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| From | Michael Bennett <mrhonorama@ameritech.net> |
| Subject | Re: "Of Hands and Hearts" article in today's Orange County Register |
| Date | Fri, 25 Mar 2005 10:08:43 -0800 (PST) |
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John --
Thanks for passing this on -- and condolences go out
to Stephen, who is a terrific guy. Even if is father
didn't see the release date, I can't imagine that he
could have been any prouder.
I need to order this thing pronto --
Mike Bennett
NP: Spoon -- Gimme Fiction
--- Popdude@aol.com wrote:
> Nice article about the just-released tsunami relief
> cd produced by former
> Auditeer and all-around good guy Stephen "Spaz"
> Schnee.
>
> I've had the pleasure of hearing the disc and it's a
> real winner. Support a
> great cause and pick one up (I believe Not Lame, JAM
> and the usual suspects
> should have 'em).
>
> JB
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Orange Pop
>
> By ROBERT KINSLER
> Special to the Register
> Stephen Schnee had been looking forward to this
> week, with March 22 marking
> the release date for "Of Hands and Hearts," an
> ambitious CD benefiting victims
> of the deadly tsunami that hit Asia and Africa last
> December.
> But the executive producer of the project was dealt
> a personal blow two days
> before the release of the CD.
> "On Sunday, March 20, just after noon on a bright
> and beautiful day, the man
> who inspired this project passed away at the age of
> 65 after a long, brave
> battle with cancer. ... He was my father, Duane John
> Schnee, and he taught my
> family and I all about strength, love and
> compassion," Schnee wrote in an e-mail
> this week.
> Despite the loss of his father, Schnee was back at
> work the next day getting
> the word out about the disc. In fact, he said he was
> especially saddened
> because his father battled cancer for 2 1/2 years
> but didn't live to see the
> release date. "He was very proud of the project,"
> Schnee said.
> "Of Hands and Hearts" features 49 artists from seven
> countries around the
> globe. A mix of up-and-coming artists (Wormstew, the
> Waking Hours, Eugene
> Edwards, the Virginia Sisters) and established
> veterans (Dramarama, the Fixx, Wang
> Chung, Adrian Belew) are among those whose songs in
> the collection.
> Schnee workedtirelessly from the time he learned of
> the disaster to recruit
> artists and issue the disc through Anaheim-based
> Integrity Records. In addition
> to approaching all of the artists and labels about
> securing music, he
> commissioned the artwork (Reg Mombassa did the CD
> cover), finalized the track listing
> and is handling promotion. All of the net proceeds
> from the sale are going to
> CARE (www.careusa.org), a humanitarian organization
> that works in 70
> countries to find lasting solutions to poverty.
> "The seeds of this project were planted that very
> day (the tsunami struck).
> My father had lung cancer, and the first time I
> really noticed a real physical
> change in him was on Dec. 26, the day after his 65th
> birthday. It was such a
> devastating day emotionally, and initially I felt
> that there was absolutely
> nothing I could do to help anyone. But the human
> spirit is much stronger than we
> can ever imagine, and it was only a week or so
> before I came up with the idea
> to put this thing together," Schnee recalled.
> In addition to Schnee's role, there are many other
> Orange County connections.
> The CD's ranks include Orange-based Suburban Legends
> and Surf City's Jeffrey
> Foskett (the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson). And Jeremy
> Morris performs a song
> co-written by John Borack, a noted Fountain
> Valley-based TV director and pop-music
> journalist (Goldmine, Amplifier magazine).
> Whittier resident and Dramarama frontman John
> Easdale is among the artists
> who have contributed a new track for the CD.
> "I think anyone would jump forward (to help),"
> Easdale said of the response
> to disaster, adding, "The scope and size is mind
> boggling."
> Dramarama is finishing up work on a new album for
> release in May. The band
> contributed a new song ("Try Five Times") for the
> tsunami disc.
> "Stephen called a week or so after the disaster
> (asking if Dramarama wanted
> to include a song on the CD), and I said, 'Sure.' A
> lot of people do that
> (help) with their wallets. This is an easy way of
> doing service; to help in some
> small way."
> Schnee said that every one of the 49 artists he
> contacted was helpful and
> considerate; he said there was not a single case
> where egos got in the way of
> getting an artist included.
> "I just started sending e-mails to artists that I
> knew, artists that I
> admired and artists that my friends suggested,"
> Schnee said. "Luckily, with some of
> the bigger name artists (Dramarama, the Fixx), I had
> some sort of contact with
> them already. Other bands that I approached, such as
> Supersuckers, Adrian
> Belew, Wang Chung and Annabella Lwin (Bow Wow Wow)
> were artists that I admired
> and who were very supportive from the very
> beginning."
> Schnee noted that the title of the compilation
> refers to the strength
> ("Hands") and love ("Hearts") that organizations
> such as CARE offer to those in need,
> as well as the hands and hearts of the artists who
> created the music on "Of
> Hands and Hearts."
> "We think of 9/11, and that was horrific," Easdale
> said. "When you heard of
> hundreds of thousands dead (in the wake of the
> tsunami) - it's too high to
> count."
> The CD can be ordered through www.idealcopy.com, as
> well as purchased at a
> number of area music retailers. For more
> information, visit
> www.integritydistributors.com.
>
>
> Freelancer Robert Kinsler has written about pop
> music for the Register since
> 1992.
>
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