“Gimme Some Truth” speaks to how I have been feeling about the injustice that exists in our society. I’ve been fed up, sick and tired. Lennon wrote the song about 50 years ago, but it’s still relevant today. There is still racism and police brutality, political corruption, and endless war. The problems Lennon faced in his time have not gone away, so I wanted to help make sure “Gimme Some Truth” keeps getting heard. This is protest music for our times.
I thought John Lennon was getting pretty close to rapping on “Gimme Some Truth” in a Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, or Rage Against The Machine type of way. This rap-like delivery allowed me to feel like I could perform the vocal and succeed at it. I’ve never done a cover song before, and I don’t plan on doing another cover anytime soon, let alone a song in the Rock or Power Pop genre. For me, the song is a score of someone who is reaching a breaking point, when all of the news and political garbage pushes us over the edge. The message was so powerful to me that I was willing to depart from my usual style, if only for one time in my career.
My cover of “Gimme Some Truth” was premiered on V13, and has been featured in The Berkshire Eagle and Rural Intelligence, both news outlets that are based where I am from in The Berkshires, MA.
“Infusing a modern flair into the song, the young Whalan drew inspiration from the legendary Beatle to record a worthwhile remake that feels just as relevant and important as when Lennon released the song in 1971 in the latter years of the Vietnam War, a time when Americans had grown extremely restless while watching their loved ones fighting in a war they didn’t belong in. A protest song if there’s ever been one, “Gimme Some Truth” contains many political references that are just as important now as they were nearly 50 years ago, with the mass demonstrations that have been occurring all month in response to police brutality and race-related violence.” – Christopher Gonda, V13
CREDITS
Music Credits
Producer: Jackson Whalan
Co-producer: Ian Evans
Additional production, mixing and mastering by Will Schillinger at Pilot Recording Studios
Lead Vocals: Jackson Whalan
Live Drums: Jules Jenssen
Guitar: Sam McGarrity
Keys, bass, and slide guitar solo: Ian Evans
Programming & Engineering: Jackson Whalan
Music Video Credits:
Filmed by Justin Allen, Amy Inglis, (Avida Love Photography) and Jake Borden
Edited by George Cox (Outpost)
Special thanks to Black Ice, LLC for supporting this release