River Songs has released its debut album, Music of the Wounaan, for charity. This release is available for free on Band Camp, Spotify, and other music websites worldwide in order to bring awareness and preserve the Wounaan Tribe’s indigenous way of life.
Music of the Wounaan was created by River Songs guitarist Hoyt Binder to honor and pay respect to the musical traditions of the Wounaan Tribe in Panama where Binder grew up and was inspired by their amazing culture. This album features vocals by various unknown women, recorded by Binder’s linguist father in the 1970s when he was learning their language, traditions, and musical styles. These Wounaan voices give us a glimpse into their beautiful and ancient melodies that transport you to a moment in time.
These traditional Wounaan songs feature melodies originally inspired by the rivers, with modern arrangements by Binder who incorporated elements of folk, jazz, and rock. The traditional and improvised lyrics on this album communicate a day in the life of the Wounaan and are accompanied by Rebecca Kleinmann on flute, Nick Loxx on bass, Toby Harwell on drums, Ronald Van Deurzen on keyboards, and Binder on guitar and percussion.
This album is provided for free as a tribute to the Wounaan Tribe who influenced Binder on his musical journey and all listeners are encouraged to donate to https://www.nativefuture.org/wounaan to help preserve the Wounaan’s way of life. Free downloads, as well as a limited supply of free CDs, will be made available on Bandcamp.