John Butler Trio, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Franti, Indigo Girls, and many more are lending their voices in an effort to shed light on the dangers of hydro-fracking – a method of extracting natural gas from the earth’s shale that also jeopardizes and contaminates the water table – on a 24 track, two disc benefit compilation, ‘Buy This Fracking Album’ (June 16th). The album proceeds will benefit Marcellus Protest, a non profit organization in Pennsylvania, and other grassroots organizations around the country working to ban fracking. Album beneficiary Food & Water Watch is donating its share of the proceeds into a fund that album producers will distribute to grassroots organizations. Many of the artists who have contributed songs to the album have openly voiced their opposition to fracking, with arguments ranging from the desire to champion community health, combat the corporate hold on American democracy, or – in the words of singer Kristen Graves – “I want future generations to have an example of what it looks like to live humbly, respectfully, and well with the earth.”
‘Buy This Fracking Album’ contains a combination of original recordings, previous releases, and live renditions of older songs. The compilation includes Pete Seeger’s first album appearance since his passing – a never before released live rendition of Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land Is Your Land” – “Hell to Pay” by Bonnie Raitt from her ’94 album ‘Longing in Their Hearts,’ a live version of the Indigo Girls’ “World Falls,” and original recordings from Meshell Ndegeocello (“Never Still Water”), Marco Benevento and Dave Dreiwtiz (“Freakin Frack”), and more.
