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2016.
Ex-Genesis Band Members Create Music to Save Elephants

[image]ElephantsforAfrica

1 April 2016

PRESS RELEASE

EX-GENESIS BAND MEMBERS STEVE HACKETT AND ANTHONY PHILLIPS CREATE MUSIC FOR KICKSTARTER WILDLIFE AND ART CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT ELEPHANT CHARITY

Art, music and wildlife experts have joined together their talents to create a breathtaking combination of eye-catching photography, and evocative music, knowledgeable insight in the form of a unique book entitled ‘Harmony for Elephants'.

The Harmony for Elephants book has an accompanying album of specially written music by musicians, including ex-Genesis band members Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips, and has been created to share the message about conservation charity Elephants for Africa, the work they do with elephants, and aims to showcase how these elephants can live in harmony with humans.

Legendary ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackettdescribes why he wanted to get involved: ‘I'm proud to take part artistically in the wonderful Elephants for Africa campaign. We've seen too much wanton destruction. These extraordinary intelligent living giants are an important part of Earth's incredible inheritance."

Multi-instrumentalist talent Anthony Phillips,who founded Genesis alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford,was also keen to be part of the campaign, adding: ‘Elephants are the gentle giants of the land, just as whales are to the sea. Beautiful, noble creatures they grace the planet and are no threat to mankind - and yet left to his own devices man will see them as good as extinct within 20 years. Being involved in this project gives me in a small way a chance to help to highlight the elephants' plight, especially through the lens of Lesley Wood's stunning photographs, which capture their might yet essentially peaceful nature.'

Harmony for Elephants is a joint project between professional wildlife photographer and biologist Mrs Lesley Wood and Dr Kate Evans, biologist, elephant researcher and founder and director of the charity Elephants for Africa, whose patron Nick Knowles has also offered his support. The two women first talked about publishing a book about elephants together back in 2010 and since then the concept has grown and developed into the amazing book and music project that it is today.

The aim of the project was to publish a beautiful fine art book about elephants and elephant conservation with its own CD album of music specially written for this project, recorded and donated by several world renowned musicians including ex-Genesis band members, Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips.

The book is available both as an A4 sized unlimited standard edition and also as an A3 sized boxed limited edition version (250 copies only) which come with a specially produced signed and numbered limited edition fine art companion print. The limited edition books are signed by Lesley and Kate, and some of them have also been signed by the musicians involved, making them extremely sought after by collectors.

Both editions of the book have an accompanying CD album of music composed specially for the project. The music is a mixture of instrumental tracks and tracks with lyrics. 

This Kickstarter project will raise the funds that are needed - the target is £20,000 - to publish both versions of the book and produce the accompanying music album. It will also help to raise awareness of the work being carried out by the Elephants for Africa team in Botswana.

The book is a stunning combination of Lesley's beautiful fine art elephant photography and Kate's compelling writing, giving her expert insight into elephant biology and behaviour. It will take the reader on a journey through the lifecycle of the African elephant, babies, juveniles, adolescents, adulthood and old age and the challenges faced by them.

Kate says: 'Along with the accompanying album of music, it will be a breathtaking combination of eye-catching photography, knowledgeable insight and evocative music. This is an extremely exciting project and once produced we hope that this book along with its music will be a real indulgence for the senses.

 

‘The book includes facts and statistics about elephants and short comments from local stakeholders in Botswana about their thoughts and experiences with elephants in their daily lives and how they are working hard to live peacefully alongside their local elephant population.

‘This special collection of music truly is a ‘Live Aid' for elephants, music written by famous musicians to be the voice for elephants and give an audio companion to Lesley's beautiful images of wild elephants.'

The album of music is a compilation specially composed for this project and donated by a selection of world-renowned musicians and it will ONLY be available together with the book and via this Kickstarter project as a digital download. Musicians involved include ex-Genesis band members Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips. Other renowned musicians are Nick Magnus, John Hackett, Brendan Eyre, Nad Sylvan, Rob Townsend, Amanda Lehmann, Andy Tillison, Tony Patterson and Andy Neve who composed the music for the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year' awards and Chris O'Connell. 

 

-Ends-


For interviews with Anthony Phillips or Steve Hacket, Kate Evans or Lesley Wood, for additional photos, and more information, please contact claire@garfunkelcommunications.co.uk / 07734 702653.

More information

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harmonyforelephants/harmony-for-elephants-a-book-with-an-album-of-uniq

https://youtu.be/0hp-P_8rIxo

www.elephantsforafrica.org