The NC Music Love Army was sparked when, late in June of 2013, Old Ceremony frontman Django Haskins posted a video of “We Are Not For Sale,” a straight ahead, sing-along protest song in direct reaction to countless pieces of immoral legislation being handed down by the Republican-led legislature of North Carolina. Inspired by Django’s song, Charlotte musician Jon Lindsay quickly penned, recorded and posted one of his own, “NC GOP You Don’t Know Me.”  That same night, songwriter Caitlin Cary, agitated and inspired upon her return from that night’s Moral Monday rally in Raleigh, saw her friend Jon’s video. She placed a call to Jon, and within hours they had set in motion the plan for what would become the NC Music Love Army.  What followed were choruses of “yes,” bridges of “how can I help?” and a songbook’s-worth of support and contributions from musicians and their fans from around the state.  In the span of only a few weeks, the Love Army has come a very long way.

“We Are Not For Sale: Songs of Protest” will be released on vinyl, CD & for download on November 26, 2013, just under a year before the statewide elections we believe can change the course of history in North Carolina.  The five original protest songs on the “A” side were recorded in one day by a cast of around 25 NC-based musicians at Pershing Hill Studios in Raleigh.  The “B” side (fondly referred to as the “Guerrilla Side”) comprises five individually-submitted tracks by some of the state’s finest songwriters.  A massive album release concert and fundraiser is planned for November 30th at the Cat’s Cradle.

The album’s ten songs together form a unified statement: the artists of North Carolina attest that the people of our state deserve a government that holds all its people in equal esteem, that guards their health, their education, their legal rights and their ability to thrive, and that values justice over profit in every instance.  We send our songs out in the hope of inspiring all who work for peace, fairness and moral prosperity in our state and beyond.

-Esse Quam Videri