TEKE::TEKE & Mirah Share Clash Covers From Benefit Compilation

Brooklyn-based singer songwriter Mirah (Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) and Montreal-based Japanese psych band TEKE::TEKE shared their contributions to Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats, a compilation of tributes to The Clash that will benefit the International Rescue Committee (IRC) set for digital and vinyl release on February 7 (International Clash Day) via Shared Medium.

Premiered via BrooklynVegan, the tracks come ahead of a special record release concert on Friday, February 2 at Brooklyn Made featuring Mirah, TEKE::TEKE, and Seán Barna. Tickets and more information are available here.
 
Mirah's take on “I'm Not Down” slightly slows the original's hard-charging groove, infusing the original's headstrong yet sweet melody with a touch of The Shangri-Las, all while maintaining its overdriven guitar pulse.

She explains, “One of the best things about being asked to work on a project like this is the opportunity it gave me to play a bunch of Clash albums all at once and to pay close attention as I was listening. I wanted to pick one that felt right for my voice, with words which reflected something about me and my own experiences. Like a lot of people, I began having some run-ins with anxiety and depression during the pandemic. I wasn't playing shows or making much music and I was spending nearly every waking hour with a tiny person who I'd given birth to 15 months before the pandemic started. ‘I'm Not Down' was written as a sort of F you to hard times and depression, and that felt, and feels, pretty relevant.” To help with the recording, Mirah tapped the inimitable Erica Freas and the one and only Karl Blau.
 
TEKE::TEKE's interpretation of “Bankrobber” was inspired by a sound that was developing in Japan in the 70's, in parallel to the UK's punk scene, with avant-garde bands like Tokyo Kid Brothers or JA Seazer, which inspired them to sing the lyrics in Japanese. Vocalist Maya Kuroki felt an immediate connection to “Bankrobber,” upon hearing the same words that her late father used to jokingly say, “someday I'll become a bank robber;” she wanted to represent the meaning of this poem as the voice of the “community,” striving to counter the increasingly widening wealth gap.

The band's Sei Nakauchi Pelletier adds, “‘Bankrobber' was the first ever song I heard from The Clash, it was on a compilation tape a dear friend of mine had made for me in my early 20's. The Clash went on to become one of my favorite and most-inspiring rock bands of all-time, way beyond their musical genius but also for their political stances and DIY approach.” That "dear friend" was Malcolm Bauld, who Sei enlisted to guest on TEKE::TEKE's cover, providing the English verses — a profound collaboration and full circle moment.
 
As of September 2023, more than 114 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes, due to conflict, persecution and human rights violations. By the end of 2024, the number is expected to reach 130 million.

Benefiting the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org) and their work with refugees, Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats invites bands and visual artists to create work inspired by The Clash and celebrate their music and human rights message.

The album, mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen — known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Norah Jones, Madonna, Alice In Chains and more — features additional contributions from The Dandy Warhols, Smokey Brights, Seán Barna, Julia Massey of Warren Dunes, The Gotobeds, Big League, Labasheeda, and The Rust & The Fury. 
 
The album will be released digitally and to vinyl on International Clash Day, February 7th 2024. The holiday, established in 2013 by KEXP DJ John Richards, marks a global annual celebration of The Clash's message and legacy. To celebrate this year, KEXP DJs Kevin Cole and Kid Hops will transition the station's all-day International Clash Day programming on-air to the Gathering Space for International Clash Day Live where Smokey Brights will perform a live set of Clash covers and originals. Tickets and more information are available here. 
 
Proceeds from the album sales will go to the International Rescue Committee's global fund, supporting their vital work in responding to humanitarian crises and helping impacted individuals rebuild their lives.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez