We recently featured Patrick Costello when he shared his high emotional quotient with a heart-wrenching ode to his late wife, You Can’t Ask the Wind Not to Blow, so when we heard that the talented artist was back with Baltimore City/Let the Brothers Breathe, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Drawing us in with a dimensional guitar performance and astral frequency, tapping into Blues-Rock vibe, expanding into a bold and dynamic soundscape, Patrick Costello opens Baltimore City/Let the Brothers Breathe with syncopated moments for intrigue and prose that references victims Freddie Gray from Baltimore, Eric Garner from NYC and Michael Brown from Ferguson.
For reference, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown were Black men whose deaths at the hands of police became pivotal moments in the U.S. movement against police brutality and systemic racism.
The lyrics of Baltimore City/Let the Brothers Breathe paint a vivid and somewhat alarming picture of what went down. Eric Garner died in Staten Island in July 2014 after an officer put him in a banned chokehold while arresting him, during which he repeated, “I can’t breathe.” Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014, sparking nationwide protests. Freddie Gray, 25, died in Baltimore in April 2015 from spinal injuries sustained while in police custody after being arrested. Their deaths fuelled widespread outrage, protests, and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In essence, what Patrick Costello is sharing here is a very important reminder to never forget these victims. The artist is channelling his art as activism at a very important time when we need this reminder the most.
Speaking on the release, Patrick confesses, “The music itself was inspired by blues and R&B rock songs of the past, and included a chorus that was meant to be an anthem of sorts, demanding that Black men in particular be protected from the violence, discrimination and prejudice that has sadly been integral to US and particularly police culture since the nation’s founding.”
He adds with reference to his collaborators, “Much appreciation is due to the fabulous musicians who contributed to this music, Tommy Odetto on guitars, Tim Baker on bass, the lovely and talented Desiree Joly on incredible background vocals, and most of all Ari Rios, proprietor of Laughing Tiger studios, great engineer, arranger, mixer and awesome musician in his own right. It was such a thrill to play drums and sing this passionate song with my great bandmates and collaborators.”
We deeply connect with how the opus serves as a statement of conscience. Patrick Costello harnesses the raw power of Blues-Rock to remind us that music can be both healing and disruptive. Naturally, we have added Baltimore City/Let the Brothers Breathe to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream You Can’t Ask the Wind Not to Blow.