For Immediate Release
Carrie Crawford
202-584-6512
Kambale Musavuli
1-888-584-6510
support@congoweek.org
Women Singers, Songwriters and Poets Break the Silence With Congo Benefit CD
Irma Thomas, Neko Case, and Susan Cowsill Join Others on Break the Silence Benefit CD for Congo Week
WASHINGTON - Grammy winner Irma Thomas, Americana singer Neko
Case, and pop icon Susan Cowsill join forces with noted women singers,
songwriters and poets to benefit rape victims in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Contributors include Eliza Gilkyson, Caroline Aiken, Karen
Protti-Bailey, Claire Holley, Kim Carson, Theresa Davis, Mary LaSang, Ruby Rendrag,
Gospel Gossip, Sonia Tetlow, Herman Put Down the Gun, Karen Garrabrant, Dede
Vogt, Caroline Herring, Janet Bean, and Leilani Rivera Bond
Women
singers, songwriters, and poets have joined forces and donated 20 tracks for a
limited edition compilation CD to raise awareness about violence against women
in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Congo's Angels" is scheduled for release
during Break the Silence
Congo Week, October 19-25. Congo Week
is a global initiative led by students throughout the globe to raise awareness about the
escalating violence against women and children in the Congo and provide
support. Students and community organizers in at least 100 countries and 1,000
campuses are expected to
organize an activity or event in solidarity with the people of the Congo.
On Monday, September 22, 2008 from 10 AM, a press conference will be held at the National Press Club in
Washington, DC to launch the countdown to Congo Week.
All
proceeds from the sale of "Congo's Angels" will go directly into a special
account, designed to offer transparency in accounting. Friends of the Congo
(www.friendsofthecongo.org), a U.S. based tax-exempt non-profit, will manage this account.
No monies, except minimal distribution costs, will be taken from sales.
Carrie Crawford, Chairperson of Friends of the Congo
pledges, "All proceeds from Congo's Angels will raise awareness, fund
independent media, and support women and girls in the Democratic Republic of
Congo."
CDBABY has waived their percentage of sales from Congo's Angels as a gesture of solidarity with Congo Week. The CD manufacturer, Oasis, has given a deep discount for the production of Congo's Angels. Atlanta based Earthshaking Records donated studio and production time for the mastering of Congo's Angels. A group of emergency room doctors in Brainerd, Minnesota donated toward the environmentally friendly packaging of Congo's Angels. Earthshaking Records donated studio and production time for the mastering of Congo's Angels. A group of emergency room doctors in Brainerd, Minnesota donated toward the environmentally friendly packaging of Congo's Angels.
1.1
million people are displaced in North and South Kivu provinces and living in
unspeakable conditions in refugee camps. 200,000 women and children have been
raped and brutalized. It is estimated 1,200 people die every day, and it could
be stopped tomorrow with enough international will say human rights groups.
Anneke
van Woudenberg, the Congo specialist for Human Rights Watch, has urged
independent journalists to explore the reasons behind the violence. "Things
have gotten worse in the last few months," she said. "We desperately need firsthand
reports of what is happening here."
In
response to his story and the plea from Human Rights Watch, women artists from
the shores of Hawaii to the banks of the Mississippi Delta immediately offered
the gifts of their art and song. From a Hawaiian hula master to a
Grammy-winning New Orleans soul singer, and a rising Americana singer, the
compilation is a "celebration of compassion, love and understanding," says
Producer Sonia Tetlow.
Distribution
details will be announced in the coming weeks at the Friends of the Congo website.
The
complete track listing for Congo's Angels follows:
Track
Listing for "Congo's Angels"
"Wawona Morning/ Night"
Written by S. Cowsill & R.
