By Will McGuirk
Are we going to replace gatherings with zoom meetings? Are we going to celebrate without touch, in isolation, alone, on social media? Do we need to see, feel, touch as well as hear music, musicians? Do we need to be in their presence for it to really matter.Do you crave the real thing or are you getting used to degrees of separation, of filters, of replicas of replicas of replicas? Do you want facade or fact? Or have you already been doing that for some years already?
“These songs are about learning to be more present to where I'm at, letting go, and taking responsibility, all themes that have taken on new meaning for me the past few months, as nearly everything has been turned upside down by a global pandemic and a much-needed civil rights movement.” - Zaac Pick
“In this karaoke music video, we imagine an uplifting New Earth where there is abundance and liberation. A hopeful world created as a result of dismantling white supremacy, fighting the lies of colonialism, and ending fascism and the oppression of marginalized peoples.” - Pantayo
“This is a story speaking to how everyone has to deal with the weight of the world in one way or another. That kind of brings us together in a sense. just a friendly reminder that everyone has got this shit feeling from time to time, some more than others, but all you can really do is to try and take it easy on yourself.” - Matthew Sweeney, The Elwins
"Pinebox is an invitation to look yourself in the eyes, let go of who you have been, and move forward. It is a song about self-reflection in a time of stasis, and releasing the weight we carry with us from our early years,” - Birds of Bellwoods
"'It describes a feeling of apathy, paralysis, and a fear of letting go of the known. We feel it's a rather fitting introduction to a band that, until the global pandemic, had remained in a state of self-imposed delay." - Rod Slaughter