HEARTS & MINDS & CROOKED BEATS - PR Materials
PRESS RELEASE
People can change anything they want to, and that means anything in the world. – Joe Strummer
As of September 2023, more than 114 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes, due to conflict, persecution and human rights violations. By the end of 2024, the number is expected to reach 130 million.
Benefiting the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org) and their work with refugees, the compilation album Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats invites bands and visual artists to create work inspired by The Clash and celebrating their music and human rights message.
The album, mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen (known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Norah Jones, Madonna, Alice In Chains), features contributions from The Dandy Warhols, Mirah, Teke::Teke, Smokey Brights, Seán Barna, Julia Massey of Warren Dunes, The Gotobeds, Big League, Labasheeda, and The Rust & The Fury.
The album will be released digitally and to vinyl on International Clash Day, February 7th 2024. The holiday, established in 2013 by KEXP DJ John Richards, marks a global annual celebration of The Clash’s message and legacy.
To commemorate the album’s launch, release concerts and events will be held in NYC at Brooklyn Made on February 2nd, and in Seattle at the KEXP Gathering Space on February 7th.
Proceeds from the album sales will go to the International Rescue Committee’s global fund, supporting their vital work in responding to humanitarian crises and helping impacted individuals rebuild their lives.
About Shared Medium
Based in Seattle, Shared Medium is an arts nonprofit and production company committed to strengthening and interconnecting creative arts communities. By producing inclusive, collaborative, and community-engaging events, publishing regionally curated works, and providing a platform for resource sharing, Shared Medium fosters a more connected and interwoven arts community.
About the IRC
The International Rescue Committee is a global humanitarian organization dedicated to responding to the world’s most severe crises. They tirelessly aid individuals whose lives have been upended by conflict and disaster, offering critical assistance in the form of clean water, shelter, health care, education, and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities.
ALBUM TRACK LIST & DOWNLOAD
Side A:
- Straight To Hell – The Dandy Warhols
- Bankrobber – Teke::Teke
- I’m Not Down – Mirah
- Guns of Brixton – The Rust and The Fury
- Deny – Labasheeda
Side B:
- Train In Vain (Stand By Me) – Smokey Brights
- Hitsville U.K. – Seán Barna
- I’m So Bored with the USA – The Gotobeds
- Rock The Casbah – Julia Massey of Warren Dunes
- Lost In The Supermarket – Big League
EVENTS & RELEASE CALENDAR
Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats will be released digitally and to vinyl on International Clash Day, February 7th 2024. Here are all the parties and pre-release happenings!
January 31st, Listening Party @ Here-After, Seattle
Pre-release listening party! We’ll be spinning the vinyl start to finish and celebrating with the people who helped the project come together.
7pm, No cover, 21+
https://www.thecrocodile.com/here-after
February 2nd, Release concert @ Brooklyn Made, NYC
Featuring performances by Mirah, Seán Barna, and Teke::Teke!
7pm doors, 8pm show
$18 advance, $23 day of show, 21+
February 7th, concert & broadcast @ KEXP Gathering Space, Seattle
Swing by the KEXP Gathering Space from 7pm to grab a copy of the vinyl!
DJs Kevin Cole and Kid Hops will transition the all-day International Clash Day programming on-air to the Gathering Space for International Clash Day Live! Smokey Brights will perform a live set of Clash covers and originals and there will be a bar! Join us for a feel-good event celebrating the insightful messages from The Clash’s musical repertoire and those inspired by them. There will be a bar that benefits KEXP so attendees must be 21 years old or older to attend this one!
THE IRC AT A GLANCE
At a time when more than 100 million people are uprooted by crisis worldwide, here are 10 reasons to support the International Rescue Committee (IRC):
- For nearly 90 years they’ve have been helping people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.
- They were founded at the call of Albert Einstein. Ingenuity, fortitude and optimism remain at the heart of who we are and how we work.
- They are the largest refugee resettlement agency in the United States. In 2021, they served nearly 35,000 people across 20 cities with asylum and protection programs.
- In 2021 alone, they reached over 31.5 million people in countries affected by crisis with health care, clean water, education, protection and emergency cash—among other assistance provided around the world last year.
- They are rapidly responding to the triple threat refugees are facing right now—ongoing conflict, the spread of COVID-19 and climate change.
- They help people in some of the toughest places on Earth, including Yemen, Syria and Somalia.
- They have developed and are implementing a revolutionary new approach to treating malnutrition in children.
- They work in more than 40 countries, including Afghanistan. In a single year, they helped more than 1 million people in Afghanistan with services, including education and safe spaces for girls. They are determined to stay and deliver life-changing support as long as they are needed.
- They were on the ground in Poland before the Ukraine conflict began, monitoring the situation and preparing to respond, and today they’re providing aid in Ukraine and Poland directly and with local nonprofits with deep roots in their communities.
- They adapt to the challenges with courage and resilience and never, ever give up on refugees and displaced families.