| "Fundraising was part of the point, but really I just wanted to make activism more fun," muses Gerald Wheatley of the genesis of the Hold Your Ground compilation series.
The fourth Hold Your Ground CD represents an amazing voluntary labour of love by that bastion of lefty Alberta activism – the Arusha Centre.
"If you compare the GAS CD (a compilation produced around the Montreal World Trade Organization protests) with Mermaid Avenue (Woody Guthrie songs posthumously recorded by Billy Bragg and Wilco), you understand what I’m talking about," says Wheatley. "There were great artists on it, but it was laughable how unlistenable GAS was. I just wanted to help create a culture of activism that was also fun."
Wheatley’s insanely ambitious notion was to create a completely volunteer-driven album that would showcase a variety of Alberta musicians as well as provide a voice for thoughtful songwriting. The end result would also be a fundraising tool for small not-for-profit organizations in the province, which could buy the CDs for a cost-recovery price, and then sell them to the public at a reasonable profit.
Every minute of the work that has gone into all four recordings has been donated – nobody got paid a cent. As with most of Alberta’s activist community history, it’s the kind of story that is quietly amazing.
Starting as an idea to help showcase local musical talent, Wheatley was quickly brought face-to-face with the realities of the music business.
"Les Siemieniuk was hugely influential in the development of the whole Hold Your Ground idea. He was very supportive, thought the idea of an activism CD was a great idea, and said it needed to be done, but he told me, ‘don’t expect to sell any of them,’" Wheatley laughs. "It was a really important conversation, because we realized that of course it wasn’t going to sell even 20 copies simply sitting on store shelves. That was when we got the idea that if we could get it made with volunteer effort all the way around, then we could sell it to other organizations to use as a fundraiser."
To judge the success of this unusual tactic, both Hold Your Ground and Hold Your Ground: Constructive Revolutions sold out entirely. There was so much work involved in making it happen that Wheatley was sincerely tired of the venture by the time number three (Hold Your Ground: Enough) came around.
"Megan Smith-Windsor was the reason there was a third CD," Wheatley admits. "I was so burnt out, but she kept calling me. She just wouldn’t let it go. That’s the energy that’s made it possible from the beginning."
The release of the fourth CD, Hold Your Ground: Grow Up!, represents a neatly wrapped end to the roller coaster ride for Wheatley, and the others who helped prop him up when he threatened to buckle. He’s still amazed that it happened at all.
"It’s all due to the Arusha Centre," he says matter-of-factly. "A place like that, that pays its staff to live decently and be flexible – it can’t be too strongly stated how much that means. I’m just really starting to appreciate the value of supporting what may seem like small and insignificant programs over a long period of time. Things like Calgary Dollars and CATCO (car-sharing program) are doing better than ever, but it required somebody to believe in them for a very long time."
The fourth CD completes the package, and is also available in a box set of all four CDs, being released at the same time.
"Because the first two CDs sold out completely, it was impossible for people who are just finding out about the CDs to get their hands on those first two at all," Wheatley says. "It seemed like a nice idea to package them all together; they form a really impressive snapshot of the musical scene in Alberta for the last few years. Many of the bands that donated songs are still around, so it’s nice to give them the repeat exposure as well."
For the release of Grow Up as well as the box set, Wheatley has organized a party at the Bowness Community Hall, showcasing some of the amazing talent from all four CDs, including host James Keelaghan, Ellen McIlwaine, AA Soundsystem, and a raft of other Alberta music hipsters.
"James was the first to donate a song, and it was the title track," says Wheatley. "And he’s flying out to do the show for free. It kind of bookends the Hold Your Ground experience pretty neatly, that the first person I ever talked to about the CD is headlining the show."
As for the impact the CD has had on the activist community, Wheatley still gets warm fuzzies from the various places the CDs seem to crop up.
"Some bands have said they’ve gotten substantial profile from the albums, so that’s the most rewarding thing to know," he says. "In terms of community, it always warms my heart to hear it at a protest event. And I had the experience of walking into a room where a group of teenagers were hanging out, and they were singing "Mermaid" (a Plaid Tongued Devils song) along with the album. When you’re in high school, feeling like a freak and looking at the world differently from those around you, it’s cool that these CDs are part of what’s around for them to discover. Hearing young punks that are aware of the CDs is pretty great, too." |
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