Hard rock is known for unmistakable electric guitar effects, driving rhythms, and its mind blowing volume—communicating, unbridled freedom, among other things. For these reasons, it is all the more poignant that the Florida-based band My Amends has lent their strident volume and vocals to a group of people without freedom and without voice.
My Amends, which formed in 2008, includes Devin Estep, Justin Dailey, Jon Burt, Joe Calero, and Matt Ruffini. Impressively, the Ingenious Records artists have shared a stage with acts like Poison the Well, Vanna, and Straight Line Stitch.
A human rights group organizing an alternate torch relay approached the band during the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games. The South Florida Human Rights Torch Relay organizers requested the band to submit an acoustic song to bring awareness of the genocide against Falun Gong practitioners in China. My Amends gladly accepted and was then chosen to perform live at the event.
I spoke with Justin Dailey, the band’s 30-year-old singer and predominant songwriter, about the band and this compelling and uncharacteristic song. He was a bit groggy at first, kindly squeezing in the interview immediately after a gig, but the conversation soon picked up conveying his sincere and spirited nature.
“I read up on it (the genocide in China), and I became increasingly invested in what was going on,” Dailey said. “I got deep into the stuff—pretty outlandish stuff. I thought, no way this is happening.”
Dailey is referring to his reaction after learning that there was proof of forced vital organ harvesting of unwilling live Falun Gong prisoners of conscience in mainland China.
“We wanted media attention, but we would have liked to know what was going on—it blew me away,” he confessed. Although they had initially written the song in part for exposure for their band, their intension soon turned to genuine outrage, compassion, and concern.
“A lot of this was new to us—a culture shock,” said Dailey. “People weren’t seeing it for what it is.”
After extensive research on the Internet, Dailey wrote a song to respond to the seeming lack of connection, to the grim reality of the genocide. “I wanted to see if I could go more direct in the message, the lyrics were very blunt and direct.”
The result, “I’d like You to See,” which they performed live at the event.
“When it was done, we didn’t know where it came from,” he recalls of the creative process for a hard rock band to create an acoustic song.
“It was a little scary to perform,” admits the singer who is used to their aggressive hard rock with distorted guitars and pounding drums. “With acoustic all you have is the strings and your voice; it doesn’t get any more real and intimate than that.”
Dailey makes it a point to affirm that his band is never offensive but rather they use the medium of hard rock to espouse peace, prosperity, and unity.
Dailey expresses that My Amends identifies with the struggles and angst of their audience—always giving 110 percent of passion to what they do.
The band, whose members have struggled with their own demons, have learned to focus their energy towards their goal without becoming obsessed. The hardest and perhaps most important lesson, understands Dailey now an expectant dad, “It’s about finding balance.”
“If you are given the gift, it is a disgrace to waist it,” Dailey affirms regarding the responsibility of their privileged position as touring musicians.
While working on their album “That of a Lion” and with support from their production team, My Amends decided to record “I’d like You to See” and allow fans to download the song for free.
To download the song and learn more about My Amends, please visit:
http://www.reverbnation.com/myamends#/artist/artist_songs/432951
and
http://www.myspace.com/myamendsmusic
