We’ve entered the season of giving, and boy, do I have a friend who embodies holiday benevolence. Jonathan Gipaya, a fabulous local musician and friend of mine, has recorded a Christmas EP to raise money for the Bellingham Food Bank.
Inspired by his love of Christmas music (he was already singing Jingle Bells in September of this year—uh, talk about a die hard!) and a desire to give back to the community, Jonathan brought together some of the Pacific Northwest’s best musicians (himself included) to record “This Christmas,” an EP including four Christmas tunes, arranged by Jonathan himself. Vocalist Matt Bishop from Hey Marseilles, musicians from The Prime Time Band, and other local greats like Chad Petersen can be heard on the EP. And Jonathan, who’s performed with acts like Macklemore, Allen Stone, Bruno Mars, Hey Marseilles, and March Fourth Marching Band, plays piano and trumpet on the recordings as well. All and all, 21 incredible musicians donated their time and musicianship to this project.
Recently, I was privileged enough to get a sneak preview of the tracks and take it from me, a self-admitted music snob, this is a quality arranged, performed and recorded EP. And it gets even better when we take a closer look at whom specifically this project benefits.
The proceeds from every EP sold will go to the Bellingham Food Bank, an organization that hands out approximately 220,000 pounds of food to those in need every month. The food bank puts no limits on the help they’ll provide and many families visit weekly to receive a mix of perishable and non-perishable goods. Consequentially, this food bank helps 15% of Bellingham’s families at least once a year and 50% of food bank recipients are children and the elderly. Plus, on top of their immediate feed-the-hungry mission, the organization also works to be an environmentally friendly member of the community. For instance, their facility was designed and built by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an internationally recognized program that regulates “green” buildings.
So, there’s no need to second-guess if your money will be well spent. By purchasing this EP, you’ll acquire four unique Christmas songs to add to your collection AND give back to an organization that is doing amazing things for their community. (I’m sold and admit it–you are too!)
To support the cause, join the “This Christmas” event on facebook. There, you can stay updated with the status of the EP and how to pre-order and download the “This Christmas” EP come its release date on December 25th, 2012. And don’t stop there, spread the word by sharing the event with your family and friends (this EP would make a fantastic gift!) Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/314725495307435/?ref=ts&fref=ts
