A punk legend / city councillor and local mayor have combined forces to create the seemingly impossible: a COVID-19 rock anthem.

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and Councillor Joe Keithley celebrate the spirit of our communities and our frontline workers with the release of “We’re All in This Together,” a passionate, upbeat song for our times.

“Joe wrote this great song, and I hope it energizes and fortifies people to stay strong,” said Hurley. “It captures the community’s grit and determination that we see all around us today, and calls on us to double down on our commitment to each other and beat COVID-19.”

Keithley and Hurley performed the song – with appropriate physical distancing – for a video shot at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park. The song is both a salute to the resilience and perseverance of residents during the COVID-19 crisis and a rallying call:

We’re all in, this together We’ve got to brave, this stormy weather You can count on us, we’re your neighbours We’re all in, this together

Councillor Keithley sings lead vocals and plays guitar for the arrangement, while Mayor Hurley, a lifelong guitar player, accompanies Keithley on bass and backup vocals.

“Writing this song was just a natural as I saw the growing effort by our fellow Canadians to keep as many folks as possible safe throughout the pandemic,” said Keithley, who is also the front man for legendary punk band D.O.A. “It’s my way of thanking and expressing my admiration for the nurses, doctors and all the front line workers. They are the best!”

Considered a ‘godfather of Canadian punk,’ Keithley founded D.O.A. in 1978. The band is known for its consistent thread of political activism and its diverse sound rooted in punk rock.

In 2018, Keithley took the band’s slogan TALK-ACTION=0 to the next level when he was elected to Burnaby City Council. Hurley, a former fire fighter, was elected mayor in the same election and since then, the two musicians have performed together for a number of charitable events around town.

D.O.A. was formed amidst a whirlwind of controversy and upheaval. In 1978, three guys fresh out of high school from the backwaters of Canada’s suburbs heard about the punk rock revolution. In 1980, Keithley coined the term “hardcore” and the band soon released their landmark album Hardcore 81. The album became a hit, the hardcore movement took off, and D.O.A. pushed that expression into common vernacular.

Over the last four decades, D.O.A. have released 18 studio albums, sold over a million albums, and played 4,500 shows on five different continents. The band’s albums, shows, and attitude have won over three generations of fans and influenced the likes of Green Day, Nirvana, Offspring, Henry Rollins, David Grohl and The Red Hot Chilli peppers, to name a few. Keithley has also written two books: I Shithead: A Life in Punk and TALK – ACTION = 0.

From day one, D.O.A. has helped organize and lead hundreds of benefit concerts and protests for good and just causes like environmental issues, women’s rights, food bank benefits, First Nations rights and they have organized and stood against war, racism and weapons proliferation, amongst others.

Treason, the band’s eighteenth studio album, was released in March of this year. It flips the corrupt system the bird with wild tunes like: “Gonna Set You Straight,” “Just Got Back From the USA” and “It’s Treason.” There’s also an absolutely ripping version of fellow Canadian Neil Young’s “Hey Hey My My” where D.O.A. takes a unique approach that has anguish and fire at the same time.

On Treason D.O.A pulls no punches and nor should they. What you get is an uncontrollable punk rock riot that seems to breathe fire, the way punk was meant to be.

Treason is available now at Sudden Death Records.

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