As COVID-19 has my family and I on week 4 of “near-complete lock down” on top of practicing social distancing in public spaces, Faultlines have unleashed an organic, powerful, passionate single that tackles the problems created and exacerbated by the private, for-profit, Western health industry.
With that topic in play, this monster of a virus might be the wake up call planet Earth needs. Possibly this virus is Mother Earth’s way of peeling back and exposing the dangerous ground private corporations and big pharma has led us toward. Regardless, Save Us by Faultlines is a statement through story and song that stands up for our fellow citizens who are denied healthcare based on their income and socioeconomic status in society.
Shouldn’t medicine and health care be a basic human right; not a motive for profit and greed?
Fortunately, I was able to grab some of Faultlines‘ time for the below interview spotlight. We discuss Western health care, the new single, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Before we get into the music, let our readers know a little background. Where are you from? What inspires and motivates you to create music?
Ashley is from the Bay Area. She grew up singing and is inspired by music’s ability to create a positive impact on the world, which is why we strive to always include a purposeful message throughout our songs.
John is from Boston. Music is the human articulation of emotion, whether it be happiness, sadness, love, or loss. Furthermore, music can be used to simplify and succinctly express a response to the nation in the world and hopefully create a rallying cry, something melodically catchy enough to stick in the hearts and minds of the listeners.
How is Save Us different from previous releases? What led you to write and record the song?
Save Us was written to challenge the current state of health care in the United States. It calls out the greed and hypocrisy of denying Americans the right to live based on their income. It’s our only song that specifically tackles this subject.
I think anyone involved in the healthcare system will agree, to some degree, it is quite a circus. What change or changes would be your top priority if you had the power to influence or change things?
Where do we begin? The developed world has largely created a template upon which we have the distinct opportunity of improving and adapting to address the health and well being of every person in this country. It’s frustrating to see those suffering from sudden or ongoing conditions forced to resort to crowd funding to help pay for their insane medical bills.
Private companies have more rights than private individuals. People become doctors and nurses to help others, but big pharma and their lobbyists in Washington has made medicine a profit industry instead of a service to help those in need.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you?
John: Twenty years ago, we would have needed to be signed to a major label to have the power to distribute our music. Today there are so many options for independent artists to share their music. The frustration is that with so many options for listeners, it’s some times a challenge to grab the attention of new fans. That said, we have an amazing fan base and street team to help create even more noise on our behalf.
Ashley: There’s less of a demand for physical copies of our album with the advent of new cars and laptops which now lack CD players. It’s nothing new to lament the death of CDs, however, we depended largely on the income to fund future projects.
What was the last song you listened to?
We’re working musicians always needing to learn new songs for corporate gigs. In all honesty, the last song Ashley listened to was Mamma Mia and John just had to learn Come and Get Your Love.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Ashley and John both prefer Vinyls, but listen mostly to streaming.
How about this… Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Apple Music is one of the only streaming services who isn’t currently fighting the music modernization act.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Visit us at faultlinesofficial.com or on IG at @officialfaultlines
Anything else before we sign off?
As we face the effects of a gutted and unprepared American health care system, we hope this song calls to attention what we lack and calls to action improvements. There is nobody untouched by the health crisis we now face together as a nation.
