City and Colour uses his beautiful voice to speak out against violence against women. Buy his new song Nowhere, Texas to help the Rose Campaign and continue this important conversation.
Music can have so many different effects. It has the ability to evoke emotion in us through a mixture of melodic harmonies and poetic lyrics. Certain music or songs can define a generation, through being able to be one of the main influences of that time. However what music can do that is really the defining point as to why, music is such an important entity, is its ability to evoke change.
Music can be used as a voice to raise awareness for those that have no voice of their own. The U2 and Green Day collaboration, The Saints are Coming or the most commonly known, We are the World that was recorded both in the 1985 for Africa and again in 2010 for Haiti. The newly released track by City and Colour, Nowhere, Texas will be another song, which will be looked upon for years as a song that impacts social change and awareness.
City and Colour is the alias and solo venture from Dallas Green, member of the retired band, Alexisonfire*. Since the undertaking of this solo venture in 2006 he has toured internationally, even being the Saturday headline act for this years Splendour in the Grass! Needless to say, he has quite a large fan base thanks to his harmoniously acoustic and warming tones.
Nowhere, Texas was released December 5th yet wasn’t a new installment for Green. With the release of the track, he announced “ Nowhere, Texas is a new song for you but an old song for me. I recorded it during my session for The Hurry and The Harm. I knew as soon as I listened to it there was a better place for it than the album.” When speaking about the creative process he undertook whilst writing and composing, Nowhere, Texas he reflected on how he felt the need to write this piece. In a statement from Green, he confirmed, “I wrote the song after watching a movie, Texas Killing Fields. I couldn’t shake the real story of a lonely road that became the final resting place of missing women. This song tells that story – but sadly this road does not stand-alone. Places like this are everywhere.”
Thus Green waited for a more fitting time to release the track. And now he has. In Australia it was White Ribbon Day on 25th November and December 6th is Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It is also the 25-year anniversary of the Montreal Massacre where 14 women were murdered and another 14 individuals were injured before the gunman, Marc Lepine took his own life.
With this track, Dallas Green is speaking out for violence against women. He is being the voice for those women suffering abuse and domestic violence, who have had their voice ripped from them. Whilst I have been lucky enough to grow up and live in an environment free from violence towards women, I have known many people who were unfortunately not so lucky. Thirty percent of women worldwide suffer from intimate partner violence, according to the 2013 World Heath Organization report. In Australia women aged between fifteen and forty-four who are victims of domestic violence are at risk to premature death than any other risk factor. If this wasn’t enough more then a third of all women whether nationally or internationally will be victims of physical or sexual abuse within their lifetime.
For such a major issue within society, violence against women is something that needs to be stopped. Unfortunately, this cant be achieved without awareness and support. It is through this song by City and Colour that this can help be achieved.
All of the profits from the purchase of this track is being donated to the YWCA of Canada’s Rose Campaign. The Rose Campaign works to reduce violence against women whilst constantly trying to increase public awareness so that the violence is prevented before it can start. So I urge all you Happy listeners, to please purchase Nowhere, Texas by City and Colour! Listen to the track, enjoy it as much as I have and do your bit to support this fight for stopping violence against women.
*Ed. Gone, but never, ever forgotten!
