VIA PRESS RELEASE | 18 classic ’80s songs covered by 16 Austin-based artists to help foster kids get free music lessons and mentorship.
That’s the simple of it. The whole story is more complex. During the spring of 2017 I read the novel Ready Player One by Austin author Ernest Cline. The book rang true to me – it was a sci-fi novel about the future but with a foot firmly in the ’80s. Shortly after reading the book I decided to recruit a number of Austin bands to record versions of songs mentioned in the book. Songs like “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol, “The Wild Boys” by Duran Duran, and “Dirty Deeds” by AC/DC.
With the help of some friends in Austin including scene maestro Robyn Foxworth and Kids In A New Groove executive director Laura Wood, I was able to get 16 amazing Austin musicians on-board and they began to record their own unique versions of the songs. We’re talking artists like Mobley, The Midnight Stroll (Aaron from Ghostland Observatory), BOOHER (Mike from Zykos), Go Fever, Obscured By Echoes, and so many more. Local artist Ben Lance created beautiful album art inspired by The Stacks housing project from the book.
The album, which we’re calling The Stacks: Songs From The Oasis comes out on Groundhog Day: February 2, 2018. I’m so proud of all the work the artists put into their songs and truly humbled to be able to share them with the world in just a couple of weeks. We’re giving 50% of all proceeds to Kids In A New Groove to help them continue their endeavors to pass on the gift of music to underprivileged children.
I think you’re going to like these songs; some of them are so totally original. Any review coverage would be immensely appreciated. I’d be happy to set up interviews with the any of the bands as well. We’ll be doing a local release show in Austin next month and many of the bands on the album are performing at SXSW.
—Brian McKinney, Brash Tracks | music + licensing
