If you’ve been following the news, you are most likely aware of the current situation in Flint, Michigan, where a decision to switch the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the heavily polluted Flint River caused an 18-month span where residents were subjected to tap water containing extremely high amounts of lead. The situation has garnered widespread media coverage, as the almost-iconic imagery of water bottles filled with murky, golden tap water from the city’s supply illustrate the gravity of the situation. Although the water supply has been reconnected to Lake Huron, a state of emergency has been issued for the area and its 100,000 occupants as emergency management officials make attempts at mitigation. Still, permanent damage has already been done, as an estimated 8,000 children in the Flint area may be suffering from the irreversible effects of lead poisoning (for more information, our friends at The Duff Guide to Ska have an in-depth look at the situation).
To generate awareness of this crisis, a collection of bands (spearheaded by Baggage‘s Johnathan Diener) have created a massive compilation called “Not Safe To Drink: Music For Flint Water Crisis Relief“. With over 50 bands contributing, all proceeds go to the Flint Child Health and Development Fund to “support positive health outcomes for Flint children, including immediate response, optimal child health & development, early childhood education, educational and student support services [and more]”. The 79 tracks on the compilation are a surprisingly balanced mix of punk, ska, metal, and emo, mixing established tunes with tunes written and recorded specifically for the cause (imagine our excitement in finding songs about Flint, MI that doesn’t make us feel only wistful sadness). Notably, Big D and The Kids Table contributed “Try Out Your Voice” off 2007’s Strictly Rude, while YA BOII Jeff Rosenstock shared his cover of Neko Case’s “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu”. Other notable contributions include The Suicide Machines (along with lead singer J. Navarro’s side project J. Navarro and The Traitors) and Propagandhi. The minimum donation is $5, and you can find more information and updates via the compilation’s Facebook page.
Check out the compilation below, and please consider donating to this worthwhile cause: