WATCH: River Whyless’ Special Video in Support of America’s National Wildlife Refuges
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Folk-rock band River Whyless has released a special new song and music video, inspired by a trip to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southwestern Wyoming. The band, along with a variety of nonprofit partners, intends to generate support for National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands across the country. A portion of the proceeds of song sales will be donated to the National Wildlife Refuge Association to support National Wildlife Refuges across the country.
“National Wildlife Refuges, along with our state and national parks and forests, are vital parts of our continued effort to preserve America’s natural beauty and essential ecosystems. They also happen to inspire our music,” said River Whyless’ Alex McWalters.
The song, “Hold Me To Ya,” is the result of a collaboration with the nonprofit group Sustain Music and Nature through their Songscapes program.
In an effort to access new audiences and support public lands, Songscapes provide musicians with the opportunity to travel into, learn about, and create music inspired by protected landscapes.
For this most recent Songscape, River Whyless partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to spend a week enjoying Seedskadee NWR in southwest Wyoming. The refuge protects a vast sagebrush landscape, ribboned by 36 miles of the Green River and the lush riparian areas lining its banks. During their visit, River Whyless experienced the unique beauty of the landscape and the wildlife that call the it home, including moose, pronghorn, cutthroat trout and the iconic greater sage-grouse.
Greater sage-grouse, which have dramatically declined due to the loss of healthy sagebrush habitat, inspired the band to create a new instrument for their Songscape. When listening closely to “Hold Me To Ya”, audiences will hear the sound of the grouse’s display dance mimicked with a mason jar and water.
The stunning beauty of Seedskadee and the band’s songwriting journey were brought to life on film by National Geographic Young Explorer Corey Robinson.
To learn more about the project, download “Hold Me To Ya”, and support the National Wildlife Refuge Association, visit the project’s home page: Songscape.refugeassociation.org
