CHARITY SINGLE RELEASE
28.03.11
UK PRESS RELEASE
'COMFORT OR AMUSE' BY ABSENT ELK
On Monday 16 May Absent Elk will be releasing 'Comfort Or Amuse' as a charity single in aid of Cancer Research UK. The song, performed by the band's Norwegian singer/songwriter Kjetil Morland, is inspired by, and written for his mum Hildegunn, who is suffering from bowel cancer. Kjetil says: "Cancer touches the lives of so many people, and we want to do everything we can to generate funds and raise awareness into helping beat this disease. This is a very personal song so both recording it and shooting the video meant a great deal to me."
This is a non-profit release, where all profits generated in the UK will be donated to Cancer Research UK - including publishing income from any UK radio play.
The song is a beautiful acoustic performance by Kjetil, who recalls recording it in an old garage in north London. "We took all the microphones out to a garage next to the studio, as we really liked the echo in the room. It really added a vintage character to the recording."
The video, also directed by Kjetil, was shot on the Isle Of Wight. "The video concept is based around the chorus lyric of the song, which suggests that a cure has been found for cancer. Charities such as Cancer Research UK make groundbreaking progress every day to make this possibility a reality, but the research can’t continue without our help. We want to get as many people behind this as we can, to help us make a difference and contribute towards Cancer Research UK's life-saving work."
The video is already live on YouTube and Facebook, and the band is hoping many people will show their support by joining the Facebook page 'Comfort Or Amuse'. The single will be available on iTunes, and other major online stores, from 16 May 2011.
'TO COMFORT OR AMUSE…'
We’re sitting here at the hospital – my mum and I. We now know just about all the nurses on our floor by their first name. They fly through the corridors here at 3C like white little angels, from door to door.
Outside the snow is melting fast, and the first signs of life are taking small careful steps between the white patches. The odd brave bird can now be heard from in between the naked branches, and it won’t be too long before the daffodils will be in full bloom, and a new spring will be on our doorstep – a new start.
Today we’re waiting for a doctor’s visit. We are used to waiting. Our patience has been stretched far after seven years of waiting. Most of the time we don’t even know what we’re waiting for, and the unknown hangs like heavy curtains in front of the beautiful sunshine outside. “Our hope is the last thing we lose”. A few years ago I probably would have called this a cliché, but today both my mum and I know this has more
meaning than we would ever have understood. Even though the situation changes from day to day, from message to message, we seem to be built with an incredible ability to adapt, and with time we can digest just about anything that comes our way. My mum’s ability to take one day at a time and focus on the positive, is something I, and everyone who knows her, hugely admire and don’t fully comprehend.
Time is greedy. That’s something we’ve now learnt. And we have learnt not to take things for granted. If only we could think like this the day our computer crashes, or when our car won’t start one morning.
Unfortunately, it’s only when things really get serious that we understand how insignificant these things are in the grand scheme. But I guess this is all part of life’s lesson – to live and learn.
Cancer. Just the word screams out death and grief. My mother has now lived with cancer for seven years - a type of bowel cancer that later spread to both her lungs. The fact that she very early on lost all her hair and had to get used to a life with stoma are now ‘just trifles’. Today it’s life in itself that counts. To be able to wake up to a new day without feeling too much pain. To be able to go for a nice walk on a beautiful spring day like today! To be able to play with your grandchildren till they’ve had enough of you, and fall asleep.
For all of us that are lucky enough to be healthy, this doesn’t seem a lot to ask for, but sadly something we often fail to value enough.
Cancer is a disease that involves a lot of people. Family, friends and everyone around are also deeply affected. I’m sure most of you know somebody who has had, or still has cancer. Often it’s difficult to know how to relate to a person who’s become fatally ill. We’re very often afraid to say something wrong.
Anyone who learns they have cancer also reacts in his or her own way. Some feel like isolating themselves from the people around them, even people they have always known and loved, others find strength in being open, talking to family and friends. Some people need empathy and comfort, whilst others need happiness and amusement to help keeping a positive spirit. To show that we care about the people around us can never be wrong. The worst thing is to regret what we never said, when it might be too late.
Someone’s knocking on the door. What’s waiting behind it, we don’t yet know. All we know is that soon the door will swing open, and our day can once again change in an instant.
HOW DOES THE DONATION WORK?
We are thrilled with the support we’ve manage to get so far on this charity release, and it’s clear that this is a cause many people care about. We have managed to get help from key people to keep promotion costs to a minimum, and we have been working long hours to make sure as much money as possible will go to charity.
After the online outlets have been paid their distribution costs, and any minimal promotion and production costs have been deducted, all profits are donated towards cancer research. All the net profit generated from UK sales will go directly to Cancer Research UK and all the net profits from Norwegian sales will go to The Norwegian Cancer Society. The profit from other countries will be divided equally between the two organisations. In the UK iTunes pay out £0.49 from every single sold.
This release is kindly organised by a supporter of Cancer Research UK and not by Cancer Research UK. Any concerns or queries about the event should be directed to the organiser of the event whose contact details can be found on this website.
