Why doesn’t anyone ever make a song for the people of Palestine? They’ve have their land stolen, being subjected to military rule, live under a nightmare of Apartheid and are continuing to be pushed into an ever smaller space due to the illegal colonisation by an invading racist regime since 1948. They fight back and they are called terrorists.
Well said Steve.
How is writing and recording a song gonna help the people of Japan? It isn’t. If you wanna help the people of Japan then go there and physically help them search for the bodies of their loved ones. Or go and build some temporary housing for those who have had their shelter wrecked by the Tsunami.
Recording a song is no more effective than a bunch of religious cults sitting around a camp fire and singing Kumbaya and praying for them.
I do understand that making music is a creative outlet for one’s own emotional response to events, but like Steve said these people actually need tangible help. They’ve already got plenty of songs to sing to try and get them through these terrible times.
…and you know this from personal experience? Have you done this before?
If you wanna help the people of Japan then go there and physically help them search for the bodies of their loved ones. Or go and build some temporary housing for those who have had their shelter wrecked by the Tsunami.
These things are already being done by controlled organizations. The individual contributor can best help by, either sending money, or creating some kind of medium to build a monetary fund. Physically searching for bodies is something we couldn’t do. That is up to the authorities.
Recording a song is no more effective than a bunch of religious cults sitting around a camp fire and singing Kumbaya and praying for them.
You know… earlier, I was wondering how you could have been kicked off the old forum. Now though… I’m starting to get an idea… Do you really have such a lack of sensitivity for other endeavors?
These people actually need tangible help. They’ve already got plenty of songs to sing to try and get them through these terrible times.
Music is ART. It is about all it can be about. Whether it just be a good piece of music, raising money for a good cause, making an influential statement… whatever. If you haven’t realized that by now, you’ve already missed the point of music in general.
Actually, somebody DID, kind of:
Exactly.
I’ve felt really emotional for these people. One guy was talking about his wife who made every effort to save their children that she managed to save them but she got swept away by the Tsunami. This guy daily visits the centre where the names of confirmed dead or confirmed alive are posted on the wall. how awful is that to not know whether you loved one is alive or dead?
How on earth is someone across the other side of the world writing a song going to help you? I only wish I was in a position to go and help that guy find his loved one, even if the result was a dead body and he could at least know for sure what happened to her. However I can’t, but I can sit and be be in admiration and respect for those Brits who are in a position to go out there and help search for survives or closure for relatives of victims.
Not that anybody should or does care what I think, but:
I think Paul and Steve raise a valid issue here. I think it’s obvious that actually helping out or sending funds is the best way to help.
But making music can do one good thing, potentially: it can put both the creators and the listeners in the right frame of mind to in fact do more. I think that’s the point of the effort.
But creative self-expression, as a form of purging or catharsis, even when it’s in solidarity with the victims, ain’t gonna help them much in practical terms.
I don’t agree with Paul regarding prayer, but even on that issue the Bible says “Faith without action is worthless,” and that’s why like many of you I give what I can when these sort of things (incl Tammo’s illness) occur.
However, I wish there were some way for some of these musical efforts to gain a wider audience, specifically for the purpose of generating donations. I thought Peter’s tune after the Indonesian Tsunami could have achieved this, if it had a wider reception. Indeed, Darren’s wonderful “Blue Haitian Skies” is a tune I listen to fairly regularly – keeps the Haitian situation from leaving my consciousness.
You know where to find it 
- I’ve put a lot of effort into speaking up for these people. it might not be backed by a western pentatonic scale but it’s passionate.
The point is Doug is that people shouldn’t need a piece of music to encourage them to put their hands in their pockets to send fund to Japan or whatever current disaster is going on.
If I’m going to send money to some cause I don’t need to get anything out of it other than knowing I’m helping. IOW the product, the relief song, means nothing. if I’m going to help I’ll send the money anyway. The quality of the song, or even it’s existence, shouldn’t determine the amount I’m sending to the cause. If it did it would drastically devalue the cause.
Right. I thought that’s basically what I too was saying.
Er – I guess I said it in the OTHER thread
Yes you did. We’re on the same page
Agreed but it seems people DO respond to such things as music telethons that raise money. I think they can help raise awareness, too, which hopefully results in more donations.
If I’m going to send money to some cause I don’t need to get anything out of it other than knowing I’m helping. IOW the product, the relief song, means nothing. if I’m going to help I’ll send the money anyway. The quality of the song, or even it’s existence, shouldn’t determine the amount I’m sending to the cause. If it did it would drastically devalue the cause.
I don’t disagree. But human nature being what it is, I think such musical efforts can and do help raise awareness AND money. Shouldn’t have to be that way. Just is, I’m afraid.
Well Steve, I must say I do appreciate your attempt to defuse the situation.
But the reality for me, here, now, is. I’m fighting for whatever value music has left.
[I truncated the rest of this post. I cannot really explain the importance of music has to those who don’t want to hear it. It is very hard to cope with that understanding on a personal level, let alone try to communicate it to others. I will only say one thing with finality, and won’t comment on it further. Music has a power far beyond what we can fathom, if we exist in a stew of physical needs and emotional desires. It goes beyond that, beyond what we know as prayer, and what we know as art. I saw it one time, and because of that, I exist in the margin between insanity and consiousness].
So forgive me if I can’t explain it better. But music can help in such a way.
If music helps you channel and offload your emotional response to the disaster in Japan then go for it.
The people of Japan need real and tangible help, but if you need help with your own emotional responses to the disaster and creating music is the key to that then that can only be a good thing I guess.
I won’t condemn such an effort either but this IS still an evolving situation. Apparently, at least one of the cores has already melted, and the others may soon follow. I salute the brave, selfless dudes who chose to go back into the reactor area in a last-ditch effort to prevent further meltdowns, knowing full well they will certainly die by doing so.
