Art Bergmann decries the horrors of war in his powerful and passionate new single and video Gazacide — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“If the International Criminal Court can’t stop a declared genocide, maybe a song can,” the always-outspoken singer-songwriter says of this latest release. Bergmann wrote Gazacide in response to the sense of helplessness he felt at seeing coverage of the war in Gaza. He then teamed up with Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter Sara Wazani, who incorporated some of the desperate Arabic words written on the Al-Aqsa hospital walls:
“Mother, Mother, I miss you
Mother, I miss you wiping the tears that run down my cheek…
The story became a known one
Titled tears and pain
Akh Mother, I miss you wiping the tears running down my cheek…
And the pain, the pain that is inside me
The pain that is inside me if it fell upon a mountain
By God it would crumble it.”
The song was recorded with Dave Genn (54•40, Matthew Good Band) at Burnbridge Studio in Vancouver and mixed by Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris). All sales will to be donated to Gaza relief.
Bergmann is currently finishing songs with his partner Patricia Kay for his next album Mythos, coming this fall. In addition, his 2014 EP Songs For The Underclass will be available for the first time on vinyl in a 10th anniversary remastered edition out July 26. At the time of its original release, Songs For The Underclass was regarded as the Juno-winning, Order of Canada recipient’s “comeback” after spending the previous 15 years out of the music business due to health issues.
In a 2014 interview, Bergmann said, “These songs took years to write and I feel they’re the best lyrics I’ve ever written. I feel it was worth the wait. I have a deep well of songs to draw from. I just won’t shut up now that I’m back again. What’s the point, unless you are going to wander off into the forest and die? You have to do something, even though it is futile.”
Staying true to those words, Bergmann has enjoyed a career renaissance over the past decade, releasing three acclaimed albums — The Apostate, Late Stage Empire Dementia and ShadowWalk — cementing his status as one of Canada’s greatest living singer-songwriters.
Watch the video for Gazacide above, listen to the track below, and keep up with Art Bergmann on his website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
