertson, Mohawk/Six Nations of the Grand River, is filled with end-of-days imagery, ringing guitars and Robertson’s mournful wail. He sings, “When you hear the big bang, don’t you be surprised.” This song, which appears on his debut solo album, ends with the warning to wake up, “Let the bell’s ring out.” Robertson, best known as a singer and guitarist for The Band, died in 2023. He was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of The Band, and for his individual work in the Canadian Hall of Fame.

Derek Miller: ‘Devil Came Down on Sunday’

Halloween is a time when a figurative light shines on the spooky, mysterious and evil forces in the world. Derek Miller, Mohawk, gives his take on that classic musical trope of an artist being offered a deal with the devil. Miller crunches his guitar with bluesy riffs while telling the tale of a female devil offering him a ride. It sounds like he is going to take it. The track is from his 2006 album, "The Dirty Looks."

Crystal Shawanda: ‘Evil’

“Evil is going on,” warns Crystal Shawanda in the track, “Evil,” from her album “Midnight Blues”

Shawanda, Anishinaabe/Wikwemikong Unceded, released the album in 2022 and continues her evolution from mainstream country to rocking blues.

Kristi Lane Sinclair: ‘Monsters’

There are artists whose style and genre is heavy and dark and who could have albums that would work on Halloween. Krist Lane Sinclair (Haida/Cree) is one such artist; she has a gothic sensibility that is evident in much of her tracks, such as “Monster” from her 2015 release, the “Sea Alone.” The song is not about a mythical beast but rather the monsters that exist within.

Link Wray: ‘Jack the Ripper’

It would be easy to include Link Wray’s most famous song, “Rumble,” on this list, because it just sounds sinister. In fact, it is the only instrumental track to be banned from the radio over fears it would incite violence. Wray, Shawnee, has been credited with inventing the power chord, the missing link that spawned, garage rock, heavy metal, punk and grunge. Jack the Ripper is another one of his pulsating power chord bangers.

Beatrice Deer: ‘Fox’

This song has an eerie quality that fits with the disturbing myth being told. Beatrice Deer, Inuk/Mohawk, creates an otherworldly sound while detailing the story of a lonely hunter who falls in love with a fox. A werefox? Is that a thing? Anyway, the track is fantastic and unnerving and it is accompanied with an amazing animated short. It was the title song from her 2015 album.

Breach of Trust: ‘Eyes of a Stranger’

Originally released by The Payolas, the cover of “Eyes of a Stranger” by Breach of Trust ups the ante on the sludge and doom. This alternative/metal band of Métis and Cree rockers contributed this track to the soundtrack of the movie “FUBAR.”

Blue Moon Marquee: ‘Hoodoo Lady’

Winners of the 2024 Juno for Blues Album of the Year in Canada, Blue Moon Marquee is a swinging jazz band that sounds like something out of a forgotten past. Led by A.W. Cardinal, Cree/Métis, the Marquee also cleaned up at this year’s Maple Blues Awards, with a number of wins including Record of the Year. The single, “Hoodoo Lady,” from their lauded release “Scream Holler and Howl,” is a rollicking bit of fun about falling hard for the wrong woman who “puts a spell on you.”

Halluci Nation: “PBC”

Featured in the film “Rhymes for Young Ghouls,” by the late Jeff Barnaby, Mi’kmaq, “PBC” by Halluci Nation mixes traditional sounds with an eerie electronic vibe. The track may not be a Halloween hit on its own, but is in a film that created Indigenous Gothic and so it is on the list.

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