For me, all I can say is that a musical ditty just seems out of place mere days after so many – apparently about 90,000 are missing – have died… and more may follow
From what I’ve read, the problem is that they don’t have an electrical power, so the pumps, etc aren’t running. They’re using steam engines, which don’t require electricty, to pump water into the reactors. I saw one report where in one of the reactors, the rods were uncovered for awhile and heated up greatly. A lot of this is speculation, as well as satellite surveillance by the US. I also saw where the Govt agency that reports on weather patterns was told to keep quiet about all this – that’s just great 
I’ve been saying on facebook toady that the USA West coast isn’t in any danger, but it looks like I may have to eat those words
Ever seen that movie “Deep Impact” where, right after the President – a BAD negro played by Morgan freeman – announces the comet is coming, and the news producer is instructing a keyboardist what kind of “ominous” music he wants to play as intro to the news story?
I don’t think I could do that job, frankly
John, Hi So be it. Makes good sense, too, cos I will get them to fit my voice and delivery.
Steve, my n
… er, Mate [ 
]
Ah, but what of the business side of things? Why were the last projects basically not ‘effective’ How can they be more effective? With all the efforts in the past seemingly going unnoticed, how can it be more noticed in the future? How can there be more exposure? Was there enough exposure before? > Did people get the feeling that some people (Cubasers creating the music project) were just trying to capitalize on a disaster for their own gain?
Own Gain?? NO. Ian, Larry [Foolomon] , and I invested the proceeds on Drugs, Wheels and ‘ho’s, in order to support the image of popular music and thereby increase the its potency to support not only Haiti, but ALL world situations.
… She arrived on the bicycle we’d hired for her, and we all shared the joint while she was on her knees, and, because we didn’t want to waste contributors’ funds, we didn’t tip her. And guess what We Went VIRAL! …er, and we footed the bill for our own antibiotics 
… actually I do reckon we did our level best to address the concern you raise. No contributor of music had self-promo … I don’t think there were any link-backs … somebody please double-check. The reasoning discussed and agreed in the threads on the old forum, was that ‘self gain’ … even appearance of self-gain, would weaken the projects credibility in the eyes of potential direct album-buying contributors, or indirect supporters like radio stations etc. Steve … Larry, Foolomon, went ‘viral’ on his OWN ass, as he banged letters out to Everybody, to inform them and keep them up to date, and to ask is they would help to publicise the projects. I agree with you … Business Thoughts … need to be thunk.
Paul W … ARGHHH you’re coming across on the verge of being branded ‘Party Pooper’ …
You’ve got the articulacy to speak for yourself. OK. However … I’ve got my own thoughts on this, too.
Everybody, please listen: When people are organizing themselves in a field.
What’s the difference between Raining on the Parade, and Spraying the Crops?
Well, everybody gets wet. But it’s only later we get to see the Crops are Better.
Steve has opened this thread with a serious ‘WHY???.’ I see he’s going to, if asked, plug in his axe and PLAY, but he’s not, in any way going to sacrifice the question ‘WHY.’ I say it is because when we pump ‘WHY?’ … We pump True Blood through the veins and very heartbeat, of our Creative Will to Honour and Mourn the tragedy. Take, for example, John Ward’s song for Haiti, a stern warning against Power’s rape of Powerlessness in a world where Suffering cares nought where today’s cameras point and today’s celebrities visit? John’s “Aint it So”, is a message of support, not only for the victims, but also to those who have the power to make a difference when they choose to ignore or take heed of the surrounding social and political context. True blood.
We are fortunate that this forum is not composed of mindless and self-seeking Bandwagon-Jumpers who reckon that 7 tunes on a Bandcamp site, or who think that Worldwide-Smash-Hit singles vomiting “Save The World!” will result in “World = Saved”. We also have sense enough to understand that, there is no escaping the fact that our generating attention in one direction, is necessarily distracting At Least Some attention from a less ‘popular’ set of world needs.
When travelling, we may be good drivers, but does that mean we no longer need warning signs on the road? Keeping our noses totally clean is impossible. Kevin and Darkstar are not around at the moment to temper, and thus make more effective, our enthusiasm. During the Haiti Project, they were not trying to stop anything. Just double and triple checking that we remain awake as we roll our sleeves up. Like Paul here, they worked hard and loyal, to keep us aware of the LESS comfortable implications of our concern. Look around. Paul is possibly the only one we’ve got left to specialise in shouldering this obviously unpopular burden. Doug too, I think, and a few others. Furthermore, Steve’s thread title and first post are explicit in their intent to highlight this burden as well as to consider what action we might take.
All the best
Glyn
We are, of course, limited by the skills and connections of the handful of people who are part of this forum,
but IMO thi is a worthwhile effort regardless of whether the cash intake is considered significant.
A lot of people hear it and are moved by it. whether they listen and immediately donate to the
charity -we’ve- chosen, or whether givers do their own homework and choose the charity they feel
makes the most sense - it’s all part of the same outpouring of support - financial and otherwise.
I wonder about the $0 amount that Ian posted. My recollection is that we posted the two songs on a site
and included links to charities we decided were reputable, and people could listen, and then donate if they chose to. Did the charities actually know whether donations were coming directly from our site?
And people who are compelled to donate are moved by everything they see and hear - the video footage,
the news stories, and yes, the songs. I don’t think anyone harbors any illusions about our offering being anything
more than a drop in the bucket, but it -is- something, as opposed to doing nothing.
Our own personal charitable donations are a separate matter. This project would be in addition to that.
I think I missed this. 
I don’t even know if it applies to this project. But I’m asking. Willyawillyawillya??? 