Bedouin Soundclash has released a special single, Here I Am featuring Saint James Music Academy, as an iTunes exclusive, recorded last September in Vancouver, BC. Proceeds from the single will go to The Saint James Music Academy, located in Vancouver. The academy focuses on helping inner-city children and youth from low income families by providing services such as group and private instrument lessons, choral programs, youth mentorship programs, theory, Kodaly and Orff classes, Children and Youth Orchestra as well as music therapy for children in crisis as well as children with special needs.
Guitarist Jay Mallnowski says…
In the winter of 2009 my dad asked me to come down to a Christmas recital of the St. James Music Academy over on the Lower East Side in Vancouver. At the time, I had become somewhat jaded with music (which in this industry easily happens). I watched the kids throughout their recital and slowly changed. It was really pure. I met Kathy Walker afterwards, who runs the program, and she described the kinds of places these kids were coming from, and tht this program provided an outlet for positivity and creativity afterschool. It also provided a safe haven for a couple hours with a meal at the end. Its truly a special thing to be around, and the kids have so much talent. I was truly inspired. In the summer we had time to go into Armory Studio and record the kids singing on “Here I am”, a song I wrote for my sister a long time ago. All the proceeds and royalties from this song will always go to the St James Music Academy, and we all hope wil provide a bit more money to keep the program going and allow kids to dream and succeed with music later in life. Kathy Walker and the people who volunteer their time are making change with music the the truest sense. Thanks go to Kathy and the kids of St. James!
Here is the behind the scenes recording of the song Here I Am
Bedouin Soundclash New Single
