In 2008 when pianist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood) traveled to the Amazon to work with a shaman healer, he struck up a relationship with Jeff Firewalker Schmitt, a scientist and ceremonial folk healer who traveled independently for the same purpose. Fast forward 12 years to the middle of a global pandemic and the two artists finally joined musical forces as Saint Disruption, a new spirit-based, soul-inspired music collective led by Medeski and Schmitt. The pair’s debut album, Rose In The Oblivion, is due out on April 8th, and on Thursday they shared the project’s lead single, “Choke A Man”.
“Oppression takes many forms. Sometimes overt, often subtle; ten thousand ways to choke us from our birthright(s),” Schmitt said in a statement. “This song was born amid the tragic death of George Floyd and the release of The Social Dilemma movie. My artistic process involved asking how I might express the anguish of the oppressed. I spent three days in the space of prayer and reflection. There isn’t a word in the English language that adequately describes my feelings about the corrupt brokenness of the US government – so I mashed up the words ‘democracy’ and ‘debacle’ when I wrote ‘sham debocracy.'”
“Choke A Man” serves as the first warning shot delivered by Saint Disruption ahead of the seven-track Rose In The Oblivion. The soulful single combines the inherent pain of the blues with singer Datrian Johnson‘s evocative delivery of Schmitt’s thought-provoking lyrics. Meanwhile, the song’s music video takes a look at the many faces of oppression from real-life footage of the 2015 Texas pool party incident all the way to the fields of Southeast Asia.
Medeski simply said of Saint Disruption, “I’m not looking for spiritual music. I’m looking for Spirit to come through.”
Watch the music video for “Choke A Man” from Saint Disruption, the new collaboration between John Medeski and Jeff Firewalker Schmitt below. A portion of the proceeds from “Choke A Man” will go to benefit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Fans are also encouraged to contribute to Saint Disruption’s Kickstarter campaign to reserve a copy of Rose In The Oblivion.
Saint Disruption – “Choke A Man” (Official Video)
[Video: saint disruption]
