Louisiana singer-songwriter Zachary Richard has released a new single to benefit the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation.
The track, entitled Dreaming Again, was written by Zachary and produced by David Torkanowsky A (piano, string arrangement) of New Orleans. It is meant t be a testament to the human spirit in these troubled times.
Featuring Roddie Romero of Lafayette, LA (dobro), and Nicolas Fizman of Brussels, Belgium (bass - Sting, Francis Cabrel, etc.), the track was recorded and mixed by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer Tony Daigle.
Beginning Wednesday, May 20, Dreaming Again will be available exclusively for a limited time via the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic website nomaf.org/dreamingagain and downloadable as a thank you gift to all donors.
The official video will be posted on Zachary’s You Tube channel the day of the release.
The song will also be performed live for the first time in a virtual concert featuring Zachary and David streamed via both artists’ Facebook pages (@ZacharyRichardOfficial and @Torkanowsky) on Saturday, May 23, at 7 p.m. CDT.
Promotional partner Social Entertainment of Lafayette will link the stream on their social network as well (@SocialEntertainment.la).
“This song was born of the stress that we are all feeling in the face of this very challenging time,” says Zachary. "It is an anthem of hope and a tribute to the spirit of our shared humanity which will allow us to get through this together. I am proud to think that these words and this music will help an organization devoted to a community that I love and bring support to artists and musicians in need."
“Dreaming Again is inspirational on so many levels. To emerge from this pandemic, our culture must truly have the hope that we can dream of bright blue skies, the sounds of music in our streets and a song in our hearts,” adds NOMC co-founding director Bethany Bultman.
The shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated Louisiana’s 2020 festival and tourism season. As a result, many local musicians and culture bearers have suffered extreme financial and emotional crises.
NOMC has expanded its services from its longstanding mission of providing medical care to musicians in this region to respond to the direct needs of the community they serve unique to this moment. That includes providing factual COVID-19 information to those without internet access, maintaining a steady food supply via three low-barrier food-sourcing projects (feeding 3,500+ community members weekly), and supporting the music community of South-central Louisiana through a robust healthcare navigation project in Acadiana (the Acadiana Cultural Health Access Program).
For more information about this unique donor experience, contact Stacey Morigeau via email at programs@NOMAF.org or by phone at 504.415.3514.
For more information about the Acadiana Cultural Health Access Program, contact Kathy Richard: kracadiana@nomaf.org or by phone: 337.652.5780.
Richard, a son of Acadiana, is a singer-songwriter, poet, environmentalist and cultural activist. His recording career spans four decades and counts 21 albums, including many gold and platinum records. A founding member of Action Cadienne, he is devoted to the promotion of Louisiana’s French language and Acadian culture. With five volumes of poetry, he is Louisiana’s first French language Poet Laureate. His most recent collection, Zuma 9, was published in 2019.
The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation has provided affordable and comprehensive medical services to a patient base of more than 2,600 culture bearers and performers since 1988. This care, which includes social services, specialty care and mental health care, is available to all creatives in the New Orleans area, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
Acadiana Cultural Health Access was founded in 2005, as a program of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation. It has served as the safety net to all Acadiana cultural workers by facilitating access to medical, dental, mental, social services and financial assistance. More than 3,000 individuals have benefited from this resource and to continue to thrive and create.