David Shingler's Stream of Consciousness

I don’t know what it was or why it was this last weekend but reading news articles about the current ongoings in Gaza really hit me hard. I’ve been quite vocal on the podcast on my feelings about the events over the last twelve months but no matter which side of the fence you sit on or your political bias, this has gone beyond politics. Innocent people being murdered, families being torn apart, children being blown to pieces – surely no-one can agree with this.

I had the urge to do something, I wanted to help. The problem is I had no idea where to start. I started with a small gesture by buying a case of Gaza Cola. For those that don’t know, Gaza Cola is owned by Palestinian families with the creator, Osama Qashoo, also being a founder. Qashoo aims to use profits from Gaza Cola, a Coca-Cola alternative, to rebuild al Karama hospital in northern Gaza. He emphasizes that it’s a “statement to all these corporate companies who are investing in armed trade” and a way to boycott those supporting the conflict.

The only thing I really know is music. I play it, listen to it, write it, sing it, record it, sell it and I studied it. During the final year of my degree, my major project (equivalent to a dissertation) was the study of composition techniques. At the time, I was heavily into jazz fusion from the 1970’s. I was taking influence from artists like Miles Davis and Gil Scott-Heron and while researching lyrical composition techniques I wanted to capture content like Scott-Heron did; writing about current affairs and delving into protest songs. I concentrated on a diary entry from someone living in Gaza a few months after the conflict had restarted and wrote a short lyrical passage for my composition. After this though, it was forgotten about.

Now I find myself in a position where I have turned to music with an aim to help. I revisited my research on lyrical composition and using news articles and diary entries I have written a short EP telling the stories from on the ground in Gaza and protests in London. This is what I know and this is what I do best. Within five days I had written, recorded, mixed and mastered four tracks which I will be releasing on Friday 23rd May with an aim to send all monies made to help Palestinian aid. After all the bands I’ve been in over the last 30 years I never saw myself as a protest writer or a teller of real world stories, but here we are.

The EP will be available on Bandcamp for digital an CD sales and will also be available on vinyl through elasticStage. I have no control over the vinyl pricing and I’ll only make around the same amount of money as if I’d sold a digital download, but it’s there in case people want one.

I really hope I can help, even if it’s a small amount and your support will be highly appreciated. Even if you just have a listen and it gets you talking and thinking then I’ve at least done something. You can’t make changes without having a conversation.

If you want to buy a copy then follow the link below.

For Digital and/or CD – https://davidshingler.bandcamp.com

For Vinyl – https://elasticstage.com/davidshingler/releases/no-energy-left-to-hope-singleep