Today is the second anniversary of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the modern history of the Western hemisphere: the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Shortly after that tragedy, I worked with managed web hosting services provider ServInt and online media software developer MediaCore to build a site where independent musicians could use their music to raise money for emergency relief efforts.
The site — www.indiemusicforhaiti.com — is still up, and there’s still some amazing music to be seen and heard there: one of the first live performances of Tommy T (from Gogol Bordello) and his Abyssinia Roots Collective, some great performance footage from DC’s premier jazz-ska orchestra Eastern Standard Time, a track from Philadelphia’s legendary Nixon’s Head, and one track from yours truly, which I promised to only make available through the charity site. That track is today’s musical offering.
It’s called Shoot Me Now, and it’s a somewhat silly song about not quite getting the formula for seduction right, and suffering an all-too-human kind of frustration as a result. It’s happened to all of us at some point or other, I’m sure. Despite the subject matter, it’s a jaunty little number, propelled to new heights by stellar drum work from Paul Garisto of the Psychedelic Furs — a friend to the Stolzenrock project and contributor to another weirdo-beardo side project called Green Laver (about which you’ll be hearing more soon, one of these days).
Anyhow, enjoy. And while you’re tapping your feet and bobbing your head, spare a thought — and a dollar or two — for the people of Haiti, who continue to make painfully slow progress towards reconstruction. They still need your help, and could use that money you use to buy a latte every morning for things like clean water, vaccinations and properly functioning toilets. For the record, the Stolzenrock Haiti charity of choice is Voice Of Haiti — a great group that does amazing things bringing health care, proper sanitation and clean water to the country on a village-by-village basis. Kenbe la pa lage!