Derry/Londonderry Music Video
The CO Brothers
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What will be the music video?
The song is titled “Derry/Londonderry” and it was written during my time volunteering in Belfast by myself and in collaboration with Scott Boldt who directed the reconciliation program. We wrote the song for a short animated documentary we were producing that featured young people from the catholic/republican and protestant/loyalist sides presenting their views of living in a post-conflict society. The film is called CHOOSE and was well received at its premiere, but unfortunately the Peace III funding from the EU that supported the program was not renewed and the film was never properly distributed.
I have continued to perform “Derry/Londonderry” and the song proves to be quite popular whenever we play it, not just in Northern Ireland but in the USA and the Balkans as well.
The song itself is about reconciliation. The title comes from the name of a city on the north coast of Northern Ireland, and is normally referred to as Derry (if you are catholic/nationalist/republican) or Londonderry (if you are protestant/unionist/loyalist). As a foreigner you are left in the uncomfortable situation of not knowing what to call the city for fear of offending whomever local people you may be with.
The song pokes fun at this linguistic situation, pokes fun at the preponderance of different churches in a Christian country, and also pokes fun at the politics in the USA as well as the role of musicians in the midst of a conflict.
Ultimately the message of the song is affirming and boils everything down to the fact that we are all just people and it’s okay if we disagree with each other; we can still accept each other despite our differences - a message that needs to be heard especially in these days of such heightened political discord. As I write in August of 2019, Northern Ireland still does not have a government which was suspended in January 2017 over differences between the leading republican and unionist parties. Tensions have been building, the uncertainty over the “Brexit” negotiations and the question about the Irish border have added to this and the threat of violence remains.
The people involved will be:
Myself (Zac Schmidt).
My brother Robert Schmidt who was with me at ROM in 2009 and has performed with me in Belfast on two occasions. Rob is a great songwriter in his own regard, has made three albums and is currently working on his fourth. He has a Masters degree in theology and has volunteered for years as a worship leader at his church in Silverthorne, Colorado. Rob and I have always loved the mystery of music and its ability to very quickly cross boundaries and make connections with people. You can hear his music and read more about Rob here.
Jasbeer Singh who is originally from India but has lived for 15 years in Northern Ireland is an award winning film-maker and animator who has worked on TV series for the BBC, CBS and MTV. He has produced films, animations and resources on peace-building, reconciliation and integration.
Dr. Scott Boldt has his Ph.D. in International Relations and has worked for over 15 years in peace-building and reconciliation. Originally from Chicago, he lived in Dublin for 10 year and has been in Belfast for the last 20. He has been involved in the creation of multiple productions and publications.
Przemek Strauss has his Masters degree in Sonic Arts from Queen’s University and runs his own recording studio in Belfast. Originally from Poland, he has studied and lived in Belfast for 10 years where he records a variety of musical styles and endeavors. He also composes his own music and has been involved in musical theatre.
These guys will comprise the core group involved in making the video but aside from them there will be a number of musicians involved both in Colorado and in Belfast. Also there will be cameo appearances in the video of significant people who were involved in the “Troubles” as well as certain iconic locations.
I already know the hearts of many who will be involved and there is a kinship there that goes beyond religion, race, politics or anything else and could be maybe boiled down to what is a general love of humanity and a desire for what is good. Jesus on the sermon on the mount described this sentiment as “the light of the world” or as “the salt of the earth”. This is an attempt to pass the salt. Maybe it will lead to something beautiful.
