July 21, 2015: musician
Kevin J. Knup is a man with a mission. The multi-instrumentalist – equally
proficient on guitar, keyboards or drums – behind the prolific band Diamond
Heart is seeking to realize the dream that the rock music community has
nurtured since the 1960s, that of making the world a better place. In the early
1970s, George Harrison staged the Concert For Bangladesh and gave hope to the
destitute of that deluged Asian country; in 1985, Band Aid was the
international media event via which rock and pop performers lent a helping hand
to the starving of Ethiopia; a chance remark by Bob Dylan on the US stage at
Band Aid led to the formation of Farm Aid, the annual charity event that benefited
those struggling to make a living off the land in the USA.
In 2015, the vision of
Diamond Kev is following in their footsteps. His vehicle is rock music. In
channeling the music that touched him as a youth – the contemporary rock sounds
of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine and
System Of A Down – he seeks to hone its power to a fine point of positivism.
Music will be the weapon in a war against the forces of negation.
The vehicle for this
utopian quest is a concept album entitled CHARITY.
Kev intends to use the potency of music to open youthful minds to a
cross-section of lyrical themes:
Equality – Activism
/ giving – Nutrition / ending hunger – Healthcare / eradicating
disease and sickness – Clean air / clean water / planting seeds – How
to relieve your depression by helping others – How to end poverty and
homelessness – The joy of living / love / gratitude – Education / literacy /
curiosity – Supplying every person on earth with a cell phone –
Non-violence and (‘super’) heroes in history – Unity / the power of coming
together for a common purpose – A vision for the future.
That is the vision. The vehicle is the music. Everything must be at its optimum level in order to make this the most epochal rock music project of its time. Funding is required to ensure the following: top professional session and touring musicians; maximum worldwide distribution, analog and digital; an artistic director to handle the entire project for one year; a videographer/photographer to document the entire process, producing a film to reinforce the message and brand; a cutting-edge recording producer and engineer; a marketing expert to oversee the brand; merchandise. (Dollar breakdowns are available.)
It’s an epic project with a humanitarian aim. From the target funds of $800,000, an initial donation will be made to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; a further 10% of all revenues from the project will be pledged to the foundation to aid their international education and health programs. In the words of Diamond Kev:
“I want to share the joy I have experienced through all the people and music that have touched my life, and I want to do for today’s youth what my heroes did for me; pave a way through life’s difficulties, showing that nothing is impossible, and that through the love of art, ourselves, and others, we can change the world.”
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