Wondering what exactly you will find on the Border Songs CD when you pick up your copy at the October 12th Release Concert? We have all the details for you below including the musicians that will perform at the concert.
The two-CD set features 31 performances in both English and Spanish from a variety of different genres and styles: blues, corrido, cumbia, folk/Americana, hip hop, instrumental guitar, mambo, Nicaraguan new song, reggae, rock, and even an electronic recording of the wall itself.
Renowned artists contributing to the compilation include Sweet Honey in the Rock, whose song “Are We a Nation?” was written in direct response to AZ’s anti immigrant law, SB 1070. Other prominent musicians include Amos Lee, Michael Franti, Calexico, Joel Rafael, Tom Russell and Eliza Gilkyson. Salvadoran Lilo González, who himself crossed the border without documents, contributes a cumbia based on his own experience, “Ningún ser humano es ilegal” (No Human Being is Illegal). 93 year-old folk music legend Pete Seeger contributed his song “My Rainbow Race.”
Spoken word on the album includes a dramatic reading by Chicana performer Denise Chávez, excepts from an interview with Charles Bowden, and an animal fable that will both entertain a child and inspire an adult to think. Poets contributing work include Chilean Raúl Zurita, one of South America’s most important living poets, Salvadoran Mario Bencastro, whose poem “Arizona” honors migrants who have died in the desert, and North American Margaret Randall, whose poem “Offended Turf” is blended with Glenn Weyant’s electronic recording of the border wall. This diverse and eclectic collection of border songs is held together by a common thread—a deep concern and solidarity for migrants, for people of all ethnicities, regardless of their country of origin.
The complete list of artists contributing to the Border Songs project features:
Amos Lee, Calacas Blues, Calexico, Charles Bowden, Christa Sadler, Chuck Cheesman, Classik & Pachuco, Cyril Barrett, Denise Chávez, Dúo Guardbarranco, Eliza Gilkyson, Eric Skye, Giant Giant Sand, Glenn Weyant, Joel Rafael, Lakesigns, Lilo Gonzalez, Los Románticos, Margaret Randall, Mario Bencastro, M. Henry, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Óscar Sarmiento, Pete Seeger, Raúl Zurita, Robert Neustadt, Scott Ainslie, Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ted Warmbrand, Tom Russell.
A sampling of this roster will perform at the Coconino Center for the Arts in a celebratory concert on Friday, October 12, beginning at 7 p.m. Artists confirmed for this concert at this time include: Cyril Barret, Chuck Cheesman, Pachuco & Classik, M. Henry (Matt Hall), Glenn Weyant, Los Románticos, Mario Bencastro, Robert Neustadt and Christa Sadler.
Can’t wait to see you on the 12th!
