Two Cumbrian musicians have been working hard to release a new single from their forthcoming album, to raise money for mental health charities.
Steve Wharton and Danny Wood have been collaborating on the album remotely since autumn 2019, as Steve lives in Arlecdon and Danny lives in Longtown.
Their way of working has continued unhindered by lockdown and they have now released the first of nine tracks from their new album. Corryvreckan is a song about mental health, using the eponymous Scottish whirlpool as a metaphor. It was originally written and performed as part of Steve’s No Man Is An Island mental health tour across Cumbria in 2014.
Available to download from the music site Bandcamp, listeners can pay £1 or as much as they like with proceeds going to Suicide Bereavement Support Cumbria and Mind.
At a time when the spotlight is on the struggling arts economy, Steve and Danny are using their skills to support charities which have seen a dramatic loss in income.
Sponsored events such as organised runs and charity gigs haven’t been able to go ahead, meaning their collection tins are empty. Living in rural locations has meant that the musicians already knew how to keep making music through lockdown and social isolation. Steve also shot the video himself using locations around Whitehaven.
You can download the song at https://stevewharton.bandcamp.com/track/corryvreckan