Caedmon’s Call Readies for Share the Well, Releasing Oct. 12
Caedmon’s Call Readies for Share the Well, Releasing Oct. 12
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Dove Award winning folk-pop group, Caedmon’s Call, recently concluded production on its Oct. 12 release of Share the Well, the first album of its kind in Christian music. Having recorded the album with local musicians in India, Ecuador and Brazil, the band’s focus is to raise awareness of caste discrimination against India’s 250 million “Dalits,” or lowest class, as well as existing persecution and poverty in the three countries. In addition, Caedmon’s Call is headlining its ninth national tour, hitting 30 cities this fall on the “Share the Well“ tour which will feature seven of the international musicians the band met while recording.The band titled the record, Share the Well, when it learned that Dalits are not permitted to drink from community wells in India unless an upper caste person draws the water for them. Many Dalits wait all day and are never given a drink. For Caedmon’s Call, this reality came as a metaphor to those thirsting for hope and a savior.
“The truth is, as believers, we’ve been called to help these people,” lead vocalist Cliff Young explains. “In America, we live by a self-centered version of Christianity. We forget the Great Commission. We think we aren’t called to help people because our gifts and talents lie elsewhere. Instead, we should be asking how we can use the gifts we’ve been given to go to all the world and live out the message of the Gospel.”
As another method to increase awareness, Caedmon’s Call invites two Indian, one Brazilian and four Ecuadorian musicians to join its 30-city fall “Share the Well” tour. The tour kicks off in Peachtree City, Ga., on Oct. 8 and will provide the unique opportunity for audiences to experience first-hand the people and music embraced by the band, and hopefully serve as a motivator for fans to get involved with organizations like the Dalit Freedom Network and Compassion International who aid these impoverished people.
Marketing highlights for Caedmon’s Call, Share the Well include placement at retail as part of Provident Distribution’s fall Pulse campaign from Oct. 26 – Dec. 31, catalog advertising with all major chains, along with extensive Internet promotion and street week plans. The album’s first radio single, “There’s Only One (Holy One)” impacts AC/CHR/INSPO formats mid-August.
To see footage of the band in India, Ecuador and Brazil, view the EPK at http://www.essentialrecords.com/sharethewell/.