Welcome To Life

We do love a feel good story of human compassion and this week we met up with the wonderful Katie Whittaker – aka Katie from Red Pine – to find out about her new charity single.  Like all of us, Katie has been troubled by the scenes of horror as young children, old women and entire families make the desperate journey from war torn Syria, across Europe, in hope of refuge.  Regardless of your politics or religion, you cannot help but be moved by the images of people like you and me fleeing their home and deserting their dreams in fear for their lives.

Katie decided that she had to do something to help, and as a singer songwriter her instincts drew her to writing a song in a bid to raise money for the charity.  Opening with 'Oh My Friends All Around The World', Welcome To Life is overflowing with hope and friendship. This is an opening of hearts, minds and arms to let the people of Syria know, that regardless of media rhetoric, there are fellow human beings happy and willing to share a smile and the love of their country.   

Song written, she called upon family and favours to help her fund her recording.  Her Mum, Dad, Nana, Grandma and Jimmy all must be given a huge shout out for paying the fees required to get the single to a point where she could sell it on.  Of course, her long list of musical industry contacts was put to good use, and with vastly reduced fees offered she was joined by Davy MacFarlane and Arpad Horvath in the Stewart Room of The Salutation Hotel where they recorded the video and audio in one afternoon.

Katie has chosen to donate all proceeds from Welcome To Life to The Refugee Council UK and The Scottish Refugee Council.  Selling through i-Tunes, Google and Bandcamp for 99p, all profits will be sent straight to the charity in London who will then pass on 50% of the funds raised to the Glasgow office.

Katie, who is originally from Brora in the Highlands, moved to Perth to study music at Perth College UHI some six years ago.  She met Gav Munro of The Red Pine Timber Company almost immediately on arrival and has been singing with Perth’s Americana heroes ever since. This is the first time she has recorded on her own and when she takes to the stage at Glastonbury this year, it will be her first big public outing as a solo artist.

Yes, we did say Glastonbury! Katie will sing in Big Billy’s Radical Round-up, where she will be introduced by Billy Brag as part of a set of young, political singers who have something bigger to say.  Those who are in attendance should head to the Leftfield Stage on Sunday at around 3.30pm.

Before this though, she will launch her single at That Bar on Monday 20^th June at 7pm.  This important date is World Refugee Day and also starts the Refugee Festival in Scotland. This year, the UN Refugee Agency is asking us all to stand #WithRefugees and you can do exactly this by coming along to support Katie on the 20th 

Performing Welcome To My Life for the first time in public, Katie will be joined by fellow musicians in an open mic style evening and she welcomes artists, fans and supporters from across to Perthshire to come down and support them.  There will also be volunteers from The Scottish Refuge Council there who will be happy to chat about their work.

With the EU referendum looming over us, the refugee atrocities have become entangled in fearmongering stories of migrants stealing jobs and attacking women.  We have to see past this; far too often the politics of a situation, fanned by a lack of knowledge and unfounded xenophobia, stands in the way of action. 

Which is why this simple, wonderful act of Katie’s deserves our support.  Her big, beautiful, soulful voice brings hope and warmth to a desperate situation and each and every one of us can help her make the difference for only 99p.

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SUPPORT KATIE AND HELP ON SPREAD THE LOVE

Join her at That Bar on Monday 20^th June from 7pm when she will launch Welcome To Life. She will be joined by a volunteer from The Scottish Refugee Council. 

PRE ORDER THE SINGLE
(OR BUY IT IF YOU READ THIS AFTER 20^TH JUNE!)

I-Tunes – 72p from your 99p goes to the charity. Click here>>

Google – 48p from your 99p goes to the charity

Bandcamp – 84p from your 99p goes to the charity

The above amounts are wholesale royalties which will be deposited directly with the The Refugee Council in London.

Sing The Petition at UN Refugee Agency

Each day war forces thousands of families to flee their homes.  People like you, people like me. To escape the violence, they leave everything behind – everything except their hopes and dreams for a safer future.  

The #WithRefugees petition will be delivered to UN headquarters in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting on September 19. The petition asks governments to:

• Ensure every refugee child gets an education.
• Ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live.
• Ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

Click here to sign>>>

Follow Katie

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