Kat Harlton
Brian Harwood of Kansas Stone and country artist Dustin Bird have gathered their friends in the Canadian country music industry to deliver the inspirational single “Together We’re Strong“, in support of the Unison Benevolent Fund‘s COVID-19 relief efforts.
We had the opportunity to chat with Dustin about the inspiration behind the track, the touching music video and how the community can get involved.
Kat: What inspired you to create the single “Together We’re Strong”?
Dustin: When the Covid-19 crisis hit, Brian John Harwood and I set out on Skype to write a single to be released in order to raise funds in support of our fellow musicians & industry members via Unison Benevolent Fund.
Kat: The single features 18 Canadian country artists including Cory Marks, Jason McCoy, Aaron Pritchett, Alee, and Jason Blaine, among many others. How did the recording process work? What was it like to collaborate on a single with this many artists virtually?
Dustin: The recording process for “Together We’re Strong” was quite unique. As a producer I’ve done my fair share of remote recording, but NOTHING like what was done on this project. I had the foundation of the track produced relatively quickly – within a couple of days – but the vocal process took weeks to ensure everybody was tracked properly, their parts worked well together, etc. Luckily, we were working with some of Canada’s finest vocalists on this song, so it came together beautifully.
Kat: The music video is dedicated in loving memory of Capt. Jennifer Casey and features clips from the Royal Canadian Air Forces’ Snowbirds and of Capt. Jennifer Casey herself. Can you speak a little on the process for creating the video, and why you felt inspired to feature Capt. Jennifer Casey?
Dustin: Brian John Harwood (co-writer, ½ of Kansas Stone) developed the music video and coordinated with those involved. We were incredibly devastated when we heard of the loss of Capt. Casey. Her belief in this project was tremendous and she supported it with such incredible enthusiasm that we felt it was only right to have the video be in her memory.
Kat: How can the community contribute?
Dustin: You can purchase the song wherever you might buy music (iTunes, Amazon, etc.), call into your local radio station & request it, stream it, or donate directly to Unison Benevolent Fund who has partnered with Spotify to match every dollar donated by texting UNISON to 45678 or visiting unisonfund.ca.
Kat: How have you been staying connected during Covid-19?
Dustin: Skype, Zoom, Houseparty… I feel like the list of video calling apps that I’ve acquired throughout Covid is endless! I have been fortunate enough to have stayed busy as an artist, writer and producer, and this project has definitely contributed to that. Overall, I’ve been much more active on socials so if you’d like to check out what I’ve been up to or just want to reach out, @dustin_bird is my Instagram.
For more on the Unison Benevolent Fund, head to: https://www.unisonfund.ca