The tragic June 28 car crash still resonates through Santa Fe, and no doubt will continue to do so for many years. Right now, though, it has sparked all sorts of responses, including songwriting.
Chris D McCarty and David Manzaneras, longtime collaborators (they recently returned from working on the latest Sarah Jessica Parker/Hugh Grant movie, but more details than that were scarce) had already been working on a song entitled ‘Anything to See Her Again.' They finished it on Friday, two days before the accident. It was not until a few days after the tragedy, though, that they realized how perfectly their song could act as an outlet for the community's loss and grief. McCarty reports that when he thought of what they could do with their song, he called Manzaneras only to have Manzaneras answer with, "I know why you're calling."
The two immediately set to reworking their song, although it was remarkable how few lyric changes were required. The song, which according to McCarty is "not maudlin at all, it's a celebration of life, and it's very beautiful," had blossomed, and with a new title 'Anything to See Them Again,' the song was ready to roll.
more
That was when Chris began calling around Santa Fe in search of contributing musicians, collecting what he jokingly referred to as "a very mini-Santa Fe version of 'We Are the World.' " Soon some of the most-well known musicians in Santa Fe found themselves on board for a memorial song: Pat Malone on guitar, Lydia Clark on keyboard, Mark Clark on drums, Busy McCarroll on vocals, Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin, plus more, including Joe West and George Adelo. "It just sort of steamrolled," McCarty says, and soon enough a recording studio was also involved: Stepbridge Studios has volunteered to donate time in their state-of-the-art building. During the last few days the song has been recorded and mastered, and hopefully will soon get airtime on local radio shows. With enough momentum, plans could extend to a CD, the proceeds of which would be sent to the four families to be used as necessary.
But the real emphasis needs to be on what McCarty says is "just the music community reaching out and doing what we do." Because in hard times, everyone needs to find a way to reach out.
Manzanares can be contacted through his
, and soon details regarding the recording will be fleshed out.
Santa Fe Reporter