New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Green Light Go) Devon Reed launches the You Be My
Heart compilation, an extended love affair with the nonprofit 826 National, which is dedicated to offering a variety of inventive programs that provide under-resourced students, ages 6-18, with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills.
"I am really happy to have the opportunity to give a little extra to a place very dear to me, and I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions of several artists who I contacted who seemed to feel the same way." -Devon Reed - 826 Valencia Volunteer Coordinator
The San Francisco filmmaker and songwriter, Devon Reed, who volunteers with 826
National initiated, financed, and wrote all the songs which were presented to a variety of bands to select the ones that called to them and in turn give their own unique twist. The result is a compilation featuring a who's who in the indie rock scene with artists such as Bowerbirds, The Cloud Room, Maps & Atlases, Horse Feathers, Marissa Nadler and Mark Kozelek all participating to support the nonprofit's aim.
Reed first became involved as a volunteer and organizer for 826 Valencia in San Francisco in 2011. He had worked with several nonprofits in the area, including Habitat for Humanity, GRID Alternatives, and Food not Bombs, when he finally discovered 826 and quickly considered it home. "The organization, with its focus on children and writing, was a perfect fit with my own interests and from my first experiences there I could tell that my time and energy was very much needed," Reed said.
Reed produced his first album six years ago, a soundtrack to his feature length film musical The Bigtop, which included performances of songs written by him by such artists as Matthew Sweet, Built to Spill's Doug Martsch, The Clientele, Lisa Germano and
Damien Jurado.
Reed continued to write songs after The Bigtop, and when he received the spark of inspiration to combine his musical and philanthropic interests into a single venture, the You be My
Heart benefit album was born to both increase awareness and generate funds for the 826
National organization.
You Be My
Heart due out 12/09 will feature tracks from:
Fruit Bats
Bowerbirds
The Finches
Becky Stark
Mark Kozelek
Horse Feathers
The Cloud Room
The Spinto Band
Saturday Looks Good To Me
Danielle Ate The Sandwich
Maps & Atlases
Marissa Nadler
Marble Sounds
Ghost & Gale
Field Report
Key Losers
Get Involved - 826
National Donation Link: https://826valencia.org/get-involved/donate/
Follow the You Be My
Heart project on Facebook and Twitter
facebook.com/youbemyheart
twitter.com/YouBeMyHeart
Praise for Devon Reed:
"[M]y favorite soundtrack was Songs from the Bigtop. The album features 13 songs penned by the film's director, Devon Reed, and performed by a variety of indie rock icons (including Matthew Sweet, Built to Spill's Doug Martsch, and Lisa Germano)." - Largehearted Boy
"[T]his Devon Reed is a friend and champion of some of the best songwriter-indie that blossomed in the 90s, and Songs from the Bigtop is a great way to reconnect with these folks, underappreciated then and now. They share a keen sense for human-scale melancholy pop that gives the disc its consistent warmth and charm." - Indiefolkforever
"Musically speaking, soundtracks tend to be a hit or miss affair, Songs From The Bigtop defies the odds and stands up as great soundtrack or even just as a great collection of songs on it's own."
- Bag Of Songs
