When Relix magazine announced the The Contribution’s debut record, Which Way World [2010], and called them a “jamband supergroup,” they also recognized, “the band serves the songs first and foremost.” Although the band is comprised of some of the scene’s heavy hitters, the first listen to their music reveals their love of 60s pop and soul coupled with their ability to flat-out shred. It’s what makes the band appealing to music lovers from all walks of life and they are pleased to release tracks from their upcoming LoHi Records album, Wilderness And Space, one song at a time over the course of seven months, with full proceeds of each single going to a different non-profit with each track.
The Contribution is the brainchild of Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth (violin, guitar, vocals) together with Phil Ferlino (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Miller (guitar, vocals) of New Monsoon. Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident), has been the bass player from the band’s inception along with vocalist Sheryl Renee (The Black Swan Singers). The drum chair has been occupied by Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident), Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra), and currently Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic). Both Matt Butler and Duane Trucks appear on the band’s new record, Wilderness And Space.
The first song will be released on February 17, 2017 and all proceeds will be donated to Rex Foundation. Consecutive songs will come out each month, each paired with it’s own art and a different non-profit partner. Others taking part include Conscious Alliance, HeadCount, and a handful of other organizations that support the arts, environment, and health. The full ten song album will be released on vinyl this Fall.
Releasing records and touring is a cycle that is connected and a part of each member’s individual careers. Initially conceived as a studio project that would play select live shows, the emphasis for The Contribution was always on writing and recording. Rather than releasing a full record with expectations of touring to support it, Carbone wanted to find a way to live up to the band’s name, which in itself provided the clue as to how, and this is what they cooked up as a way to keep it going and give back in the process.
How could the creation of music be leveraged best for the betterment of the world at large? A lofty goal. The band has never been about personal profit and individually the members have been advocates and activists for various environmental and social causes. Now they have thought of a way to meld the two worlds the band holds dear. They are The Contribution, after all.
Carbone says, “We feel blessed to be able to make this music and have it help people in need… and we would like to empower those who share our passion and provide a resource for them to take action with us.”
All songs written and produced by Tim Carbone, Phil Ferlino and Jeff Miller. The songs from Wilderness And Space were recorded mainly at Silo Sound Studio in Denver, Colorado and engineered by Todd Dival with additional recordings at TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA, (engineered by Rick Vargas). The full ten-song album will come out on vinyl in the Fall of 2017.
Wilderness And Space will be released on LoHi Records, of which Carbone is one of the partners along with singer/songwriter and record producer Todd Snider, Hard Working Americans' Chad Staehly, who is also with Gold Mountain Entertainment in Nashville, and entrepreneur and marketing veteran Jim Brooks.
Hear more about the Wilderness And Space project from Tim Carbone → https://youtu.be/_6qfJzD97Ak
For more information, please visit www.TheContribution.net, www.facebook.com/TheContribution, www.twitter.com/thecontribution, and www.instagram.com/thecontribution.
