Watch the stunning video here!
youtu.be/AkAYq9srxIQ
Hear more here:
Annie Sea:
linktr.ee/annieseamusic
The Colin Trio:
www.thecolintrio.com
Save Me is a plea for interspecies empathy written from the perspective of a mother Orca. A random vintage store find, a vinyl record of Humpback whale songs, planted the lyrical seed, "Would you save me if you understood my song - would you save me?". As I walked home, I wondered how we would change our actions if we could communicate with other creatures and truly comprehend what they had to say.
I wrote the rest of the song after the screening of the documentary “Dammed to Extinction”. This powerful film examines the impact of the Snake River dams on the decline of Salmon populations and the health of Southern Resident Orcas in the Pacific Northwest.
Sometimes songs materialize very quickly, like lightning bolts. Others take shape over a longer time, like a river carving its way through rock. Sometimes I stumble on a seed on the path, just a few words or a couple of lines, and I gather it, save it in a notebook, and hope it will grow into a full song or poem someday.
In the middle of the documentary, this song seed started to take root. The humans featured in the film described the names, features, and families of the Orcas they knew. They showed the tragic footage of a mother Orca, Tahlequah, who lost her calf, but continued to carry her for 17 days in a tour of grief. They showed the dams that block the free flow of rivers, heat the water, and make it difficult for Salmon, the food of choice for the Southern Resident Orcas, to survive.
There is some hopeful news! The first new calf in two years in the Southern Resident Orca family was born to Orca J37, Hy’shqa, in March 2022.
Orcas do speak, as do many animals. Most of us don’t listen, and don’t understand what they are saying. How would we change our actions if we could communicate with other creatures the way we can with other humans?
According to
wildsalmon.org, the Columbia-Snake River Basin was once the most prolific Salmon landscape on the planet – experiencing returns of adult wild salmon and steelhead exceeding 16 million fish annually. Today, however, due mainly to the scores of large dams built on the Columbia and Snake Rivers last century, populations have plummeted. Thirteen populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act. All four remaining salmon and steelhead populations in the Snake River Basin are at risk of extinction. Southern Resident Orcas, which depend on Chinook from the Columbia and Snake, also continue to decline. There are only 75 left.
Salmon recovery is not just about removing four dams, it is about restoring a way of life for many tribes reliant on salmon for food and cultural connection. I recently read that in the Lummi language, Orcas are called qwe 'lhol mechen, which translates to 'relatives that live under the waves.' We would do well to remember such a bond.
According to PNW protectors (@pnwprotectors), power from the lower four Snake River dams is now easily replaceable with clean, reliable, affordable energy projects which will honor sacred tribal treaties while restoring salmon, steelhead and southern resident orcas from extinction and creating new economic opportunities.
I’m honored that we were able to film the video for the song in the homelands of Salmon, Orcas, and the people of Salmon Nation. Deep gratitude to those who continue to fight to remove the Snake River dams to restore Salmon Habitat and maintain ample food for Southern Resident Orcas and all those who rely on Salmon.
I would like to offer a humble acknowledgement that we filmed this video on the land of the Coast Salish People - Sooke, Saanich, Songhee, Lummi, Samish and Semiahmoo, and Yakama, Wasco, and Wishram.
Many people from these tribes and others have led and continue to lead movements to protect our earth and all our relations. I hope we can continue to move beyond mere words and acknowledgement towards reparations for stolen land and honoring of broken treaties.
Thank you for listening.
Find out how you can help here:
www.dammedtoextinction.com/ho...
from
Aligning,
track released April 22, 2022
Annie Sea: Lyrics, Vocals, Baritone Ukulele
Brian Link: Bass
Cheo Larcrombe: Drums
Colin Hogan: Piano, Guitar
Mixed by Brud Giles at Fremont Recording
Mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering
Video:
Directors: Heidi Zimmerman & Michael Peterson
Cinematographer: Michael Peterson
Creative Services & On-site Catering: Steven Hawley
