PRESS RELEASE
A CD by Jesse Richards
Release Date: Jan. 28, 2018
"We are the people. We love the planet. We've come together to save the world. We come from every place, we are the force of change, and
we will live sustainably."
Lyrics from Green Nation
Across the world the number of people involved in combating climate change increases daily, and One Earth offers thirteen songs to fuel the positive momentum!
Singer/songwriter, Jesse Richards, weaves tales of unity, possibility, devastation, and hope.
Told from a variety of perspectives - a collage of creatures, human, seabird, bear, and the moon - highlighting unique experiences of the changes occurring on Earth.
Songs that acknowledge: We are at a tipping point - where will we land?…
Immersed in devastation created by our own hands, or triumphant, with new priorities, policies, and hopefully, an ever deeper love of the earth?
About the Artist
Richards is a prolific musician and artist from Michigan who transits many fields - vocalist, composer, performance artist, dancer, and sculptor.
As in all her recordings and concerts, she draws upon some of the very best talent in the midwest; in the case of One Earth she collaborated most heavily with multi instrumentalist, Mario Resto and engineer/guitarist Geoff Michael. Additional musicians on One Earth include Matt Steward, Magdalena Marino, and JFunkk Boekeloo.
One Earth is the first release of a broader 7 CD project called, Safe In the World. Richards says, "Since 'One Earth' deals with our relationship with our home in the largest context, as well as our attention to her well-being, I thought this was a natural entree for the project…." The remaining Safe In the World CD's are due to be released throughout 2018 and 2019.
Highlights from One Earth:
The CD begins with “Green Nation,” a shout-out to the emerging global community intent on stopping climate change. It closes with the title track – a love song for the planet. “Eagle and the Condor” is inspired by an indigenous healer’s eye-opening lecture at a mid-western college campus. “Bird Thing” looks at an oil spill through the eyes of a hungry seabird on the brink of diving for food. In “Cosmic Body of Life,” aka “You Think You'll Live Without Me,” the countless species threatened by the Sixth Extinction remind us that we won’t. “Man in the Moon” bears witness to earthly events from an unearthly perspective, while “Zero Footprint Man” celebrates a purposeful life that leaves not a mark on the planet, besides love. One Earth’s songs of unity, possibility, devastation, and hope, together create a musical road-map through the Anthropocene epoch. The album reminds us that miracles are possible when people work together for the greater good.
"In concert she moves freely between avant-rock, folk ballads, theatrical pop, and sonic explorations accompanied by the sounds of nature. Her voice has been described as a "musical treasure — octaves that stretch for days and a myriad sonic textures that shift seamlessly through her songs."
- Kate Conner-Ruben
"Richards' music explores social change, spiritual awakening, animals and all things wild, and love in its myriad forms."
"Often brimming with wit, her songs irreverently skewer traditional boundaries of song-craft, exploring strange and wonderful image-scapes, and employing the richest and most unusual harmonies and rhythmic textures."
- Ann Arbor News