Wanted: Unsigned Band for Documentary

As you may know, some of my volunteer work is with organizations that serve youth who have aged out of foster care. They’re sort of an invisible population of young people who are cast out into the world, usually thoroughly unprepared, at 18. They have a better-than-average chance of becoming homeless, institutionalized, pregnant, addicted to drugs, incarcerated, and even dead, within 18 months of being jettisoned from care (which in many cases didn’t provide too much "care").

I’m the co-chair of the Board of Directors of two organizations that help emancipated foster youth, and a donor (and board member) is funding a feature-length documentary about the plight of former foster youth and some of the programs that are successfully helping them.

I’m wearing a couple of hats or co-hats for the project, and one of them is Music Supervisor. We have decided to work with an unsigned band and either use their existing music, have them compose music for the film, or both. The problem is we don’t have a band.

With that said, we have access to bands, as there are nightclub owners who are on board with the project, and we all know plenty of musicians. What we’re looking for, however, isn’t something I personally have connections to (though a nightclub owner-friend probably does), and that is: urban, edgy music. I have been told that my taste in music is "older, white, highbrow," which isn’t what the director wants. I am in need of an unsigned band that plays "soulful, real, urban, edgy" music that isn’t necessarily hip hop or rap.

The intention is to provide music that supports what’s going on with the youth in the film, and not necessarily music that the audience likes to listen to.

If you know of an unsigned band that fits the bill and has a sample to send, please e-mail me (mary@marymartin.net) or have someone from the band e-mail me and put: Unsigned Band in the subject line. We’ll travel anywhere to meet anyone, and yes, the band will be paid.

Thanks!