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| Rock and Blues Summit on "Robin Hood, Where Are You Now?" Blues guitarist Phil Gates appears in two videos for a new song collaboration dealing with a hot political topic: "Robin Hood, Where Are You Now?" The song was composed by Gates, producer/mixer Matt Forger, and indie artist/songwriter Larry John McNally. "Robin Hood, Where Are You Now?" is a musical antidote to economic blight and corporate greed. The rousing call-to-action track is performed by blues guitarist/vocalist Phil Gates with dynamic drumming from Jon Mattox and pulsating bass from Larry John McNally. Fighting back against fiscal gluttony is the underlying theme to the song composed by Matt Forger, Gates, and Larry John McNally. While the track is a rocking blues number fueled by incendiary guitar work, the lyrics argue for economic change in the USA. "There are corporate executives who are receiving tens of millions in compensation, " notes Forger. "Meanwhile, those same corporations are outsourcing jobs, laying off workers, cutting benefits, and lowering salaries. We need the spirit of Robin Hood to protect us against these robber barons of the 21st century and put our country back on track." The ideas in the song match some of the points in the new Michael Moore film, "Capitalism: A Love Story, " currently in release. "We are happy to be in alignment with such a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, " Forger added. The recording sessions brought together leaders from the worlds of rock and blues. Gates is the president of the Los Angeles Blues Society, leader of his own award-winning band, and has played on recordings by a wide variety of artists, including Philip Bailey and The Stylistics. Mattox, formerly of the Young Dubliners, has a decade of success providing the beat for independent artists and tracks in commercials, film trailers and soundtracks. And McNally is a highly respected solo artist and songwriter whose songs appear on albums by Bonnie Raitt, The Eagles, and Aaron Neville. Co-writer and co-producer Forger has worked with Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Eddie Van Halen, and many more. He has worked with producers Quincy Jones, Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, Harold Faltermeyer, George Duke, Rod Temperton, and Bruce Swedien. Matt has also worked extensively with Japanese superstar Yuming, serving as recording engineer, mixer, and co-producer on 13 albums that entered the Billboard chart at #1. There are 7 versions of the song on iTunes and two music videos have been produced and are now on YouTube. The first video, which contains all the words to the composition, was co-directed by Zayde Naquib and The G-Man. The second version, which is primarily instrumental to bring forward the dueling guitars of Gates and McNally, was produced and directed by the FookMovie collective. Both videos contain footage taken inside two Los Angeles recording studios, Bright Orange Studios and Anisound. In addition to singer/guitarist Gates, both productions also feature Forger, McNally, drummer Jon Mattox, and the Choir of Semi-Angels. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |