It’s my pleasure to introduce Alternative Nation’s new column – The Green Room. In this, the artists themselves will write all of the articles featured. The subject matters will vary as it is up to the artist to select whatever topic they’d like to discuss. Favorite guitar, what inspires them, behind the scenes of a song or recording, a coach or teacher that had an impact, a tour story, maybe their favorite breakfast or simply a subject matter they are passionate about.
It’s an honor to have Darryl McDaniels of RUN DMC write our first piece. With that, I give you… Mr. DMC. – Jeff Gorra
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I’m working on my new music project called DMC: Dynamic Music Collaborations, and I’ve been privileged to work with some of the greatest musicians and singers ever! So far I’ve recorded songs with Joan Jett, Rome from Sublime, Mick Mars, Sebastian Bach, Travis Barker, Tim Armstrong and Justin Furstenfield just to name a few.
A few months ago I got to work with John Moyer from the band Disturbed. He wanted to do a song about ALL the shootings happening at the time. So he produced this amazing song called “Flames.” We needed an incredible voice to sing on the song and Myles Kennedy stepped to the plate and hit it out the park with his unbelievable vocals. Once he heard the track and what it was about he didn’t hesitate to participate.
Since we’ve recorded the song, there’s been a shooting almost every month, and in the last few months, it seems like there’s been a shooting every week. The song opens with the line…
‘Unnecessary bullets, Unnecessary bullets.
Get your finger off the trigger there is no need to pull it!
A bad decision is a shot away…”
There’s a lot of unnecessary bullets flying around. There’s a lot of police officers, especially the white officers, shooting unarmed black men to death, making really really bad decisions. Don’t get me wrong, the song isn’t anti-police! There’s a multitude of good, responsible, and trustworthy cops!
This song isn’t a protest song…it’s an awareness song! We talk about the riots, which happen when the legal process doesn’t allow for the truthful, fair and just outcome. When people riot, and attack material objects, property and each other, we need to see it for what it really is….This is how those folks feel inside, some of the outward expressions is an expression of self-hate!
“Self-esteem beings self-respect!”… is another line from the song. A few weeks ago, at a discussion about inner city violence, I heard someone say, “When a white cop shoots a black person, that’s wrong! But when a black person shoots a black person, that’s just the way it is in the hood!”
We have to fix that mentality! That’s the battle. It’s like when I said my fight isn’t personally against the guy that shot Jay, I’m angered and hurt, but my fight is against the mindset that would cause a person to do that!
“I cry for the kids, I cry for the cops…’ ( a line from the song, but let me add)
I cry for the kids, I cry for the cops
I cry for Big, I cry for Pac
I cry for Chicago, I cry for Jay
I cry for the people shot down every day.”
The record really speaks for itself. John [Moyer] preferred to do a lyric video over the typical band performing the song thing, so that people can SEE what we are saying in the song.
We can put out the flames of racial hatred, abuse of power, illegal legal systems and practices, the lack of opportunity, occupation and education, and light the forever burning flames of peace, love, empowerment, equality, fairness, kindness and potential that will create a human race unified instead of this race of people fractured, biased, and afraid of each other with no love for one another or ourselves!
Check out the video….
-Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
In collaboration with/produced by Jeff Gorra – Alternative Nation
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jeffgorra@gmail
