In a time when people are supporting struggling artists, one Chilliwack musician is giving back by raising money for a Canadian charity with the proceeds from an original song.
Today (May 15), singer-songwriter Kellen Saip is releasing his song ‘We’re All In This Together,’ an anthem featuring 18 other artists who have all made an impact on his musical life over the years. One hundred per cent of the proceeds from sales of the song will go towards Music Heals Charitable Foundation.
He was already using the words “we’re all in this together” for the song when he realized that people around the world were using that same phrase in regards to COVID-19.
Saip calls the coincidence a “happy little accident.”
“I wrote this song about my own personal struggles and quickly realized I wasn’t the only one affected by this pandemic,” Saip said. “As hard as this has been to be isolated and not know when I will be able perform again, I came to realize how important community, friends and family really are in the whole big picture, not just my personal life.”
Music Heals Charitable Foundation is a B.C.-based organization that offers music therapy services to patients in children’s hospitals, senior’s centres, palliative care, AIDS & HIV programs, at-risk youth, habilitation, and bereavement support. Saip has been a big fan of Music Heals for years. He’s worked with kids and adults with special needs and is a huge believer in music therapy, so there was no question where the money would go.
While writing the song, he said it was difficult for him to turn the negatives into positives. Here are some of the lyrics:
“I guess I’ll go out walking
Take some time to clear my head
And reflect on all my choices
Wipe my tears and smile instead.”
Although he said the song is “genre-less” because it’s a mix of so many different artists and their styles, the song definitely has a bluesy-folksy tune to it.
Most of the artists contributed their talents in the form of singing the chorus, while a handful of them helped by playing drums or harmonica (if you know the artist, you may even be able to pick out their voice in the song). Each one recorded their part at home and sent it to Saip for him and fellow musician, Jordain Culpepper, to piece it into the song.
Here is the chorus:
“Cause we’re all in this together
We’ve been through harsher weather
Ohhh braving the storm
Is worth all the harm
Just to see, the sun rise again.”
‘We’re All In This Together’ is actually one of the songs that will be on an upcoming album of his, scheduled to be released later this year, although it will be a stripped down version of it without the other musicians’ voices.
‘We’re All In This Together’ is available at kellensaipmusic.bandcamp.com as of Friday, May 15. There is no set price, rather people make a donation to buy a copy of it.
Here are the artists who you hear on ‘We’re All In This Together’: Cally Petersen (Dear One), Josh Petersen (Dear One), Sonny Rozsa, Connie Scott, Robyn Froese, Luke Vandevert, Ryan McMahon, Ryan Harvey (Dear One), Ted Kim (Dear Father), Shawn Hall (The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer), Cole Prpich, Sammi Morelli, Ben Crosby, Joe Matheson, Leeroy Stagger, Erik Mehlsen (Del Suelo/Dead South), Justin Hauck and Jordain Culpepper.
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