Yoko Ono & tUnE-yArDs Team Up For Sandy Relief

 

In 2010, Yoko Ono performed several shows with the Plastic Ono Band and special guests. At the Orpheum in Los Angeles, Iggy Pop, Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Perry Farrell, RZA, Lady Gaga, Carrie Fisher and Joseph Gordon-Levitt paid tribute to Yoko, performing songs from throughout her career. Yoko also invited a young group she had recently fallen in love with: tUnE-yArDs, whose breakthrough album, Whokill, was still a year away. tUnE-yArDs wowed the audience and famous guests, updating the original 1972 lyrics of Yoko’s “We’re All Water.” Yoko loved their performance and urged tUnE-yArDs to record the song for this benefit single, second in a series of 10″ records, each with a different artist performing Yoko songs. Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs described the project: “Getting familiar with Yoko’s vast body of work has been a true education for me. When it came time to choose one of Yoko’s songs to cover, and then later one to remix, I had the opportunity to delve into the ground-breaking, punk-before-punk, radical, brave and brilliant work she had done, album after album. More musicians should learn Yoko’s history as a songwriter and performer — she’s been light years ahead of us for decades.” Yoko replied:  “Merrill, Thank you for giving your love to “We’re All Water.” It’s incredible!” Also included is tUnE-yArDs’ remix of Yoko’s song “Warrior Woman,” an out-take from the Plastic Ono Band’s “Feeling The Space” album (1973). The remix is a sneak preview of a 2nd volume of the critically acclaimed Yes, I’m A Witch to be released later this year, featuring re-inventions of ONO’s catalog by an eclectic group of cutting edge artists.   The 10″ records are a limited edition of 1000 copies.  On the flip side of each is a Yoko etching.   Profits from the records, and 100% of income from the downloads (at www.ChimeraMusic.com) are being donated by Yoko, Tune-yards and Chimera Music to the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, who have been doing great work for one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, providing emergency food and shelter, and helping families and businesses get back on their feet.  On downloads purchased from iTunes in the U.S., iTunes