WE WILL WALK THROUGH THE STREETS OF THE CITY
Americana Highways is pleased to premiere the new video by music veteran, Chuck McDermott, for his single, “We Will Walk Through the Streets of the City.” The song is the second single from McDermott’s upcoming EP, 38 Degrees and Raining, set to release on March 26th.
The only non-original song on the EP, “We Will Walk” was written by Garfield Haywood, an African-American pastor and songwriter in the early 1900s. The song grew to be known as an anthem of the civil rights movement, often performed with an upbeat tempo by Gospel choirs and New Orleans brass bands.
McDermott’s version of the song has a heavy, almost plodding tempo, perhaps depicting the heaviness of the current times. Chuck’s plaintive vocals are highlighted by the soulful voices of the McCrary Sisters and a fervent blues guitar woven throughout.
The artist says about his rendition of the song, “Given how many iterations this song had gone through during its lifetime I felt it would not be sacrilegious of me to tamper with the key, tempo and lyrics. I wanted to bring the song into this moment in history. So while trying to keep the feel of Gospel-style lyrics and imagery, I dragged the message from ‘we are weak, God is mighty, we’ll meet our loved ones on the other shore’ to ‘alone we’re weak, together we’re mighty, united we can speak truth to power and no one man can keep us down.’”
The video was produced by Anne Lyon McDermott (the artist’s wife) whose idea was to show the “power of people when they join together – when they gather, when they march, when they MOVE.” Said McDermott, “So she surrounded a few clips of me as the narrator with a variety of examples of the power of MOVEMENT. People dancing alone, dancing together, people walking, people marching, people of every color and nationality.”
Having extensive careers in both music and politics, it was natural for McDermott to entwine both of his backgrounds in his new EP, given the events of the past year. The video and song reflect not only the resilience and fortitude of the human spirit, but also the hope that things will change for the better.
“The lyrics of the song are pointedly political and related to the immediate past,” says the McDermott. “Anne’s video supplies a wider aperture and more timeless message.”
This is a powerful song written by a powerful visionary musician, and played by another one, with musical grooves that echo in the visual setting.
“We Will Walk Through the Streets of the City” is available now on Spotify, Amazon and all other music distribution platforms.
38 Degrees and Raining, the new EP by Chuck McDermott was recorded at Dagotown Recorders in Jefferson, Massachusetts.
Additional recording at Amber Gate Studios, Hingham, Massachusetts
Recording Engineer: Sam Margolis
Mixing Engineer: Gus Berry
Mastering: Tom Waltz, Waltz Mastering
“We Will Walk Through the Streets of the City” personnel list:
Chuck McDermott: Vocals
Marco Giovino: Drums
Marty Ballou: Upright Bass
Duke Levine: Electric Guitar, Mandola
Chris Rival: Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar
B.J. Cole: Pedal Steel Guitar
The McCrary Sisters: Vocals
For more information:
https://www.chuckmcdermott.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChuckMcDermottMusic/
https://twitter.com/_chuckmcdermott
https://www.instagram.com/_chuckmcdermott/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVG0N53U8DrNNk9VwCpjBdw
A great article to accompany a gritty, resonant, and salient song – so right for the moment. Thanks, Melissa Clark and Americana Highways for featuring.