Bands release benefit CD for United Way Sept. 11 Fund
By Dayton Vielguth
Old Gold and Black Reviewer

Now that the dust from the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., has settled, people find themselves searching for something to cling to, something to bring joy back to their lives, something to help them return to normalcy and remind them of how things were before these tragedies. The entertainment and music industries has answered this call through such events as the Concert for New York, the Tribute to Heroes telethon, and, most recently, a new compilation CD titled Bands for America.
The disc is released through FreshTrackMusic and Mountain Records and was for a while available only on the Internet at www.FreshTracksMusic.com. However, the CD has just recently been made available for purchase at retail record stores across the nation as well as at the live shows of the participating bands.

All proceeds from the sales of the CD will be donated to the United Way and the September 11th Fund. The bands, the record company, and everyone else involved hope that the grassroots support many of the bands have won will translate into significant sales of the CD and subsequently provide substantial financial contributions to charity.
The CD itself contains 17 new and soon-to-be-released tracks featuring some of today’s brightest up-and-coming acts, including Jack Johnson, String Cheese Incident, o.a.r., Dispatch, Virginia Coalition, Garrett Dutton (of G Love and Special Sauce) and others. The disc certainly has a pervading acoustic rock, jam-band feel to it, as would be expected by the names billed on its cover.

In fact, the CD’s only fault may be that it is very narrow in focus, and caters almost exclusively to this narrow window of listeners. However, those who enjoy this style of music will no doubt thoroughly enjoy the CD, as sophomore jam-band enthusiast Nick Gray concurs: “O.a.r. is a great band for college kids,” Gray said. “They really rocked the sold-out crowd at Ziggy’s the other night. I think it’s great that they’re taking part in Bands for America as a way to give back. What better way to show my support than by purchasing a CD for my own personal listening pleasure?”

Some songs directly address the Sept. 11 tragedies and their aftermath, such as Cary Pierce and Friends’ “I Believe in America,” a mournful, yet hopeful tribute to American resilience and determination. Garrett Dutton’s “On 9.11.01” explores the feelings of confusion and fear felt by so many Americans on the date after which the song is named. Pepper’s Ghost’s “Sad, Sad Song,” though not written specifically in honor of the events of Sept. 11, is relevant in its hopeful approach to a tragic event.

Other tracks simply sing of living and enjoying life, like Jack Johnson’s “Mud Football,” an exuberant celebration of the simple pleasures of youth. Strangefolk’s “Go to a Show” could almost be considered the theme song of the CD, as it revels in the live performance atmosphere so many of the bands have thrived in. SONIA dada’s “Ain’t Life for the Living” champions the carpe diem attitude towards life, an attitude which is especially important and valuable after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Although the disc does include several varied and distinct approaches to life and music, both the somber and the celebrative styles contribute to the CD’s overall effectiveness and value. They encourage us to simultaneously reflect on the evil which has already occurred, but at the same time to also anticipate and help bring about the bright future which lies ahead if we can work together. Bands for America is certainly an important and commendable first step toward this kind of love and respect for all mankind, as well as a musically sound addition to the acoustic rock fan’s library.