From the electronic grooves of “Play that Funky Music” to the inspiring, “Twenty Four Seven,” you can hear the passion, the energy and the raw talent. Within weeks of its release on iTunes, Dino Jag’s funkalicious remakes of the classic Wild Cherry hit began to appear on the “Top 100” Dance/Electronic charts around the world, hitting number 34 in Denmark & then climbing up to number 8 in Australia. Since then his development as a recording artist has been on a steady incline.
Dino Jag is no stranger to taking a classic song and making it into a dance floor rave up. He first made an impression in this territory whilst being lead vocalist for funk/rock band Stolen Waters, when they entered the national charts with their reworking of the Stevie Wonder classic “Superstition.” While performing with Stolen Waters (1995-1998), Dino was nominated “Best Male Vocalist” for three consecutive years at the South Australian Music Industry Awards (SAMIA). Dino has shared the stage with a wide range of artists including Steve Vai, Screaming Jets, Richie Sambora, Sammy Hagar, Boom Crash Opera, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Don Burrows and James Morrison.
The big news however, is that Dino has re-released the 2010 single, “Calling All The Saints (SOS Haiti)”, the song that he dedicated to the tragic event which occurred on January 12, 2010, when the worst earthquake in over 200 years – 7.0 in magnitude – struck less than 10 miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Around 300,000 people were killed and 1.5 million were left homeless.
Dino Jag explains how the making of the single came about: “When the news about the Haiti earthquake broke, I was in the middle of a recording session in my home studio in Adelaide, South Australia. I was probably about as far from Haiti as one could get.. In fact, I don’t think I even knew where Haiti was at that time!” He goes on, saying: “I was recording a demo of a song I had just written titled “Calling All The Saints”. This song, it seems, was destined to belong to the people of Haiti. There was no incident or experience that initially inspired me to write this song. I have no idea where the inspiration came from, but somehow I knew that this song would serve a different purpose. It’s hard to explain, but for me, writing this song was quite an emotional experience, it took me to another depth that was kind of out of my control. I remember feeling overwhelmed by a sense of purpose for the song, a kind of universal cry for help. Then ironically, during the recording session, I hear the news about what had just happened in Haiti. I knew then and there that “Calling All The Saints” could serve a purpose for them somehow.”
Even though Dino was on the other side of the world, he, like many others around the world, felt deep compassion for what the Haitian population was going through and wanted to help somehow. He goes on to explain: “But really, what could we do? All we could really do was donate to charity that was providing aid on the ground there, which I did through the Red Cross at the time. That’s when I decided that I would release “Calling All The Saints” as a free download and use the song as a vehicle to encourage more people to make a donation to a supporting charity. The American Red Cross then gave me permission to use a selection of photographic images that they had just taken on the ground as the earthquake unfolded in Haiti for a video to support the release. The idea was that people would receive a free copy of song in exchange for a pledge to donate at least $1 or more to the Red Cross or other supporting charity. So this is how it all first came together and how the video came about too. Of course, there was no real way of monitoring the results & success of this campaign. But I do feel it helped to inspire many people to make a donation.”
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Now three years on, the situation is still very grim for many thousands of Haitians who still remain homeless and without survival basics. So to coincide with the third anniversary of the disaster, Dino Jag decided to re-release the song and video, plus for the first time, make the song available for sale through ReverbNation’s Music For Good program which enables the artist to allocate a minimum of 50% of all proceeds directly to Oxfam America. It’s another way of reminding people that they still need a lot of help. So far the campaign has been a huge success and the song is currently the most downloaded song in the program for Oxfam which is quite an achievement considering there over 3,000 artists on the program.
The song will also become available through other outlets such as iTunes etc., and likewise a minimum of 50% of proceeds will be directed to select charities or organizations providing ongoing support and aid to the people of Haiti.
It has to be stated though, that over and above the noble effort by Dino Jag, and the successful charity campaign involved, that purely as a musical composition, “Calling All The Saints (SOS Haiti)”, has its indubitable intrinsic merits. The song could quite comfortably sit on any Billboard chart, alongside many works by Dino’s more emblazoned counterparts.
This single is one-of-a-kind, a rare bird. It raises the bar for the indie pop music industry, and is a must-have for any gender, and any age. The music is certainly modern but there is a classic quality, a sense of longevity, as well. The lyrics are awesome, poetic, and hauntingly true, definitely worth listening to. Smooth and mellow, but intense with so much harmony, Dino Jag’s voice and personality represents the next generation of socially conscious, musically uplifting musicians. This is truly what popular music is supposed to be. Purchasing this single will satisfy two necessities. The desire to listen to really good music, and the opportunity to reach out and help someone in need.
Dino Jag
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