When musician Daniel Mark Baird, 40, traveled from Elkhart, Ind., to the north side of Indianapolis over this past July 4th weekend, he wasn’t just looking to celebrate a patriotic holiday. He attended a number of community events, including Carmel’s Fourth of July parade, in order to shoot video footage of typical Americans honoring their country. The results? The images were used to create a music video for Baird’s song, The Eagle Still Flies, which can now be seen in its entirety online.
The song has been in development for years. The first version was written by Daniel’s sister, Danette Baird of Muncie, Ind., shortly after the tragic events of 9/11. She then asked Daniel for help, and through a collaborative effort, the song was completed and a demo was recorded in 2002. But without any high-powered music executives behind it, the demo sat idle for years.
Last year, with the tenth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, the brother and sister team took action. With the assistance of veteran Nashville producer and studio musician Shane Keister, a new recording of the song was made. But in today’s world of social media, Daniel knew that a video would have to be part of the package. So over this past summer, he worked with video director Luke Renner of Fireside Films to get the job done.
“You just don’t know when you go into something like this how hard it’s going to be,” says Daniel. “It’s been an incredible amount of work, but to have something in the end that is so moving, it makes it all worth it.”
Today, with a completed song and video to boot, their hard work is paying off. Local television stations have taken notice, and the attention is spreading. Daniel is scheduled to perform the song at a number of 9/11 events, including a September 11 appearance at the 9/11 Heroes Run in Westfield, and at the Project 9/11 Indianapolis dedication downtown.
In addition, Baird has been asked to perform the song live on the Fox59 Morning News on September 9. The song and video are also being included in a documentary currently in production about the making of Project 9/11. Bryan Boyd, the local freelance producer managing the film, is hopeful that the final product will make its debut at the Heartland Film Festival in October.
A computer systems administrator by day, Daniel hopes that the launch of the video and the upcoming tenth anniversary of 9/11 will give him the opportunity to share his song with a state- and nationwide audience.
“This song is so meaningful to my sister and me, and we are thrilled that it’s finally being heard,” Daniel says. “We are so thankful to all the people that were willing to be a part of our video, as we feel it truly captures the spirit of Americans. We just hope it means as much to them as it does to us.”
The Eagle Still Flies is available on iTunes. To find out more about the song, or to view the video, visit http://eagleflies.us, or www.facebook.com/eagleflies911. You can also view the video on YouTube, entitled, The Eagle Still Flies – A 10-year Anniversary Tribute to 9/11.
