On the first anniversary of the gun violence and arson incident at Parham, ON's St. James Anglican Church, Kingston group the Gertrudes have banded together to support local residents, first responders and social workers with a new single titled "Parham."
The Gertrudes teamed with animator Josh Lyon and illustrator Nancy Douglas for the song's accompanying music video, with Douglas creating "house portraits" for the clip using cut-and-paste collage techniques and images from Google Street View.
"I was able to research this tiny village in a number of ways: by connecting with a couple of former residents, news broadcasts, and through community newsletters and newspapers," Douglas said in a statement.
She added: "The lyrics of 'Parham' retell the experiences of people threatened with the violence of an individual in despair. The massive train became a metaphor for what happened that night. I'm fascinated by the way people adapt their surroundings to suit their needs; this is what I looked for when making the 'house portraits.'"
The group will donate all proceeds from the song to the Canadian Mental Health Association. The track is available through the Gertrudes' Bandcamp.
Watch the video below, get your own copy of the track here, and listen to bandleader Greg Tilson speak more about the tragedy in Parham here.
The Gertrudes teamed with animator Josh Lyon and illustrator Nancy Douglas for the song's accompanying music video, with Douglas creating "house portraits" for the clip using cut-and-paste collage techniques and images from Google Street View.
"I was able to research this tiny village in a number of ways: by connecting with a couple of former residents, news broadcasts, and through community newsletters and newspapers," Douglas said in a statement.
She added: "The lyrics of 'Parham' retell the experiences of people threatened with the violence of an individual in despair. The massive train became a metaphor for what happened that night. I'm fascinated by the way people adapt their surroundings to suit their needs; this is what I looked for when making the 'house portraits.'"
The group will donate all proceeds from the song to the Canadian Mental Health Association. The track is available through the Gertrudes' Bandcamp.
Watch the video below, get your own copy of the track here, and listen to bandleader Greg Tilson speak more about the tragedy in Parham here.
