12th May 2009 sees the release of the EP Afterquake.
The collaboration was inspired in 2008 through Abigail’s volunteer work for Sichuan Quake Relief where she performed in ‘relocation schools’ with kids from pre-school to high school — most of whom were relocated from mountain villages to schools in new locations far from their families.
The team included:
- Abigail Washburn, singer/songwriter and banjo player extraordinaire
- Dave Liang, the maestro behind the Shanghai Restoration Project
- Amanda Kowalski, double-bass player and photographer who also documented the trip. Her photos feature in the Afterquake artwork and packaging.
- Luke Mines, videographer (see the results when you watch the video.)
The project started only a month or so ago and is being completed at lightning speed. It was amazing to witness the creative team’s commitment and energy, and Chengdu Bookwormers were treated to a first listen to the material, presented by Abigail and Dave just a few weeks ago.
The EP Afterquake will be for sale on Amazon (physical copies with international shipping), and Hinote will be handling digital distribution throughout mainland China and Taiwan. Everywhere else in the world it will be available through the soon-to-be finished Afterquake website (physical copies) and digitally on i-Tunes. A generous portion of sales revenues will be donated to Sichuan Quake Relief. The EP will also be on sale at the Chengdu Bookworm.
More about Afterquake and the people behind it:
- JamBase report on Afterquake
- NPR blog report on the Afterquake project
- Paste magazine’s report on Afterquake
- Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project
- The website of Amanda Kowalski
The official Afterquake press release is as follows:
Abigail Washburn & The Shanghai Restoration Project Honour the One-Year Anniversary Of The Sichuan Earthquakes
Folk/Electronica Collaboration Melds Post-Earthquake Soundscapes With the Voices Of Relocated School Children and Their Faraway Families For Benefit Album ‘Afterquake’National Multi-Media Museum Exhibition Planned For 2009 & 2010
Digital & Limited Edition EP CD Available May 12th 2009
Portion Of All Proceeds To Benefit Sichuan Quake Relief
In honour of the one-year anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquakes, two pioneers in entirely different genres — folk and electronica — have merged to increase knowledge and understanding of the continuing aftermath of the earthquake. More than 88,000 have died, with upwards of 5 million left homeless or relocated. A portion of the proceeds from this EP will benefit the Sichuan Quake Relief organization.
Afterquake is a collection of raw, remixed field recordings of post-earthquake soundscapes as well as performances by relocated children and their faraway parents captured and produced by Abigail Washburn and Shanghai Restoration Project creator Dave Liang, in cooperation with Sichuan Quake Relief. Currently in the Chinese countryside, they will complete the entire record start to finish in two weeks’ time.
The collaboration was inspired in 2008 through Abigail’s volunteer work for Sichuan Quake Relief where she performed in ‘relocation schools’ with kids from pre-school to high school – most of whom were relocated from mountain villages to schools in new locations far from their families.“The children and teachers expressed intense grief at the loss of home and family,” says Washburn, a former Sichuan resident featured in Newsweek for her “weirdly wonderful” blend of Chinese culture and American-roots music. “I wanted to return and record their stories and songs in their own voices.”
A kindred spirit was found in collaborator Dave Liang, whose Shanghai Restoration Project combines the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments with hip-hop and electronica. His project has been featured on NPR, KCRW, KEXP and the Beijing Olympics.
Despite the tragic nature of the events inspiring this record, the sounds of the children captured by Liang and Washburn are encouraging and uplifting: playground noises – ping pong, basketball, jacks, handclapping games – are melded into a danceable rhythm; a 7th grade student performs a traditional Qiang minority dance song for her classmates; Tibetan sisters recite a bedtime prayer their mom used to sing to them; a relocated boy sings a ballad about missing his mom over the sounds of his parents rebuilding their house.
Afterquake will be available May 12th 2009 as a digital EP and limited edition CD, exactly one year to the day of the earthquakes.
shanghairestorationproject.com // abigailwashburn.com // www.afterquakemusic.com
For more information contact: Carla Parisi at Kid Logic, kidlogic@nj.rr.com or +1 973-563-0204
Tags: Abigail Washburn, Afterquake, Amanda Kowalski, anniversary, awareness, children, Dave Liang, Donation, music, raise money, Shanghai Restoration Project, sounds