Indie rock band Memphis Stone and the Elevators have pledged to donate all proceeds of their new song, ‘Summer‘ to support the mental health of jobless event industry professionals.
Written in the first UK lockdown, ‘Summer’ is an ode to better times and the return of music festivals.
Tom Weaver, the band’s bass player and co-writer said: “It’s a celebration of being in a field with thousands of other people and sharing the amazing experience of live music. So many of us have so many great memories from festivals and that’s what we wanted to capture in this song.
At the same time, we know that thousands of technicians, engineers and production crews have been without work for over a year. ‘Summer’ is dedicated to them and its proceeds will go to support their mental health. This is an industry that’s close to our hearts and we’re determined to try and do something to help people whose struggles will continue – today, tomorrow and for months to come.”
The band has nominated non-profit organisation MAKE IT BLUE CIC to distribute funds raised by sales of the song. The organisation is the fund-raising arm of #MakeItBlue, the global mental health campaign sparked by the UK the events and entertainment industry at the start of the first lockdown.
1 in 5 adults have experienced depression during the pandemic. Click this link to help https//SmartURL.it/summersingleoutnow. Go and stream and help raise money health awareness.
MAKE IT BLUE Director Tim Owen said: “While the industry is doing its best to open up again, the short to medium term future remains bleak for many as people suffer stress over debt and threatened homelessness. We’re trying to fund financial, emotional and therapeutic support for people struggling with mental health through Covid-imposed poverty.”
Tom Weaver added: “At the time we wrote ‘Summer’, MAKE IT BLUE had just launched its #LightItBlue campaign for the NHS in the UK, but even then, we knew we wanted to release this single alongside them and try somehow to support the industry that has given us all so much.”
According to industry research, 93% of people in the live events industry have seen their income fall over the last year due to the Pandemic.
MAKE IT BLUE is promoting sales of the song via its JustGiving www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Makeitbluesummer
page. The song can be downloaded via all streaming services: http://smarturl.it/summersingleoutnow
Memphis Stone and the Elevators Bio
Having grown up in LA in the late 50s/early 60s, Francis James “Memphis” Stone allegedly got his break early, at age 8, under the guidance of renowned producer Frank Wilson. In the early 70s Stone moved to Detroit to follow his producer mentor, and during his time there is rumoured to have sung with many of the soul greats. Despite never being credited due to his young age, Stone was held in high esteem.
Sadly, Stone’s career never quite hit the highs of his early promise, and after a number of attempts to put his career back on track across both sides of the Atlantic, Stone inexplicably
vanished from the music scene in 2001.
However, a chance meeting in a country pub with bass player Tom (Weaver) and session drummer Lenny (Bonetti) in late 2019, has encouraged the legendary singer back out of retirement and to reform Memphis Stone and The Elevators, Stone’s band from the 90s. The new material takes Stone in a very different direction, his soulful vocals fitting seamlessly offer Tom and Lenny’s driving and catchy indie rock anthems.
Writing the new songs was a test of will power for the band as pretty much everything was recorded and produced remotely throughout the UK’s first lock-down, with the band scattered around the country.
Under the guidance of producer Steve “Smiley” Barnard (The Alarm, Archive, Joe Strummer, Robbie Williams) at Sunshine Corner Studios and the mastering and mixing talents of Matt Hay (Robbie Williams, The Who) the band released its first single, Realign, at the end of January this year. Two subsequent singles, Say Goodbye and Higher have both been well received.