Broussard as Coco Bunny Music/Being Heard, BMI
from the album 'Just Believe It'
Susan Cowsill - vocals, electric
guitar
Russ Broussard - drums, percussion
Chris Knotts - electric and acoustic
guitars
Rob Savoy - electric and acoustic bass
"Tender Mercies"
Written and performed by Eliza
Gilkyson as 2004 Gilkysongs, BMI
from the album "The Land of Milk
and Honey"
Provided courtesy of Red House Records
"Another Man Done Gone"
Traditional with new lyrics by written
by Irma Thomas and Scott Billington as Irma Jackson Music/Black Skillet Music,
BMI
from the album "After the
Rain" (11661-2186-2)
Provided courtesy of Rounder Records
Irma Thomas - vocal
Dirk Powell - fretless banjo, electric
guitar
Sonny Landreth - slide guitar
James Singleton - arco and pizzicato
acoustic bass
Stanton Moore - drums
Produced by Scott Billington
"Inside Out"
Written by Caroline Aiken & Gary
Moore as Glutton for Publishment Music
Performed live with Atlanta's DOGHOUSE
Caroline Aiken - guitar, vocals
Val Dempsey - guitar
Ted Hoyer - drums
Terry Frye - bass
"What I Know for Sure"
Written by Brian Perry & Angela
Herbert as First Go Round Music, BMI
Karen Protti-Bailey - Vocals
Brian Perry - Guitar
"Visit Me"
Written by Claire Holley, as Claire
Chamblin Holley/ Olivia's Attic Music, ASCAP
from the album "Hush"
Claire Holley - Vocals, Acoustic
Guitar,
Electric Guitar, Keyboard
Greg Leisz - Pedal Steel
Domenic Genova: - Bass
Nic Brown - Drums
"It's Not A Big Deal"
Written by Kim Carson as 2008 Kim
Carson, BMI
from the album "Calle de
Orleans"
Provided courtesy of Bank Street
Records
"Wawona Afternoon"
Written by S. Cowsill, R.
Broussard and M. Meaux as Coco Bunny
Music/Being Heard/Blue Snake Music,
Administered by Bug Music, BMI
from the album 'Just Believe It'
"For The Women of the Congo"
Written and performed byTheresa Davis
as 2008
"The Tigers Have Spoken"
Written by Neko Case and The Sadies
Nedotykomka, SOCAN/ASCAP and Sadies
Music, SOCAN
Performed by Neko Case
from the album "The Tigers Have
Spoken"
Provided courtesy of Anti- as 2004
"Apollo"
Written by Mary LaSang, as 2008
Mary LaSang - vocals, bass, acoustic
guitar, keyboards
Ron Hotstream - acoustic, electric
guitar
Chris Bailey - drums
"W-26"
Written by Ruby Rendrag as ARC Music
from the album "Wartime
Favorites"
Ruby Rendrag- guitars and vocals
Allen Maxwell - bass
Chad Gilmore - drums
Harvey Jones - mandolin
"Wire"
Music by Gospel Gossip, Lyrics by S.
Nienaber
from the album "Sing Into my
Mouth"
Provided courtesy of Guilt Ridden Pop
as 2007
Sarah Nienaber - vocals/guitar
Justin Plank - bass
M. Oliver Moltaji - drums
Deanna Steege - keyboard, synth
"Come Back"
Written by Sonia Tetlow as Sonicgrrl
Music, BMI
Performed by Herman Put Down the Gun
Sonia Tetlow - mandolin and vocals
Linda Bolley - drums, guitar, vocals
Lee Kennedy - bass
myspace.com/
"You are Not Alone"
Written by Karen Garrabrant as 2008
Performed by Karen Garrabrant, Theresa
Davis and Amanda Kail
"Time Will Tell"
Witten by Dede Vogt as NikiViki Music,
ASCAP
Dede Vogt - vocals/mandolin
daemonrecords.com/dede/index.
"Fair and Tender Ladies"
Written by Caroline Herring as
Zelleria Music, ASCAP
(For Natasha Trethewey, Thea Bowman,
and Mantie Greer)
from the album "Lantana"
Provided courtesy of Signature Sounds
Recording Company
Caroline Herring - Vocals, Guitar
Rich Brotherton - Guitar, Bass
Glenn Fukunaga - Upright Bass
Danny Barnes - Banjo
"The Purple Heart"
Written by Janet Bean and the
Concertina Wire a 2002 janet beveridge bean s 2003 thrill jockey records, BMI
from the album "Dragging Wonder
Lake"
Provided courtesy of Thrill Jockey
Reocrds
thrilljockey.com/artists/?id=
Ná Hókú o Ka Lani - Hawaiian
translation "The Stars of Heaven"
Written by Leilani Rivera Bond as 2000
by Leilani Records/Leilani Rivera Bond
from the album "Ná Hókú o Ka
Lani"
Provided courtesy Poki records
Makaha Sons - Background Vocals
"Wawona Night"
Written by S. Cowsill & R.
Broussard as Coco Bunny Music/Being Heard, BMI
from the album 'Just Believe It'
Susan Cowsill - vocals, electric
guitar
Russ Broussard - drums, percussion
Chris Knotts - electric and acoustic
guitars
Rob Savoy - electric and acoustic bass
"Congo's
Angels" was produced by Sonia Tetlow and Georgianne Nienaber for Friends of the
Congo.
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The Friends of the Congo (FOTC) is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The FOTC was established at the behest of Congolese human rights and grassroots institutions in 2004, to work together to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.