I have seen many atrocities involving the innocent in Israel and Palestine which have left me sickened and somewhat bereft of words to describe my feelings. One night I saw images of children burning in tents after being bombed. I felt powerless to do anything to change what I saw. As a musician, I knew that I could ‘play a prayer’ for the innocent. I sat at the pedal steel guitar and just played my feelings out into my recorder. The instrument lends itself to expressing mourning and sadness and what came out was a lament, an expression of identification, solidarity, sadness, and repentance. I added the other instruments afterward.
I had seen my friend Isaiah Brown at some peace rallies in our town and knew he shared my heart for the situation. Being a talented photographer and filmmaker I asked him to collaborate on a video for the music. We shared our conceptual ideas and then asked some friends to join us in the video which was filmed at Metro Hub in Kelowna, BC.
What has transpired is a beautiful haunting piece that we offer as a lament, a prayer of solidarity and peace for all who dwell in the land.