Don’t you just love hearing stories behind the music? All those inspirations resulting in the creation of a song in its final shape and form. If you do, here is one more for you. Raw, real and brutally honest.
“Black Bird” is the latest single released by William Pilgrim & The All Grows Up. The song is inspired by the death of Eric Garner, and addresses systemic injustice and the numbing effect of social media on real-world tragedies. Eric Garner, an African American man, died at the age of 43, after an NYPD officer forcefully put him in a prohibited chokehold during an arrest.
In addition to this backstory, “Black Bird” is also an opening song of the soundtrack for the upcoming documentary, titled “Ishues”. The film focuses on the activist and musician, PM Romero, and the history of his collaboration with Ishmael Herring – a singer who was experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. The meeting between the two men turned into a transformational decision to work together. After Ishmael answered PM’s online ad looking for a singer, they began a fruitful collaboration which resulted in “31 original tracks, and a decade of recording together as William Pilgrim & The All Grows Up”. Pretty inspiring and life-changing, isn’t it?
Putting the above stories aside for a moment, “Black Bird” is also a piece of strikingly great music. Blending soul with rock, and providing a backdrop to Ishmael’s gritty vocals, the song carries intense emotions which correspond to its powerful message. A pursuit of social change through song. And the realisation that the stardom is not as much of a goal as embarking on a shared musical journey is. After all, music is the union of the souls, a special connection, and a meeting of talents resulting in an act of creation. And each of these reasons is more substantial than any potential material gain can ever be.
That’s “Black Bird” for me. What will it be for you?
Photo: Press release
More info: https://ishues.org
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