Circa Survive release Bob Marley cover to support hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico
Circa Survive have teamed up with Dub Trio to release a cover of Bob Marley's “Chances Are,” with all proceeds going to the relief effort for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Read more: Puerto Rico hurricane victims still without power—here’s how you can help
In an excerpt taken from the song's summary on Bandcamp, guitarist Brendan Ekstrom shares more background on his connection to Puerto Rico. “The islands were a huge part of my childhood and Circa Survive has long been a vehicle for helping the causes we care about,” he writes. “This collaboration involved quite a few people, many of whom have strong ties to Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.”
Listen to the track, and read Ekstrom's full statement, below:
Some of my most romanticized memories are from when I was a young boy in St. Thomas. I haven’t been back for twenty years but I remember the islands as breathtakingly beautiful, with wild rolling hills and beautiful beaches. Colorful fish. Men spearhunting for octopus. What I remember most are the music. Steel drums reverberating while rhythms through parks and the twisting trees I so loved to climb. And the other thing I remember was how it rained. Brief but powerful. Most days you could see it coming for miles before the grey was all encompassing and the sound of drumming water laid mute the rest of the world. I’ve always been awed by the offset power and beauty of storms. But mostly I’ve been slightly afraid. So much so that when I lived in Florida, I would leave during hurricane season to stay somewhere the hatches weren’t needed. And so in some way this song goes out to those who are braver than me. Those who stay.
Almost four months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, many people are still without electricity, clean water and proper health care. As a result people are leaving Puerto Rico in record numbers. A quick google search will reveal the struggles still being faced by the people who stay.
The islands were a huge part of my childhood and Circa Survive has long been a vehicle for helping the causes we care about. This collaboration involved quite a few people many of whom have strong ties to Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. Many of you have already donated to this cause over the past few months which is amazing but the recovery efforts will continue for sometime. Any small or large donations we can offer can still have a huge impact on those rebuilding their lives.
Recently I became obsessed with a Bob Marley song called “Chances Are”. Bob Marley has always been one of my favorite artists. Somehow I had missed this song along the way. The more I listened to it the more I pictured Anthony singing it. Circa put together a rough recording of the track and Anthony along with two close friends, Juliana Storozuk and Larissa Hopwood, went to track vocals with Will Yip. After hearing the amazing tracks they laid down I started thinking the music could use something more to really solidify the music. Circa could do this ourselves but we were leaving for tour at the time and I thought perhaps if we involved another group of people that this cause might reach a wider audience. I contacted Stu Brooks on instagram. We had never met but I explained to him that I was a huge fan of Dub Trio and some of his other work. Stu was excited about the pairing and the project and brought together a wonderful group of musicians who painted an amazing backdrop for the song. I love how this turned out and I hope you do to. Please donate what you can. We can make a difference.
Last September, a category five storm, Hurricane Irma, hit the island of Puerto Rico and left many of its residents without power. With the destruction that was caused by Hurricane Irma, having another hurricane hit two weeks later left many residents stuck trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild what once was.
Other bands, including the Wonder Years, have done their part in order to help the residents rebuild.
