URBAN THUNDER

Here's a recording of us singing in the video game BioShock: Infinite.

Urban Thunder - We Dwell Here (BioShock Infinite) This is the music that plays in the Wounded Knee exhibit at The Hall of Heroes.

Memorial Day Weekend 2026!!! The 6th Annual Odenong Powwow!

Before Michael J Maestranzi, Warren Griffin Jr., and I (Justin Beatty) formed Urban Thunder back in 2009, we sang together as Rollin' Deep at UMass-Amherst. Rollin' Deep was created as an extension of an earlier group of singers formed by me, Mashammoquet Myles, Cameron Cuch, and Harry Harding, with help from Christopher Pegram in the 90s, as a way to celebrate our respective Native heritages and to give the new students a way to connect with previous students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhRBe4r-5tE&t=37s

Send a message to learn more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtSN8L0MU10

Me & Warren (of Urban Thunder) singing w/ Iron River @ Brown Univ. Powwow 2011 Video 4 Us singing an intertribal @ Brown University's 2011 Powwow on 4/9/2011. Singers: Justin Beatty, Warren Griffin Jr., Nelson Araujo, Steve Ferreira, Mish Conle...

Feels like a good day to post some throwback videos...

Urban Thunder, Iron River, Storm Boyz, & Rez Dogs - 2016 Brett Drake Memorial Me & my bros, singing for my nephew Brett Drake's memorial back in 2016. Singers include members from Urban Thunder (my group), Iron River, Storm Boyz, Rez D...

New shirt alert!! My new PRAY t-shirts & hoodies will be available at www.JBDVArt.com this week!

The first round of Native nations graffiti t-shirts are now available in the shop at www.JBDVArt.com. Prints, coffee mugs, other t-shirts, and hoodies are also available.

Contemporary Visual Art | United States | J. Beatty Digital Visuals Digital Fine Art by Justin Beatty including Native American oriented art, Abstracts, Landscapes, Animals and much more. Framed pieces and prints available!

Shirts, and possibly hoodies, with these designs will be available on www.jbdvart.com this coming week. More designs to be added soon.

Mode: Chillin'
Building: Hotel
Location: Cambridge
Purpose: Emceeing Cambridge's first Indigenous People's Day

Going to rest up and take it easy so I can be up early tomorrow.

If you're in the area, come by 65 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA tomorrow for a fun-filled day of singing, dancing, performances, vendors, food, and more!

Today, I'm going to spend some time singing powwow songs to send medicine and healing to people who are going through it right now. I'm not that good of a powwow singer, but I do my best to sing with intention & good thoughts in my mind and heart.

I will pray that the Creator gives healing and comfort to those who need it, no matter who they are.

I will pray that the Creator opens our eyes to being better to each other and gives us the tools, means, and desire to be better to each other, treating each other with kindness, patience, support, compassion, honesty, and love.

I will pray that the Creator gives us the strength to work through the difficult times & to walk the path that is laid for each of us.

I will pray that the Creator accepts my thanks, my gratitude, & my appreciation for all the blessings in my life whether in the past, present, or future.

I am no one special. I am not better than anyone nor am I below anyone, but I am one of the Creator's children. And that is a blessing. It is one that I try to respect and honor with my behavior and words as often as I can.

Today, I will honor my blessings by sharing songs and prayers for people. To many people, it may be a small and insignificant gesture, some may even see it as useless, but it is what is in my heart to do today so I think it is what the Creator wants me do. So, I will do it.

Kitche miigwetch Kitche Manitou kina geygo miizhwhyaang. Gidaa-pi-naazhikain dibishkoo awe bezhig giniijaanis. Nizhaagwiiwii miinawa nindagaashiinyiw-ninoodese ginibwaakaawin miinawa gizoongiziwin. Ganawenim niwiyi ayaawaaganag gakina go indinawemaaganag ayaakozijig kitche-aya' aawijig miinawa go gegoo ezhi-gagwaadagitoojig. Kitche miigwetch gii widookwoshin omaa.

Many thanks, Great Spirit for all you have bestowed upon me. I come to you as one of your many children. I am weak and I am small and I need your wisdom and your strength. Take care of my family, all my relatives, who are sick & old, and those who suffer from anything. Many thanks for helping here.

So now that I've had a chance to sleep and started to reflect on my weekend emceeing the Aquinnah Wampanoags Annual Powwow I want to take a moment to say kitchen miigwetch/great big thank you to so many people. This is by no means an exhaustive list of people I want to thank but the ones I can think of an remember in this moment.
First of all kitche miigwetch Kitche Manitou, Creator, Great Spirit for allowing me to live this life, creating a path for me to walk, and allowing me the opportunities to be with the people.

Thank you also to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah for allowing me the honor and privilege of acting as the emcee for your powwow again and trusting me with the responsibility of representing your people for such a wonderful public event.

Thanks and love to the following people Bettina Washington, Nefititi Jette, Ryan Malonson, Jonathan Perry, Leah Hopkins-Perry, Thunder/Charlotte/Hunter James Perry, James Moreis, Thomas Fantasia, Hiawatha J Brown, Patrick Brooks, Ashliegh Cristine Brooks, Cherrie Welburn, Ron Welburn, Camille Madison, Herring Creek (Canonchet Stocking, Manny Roderick, Leroy Araujo), Iron River Singers, John Quimby, Phyllip Thomas, Durwood Vanderhoop & Black Brook, David Weeden, Trish Keliinui, Attaquin Weeden-Machado, MWT Councilman Brian Moskwetah Weeden, Keturah Peters, & the Weeden Family, Linda Coombs, John Jim Peters Jr. , Asa Peters, Mother Bear Anita Peters & the Peters family, Sly Fox Den, Darlene Flores, Mar Abinakaniru, Tiffany Amber Vanderhoop, Faith Vanderhoop & the Vanderhoop family, all the flag bearers, veterans, dancers, vendors, powwow staff, spectators, and everyone else! I will be adding more people to this list, but like I said in one of my previous posts, if you think you should be included in this list and you don't see your name, you're still included!!!

Thank you all!!!!