Songs for Shelter

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About Songs For Shelter

Songs for Shelter showcases the cream of Seattle songwriters and musicians from the past 30 years (from Danny O'Keefe to Laura Veirs, Wayne Horvitz to Laura Love, Jim Page to Reggie Garrett) in a collection of mostly NEW RECORDINGS. Primarily folksy, the CD ranges from blues to funk, traditional Irish to rock. It features new compositions, reworkings of old favorites and recent releases stitched together by the performers' commitment to providing something special to support efforts to end poverty in our community. While most compilation fundraising projects only recycle album tracks, Songs for Shelter features 10 cuts that have never been released before, including 8 tracks recorded specifically for the project and two songs written expressly for it. (Details below!) The irony is that artists, whether visual, music, or written word, are often closer to the realities of poverty than many of other folks. Many of them live close to the economic fault line and have great sympathy and support for this work. All of the musicians donated their work. Four recording studios provided free studio time enabling musicians to record new tracks for the project. Tracks include: Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb's ethereal take on the traditional 'I've Been All Around This World.' Known more for his jazz work, Horvitz, who learned this tune off an old Jerry Garcia album and recorded it for this project, offers a meditative, quirky reading that includes a rare vocal appearance by Wayne in support of Robin. Grace Hearn and Michael Savage's soaring 'Snow on the Ground' a personal tale of melancholy that rises and falls on the sheer power of Grace's lead vocals and Michael's harmonies, catchy guitar riffs and lush production. Paul Benoit's sloopy 'Palm Wine Drunkard.' a tale of resignation celebrated through a feast of layered slide guitars, recorded especially for Songs for Shelter. Reggie Garrett's spine-tingling 'When Daddy Gets This Way,' written and recorded for this project is a tale of a child's grappling with his drunkard father in which the pain and fear is all the more striking in contrast to Reggie's melodic soundscape and sweet high vocals. World Champion Irish fiddler Martin Hayes contributes a rare multi-tracked solo rendition of the traditional tunes The Humours of Tulla and Last Night's Fun. Setting his lilting violin against a cross-cutting viola track, Hayes, who recorded these tunes specifically for the project, brings a fitting close to the melancholy first chapter of Songs for Shelter. Danny O'Keefe amps up the mood in a tight, rocking reworking of his mid-70's classic 'The Hereafter.' Backed by snarly guitar and a crisp, driving rhythm section, O'Keefe offers a streetwise vocal that unmasks the a basic tenet of life on the streets: If you ain't here after...I'm GONE!' Laura Love opens her high-spirited live band rendition of her classic 'I'm Givin' Way' by shouting to the crowd at Seattle's Triple Door: 'It's good to be home!' Her spirited groove, available in this live cut only on this release, offers hope that all people can reach their home, no matter what they are 'givin' way!' 'In this world of misery, it's getting harder to be...' sings a road weary Jared Clifton of Seattle's roots rocker favorites, the recently defunct Radio Nationals. 'Scream' with it's downer vocals contrasted by a hint of slide guitar hope sounds like an outtake from a lost Uncle Tupelo session. Laura Veirs offers a whimsical solo reading of 'Secret Someones.' Spare and simple compared to the denser version on her recent Nonesuch release, this cut offers a 'you can only get it here' opportunity to get see into the core of Veirs' impressionistic take on life's wandering. Jim Page's 'Too Much Money' is a conversational musing on the social/political foundation of homelessness: 'Some people have too much money,' Page sings over his crisp guitar. With a keener mind than most world leaders, the internationally known songwriter posits a solution that would