Be a Pain:
An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders
Successful crowdfunding effort supports the Be a Pain Education Fund, which brings free programming to underserved schools; Album release is April 3rd
| “How lucky we are to have Alastair Moock around these days! When too many adults are role modeling the pursuit of fame, fortune, or personal gain, Alastair’s songs encourage our kids to pursue goodness, kindness, awareness and courage. Adults might listen up!” – Nora Guthrie, President, Woody Guthrie Publications “The songs are rock solid in melody, singability, and meaning. This album should be played out loud, not on headphones, so everybody in the room hears it and sings along.” – Bill Harley, multiple Grammy winning performer and author |
| To honor the power of youth to make positive change, Grammy-nominated Boston songwriter Alastair Moock will release a rootsy and inclusive album called Be a Pain: An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders on April 3rd. Moock and his musical friends will celebrate the release with family shows at the Burren in Somerville, MA, the Boston Public Library, and at Kindiecomm in Philadelphia this spring. The album is available for pre-orders on Amazon, Apple Music and Bandcamp now.Be a Pain is a rallying cry for young (and old) leaders in these turbulent times. It looks to the heroes of our past (Dr. King, Harvey Milk, Billie Jean King, Pete Seeger, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X) and our present (Malala Yousafzai, the Parkland student protesters, climate change marchers) to encourage kids to move the ball forward. The album features guest performances from a powerful and diverse group of musicians and change-makers, including Sol y Canto, Alisa Amador, Reggie Harris, Mark Erelli, Crys Matthews, Kris Delmhorst, Melanie DeMore, Rani Arbo, Heather Mae, Sean Staples, youth voices from the Boston City Singers, and Grammy-nominated producer Anand Nayak. Steeped in various American musical styles from roots rock to bluegrass, blues and gospel, each track offers forward-thinking messages wrapped in rousing beats and layers of vocal and instrumental harmonies. Alastair Moock is a 2014 GRAMMY nominee, two-time Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Winner, and recipient of the ASCAP Children’s Music Award. Long one of Boston’s premier folk artists, Moock turned his attention to family music after the birth of his twins in 2006. The New York Times calls him “a Tom Waits for kids” and The Boston Globe declares that, “in the footsteps of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, Alastair Moock makes real kids’ music that parents can actually enjoy.” A successful crowd-funding campaign has so far raised more than $11,000 for Moock’s “Be a Pain” educational programs. As a result, Moock will be able to give away free copies of the album, along with free programming on social justice history, to underserved schools in the Boston region and beyond. Similarly, for his GRAMMY-nominated album Singing Our Way Through (2013), Moock was able to raise nearly $30,000 to provide free music to children’s hospitals and children’s cancer organizations. For more information, including concert details, please visit www.moockmusic.com. |
