Welcome! Sensitive Souls Unite!
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"The Canary Collective" represents the canaries in the proverbial coal mines of the world who are feeling the effects of the Earth's imbalance and distress in their bodies. We must keep singing our songs.
Wondering where "the canary in a coal mine" saying comes from? Read more here. KPH & The Canary Collective is a people power indie folk music project headed by Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm, but it's become so much more than a band. It's a movement. This website is a place to explore the many ways you can become involved with the growing network of canary artists rising up for healing of our bodies and Earth. When canaries rise and sing their warning calls together, that signals to the rest of the world the need for a deep pivot out of the mine. Part of The Canary Collective's work is supporting people to creatively tell their own stories of how climate crises and social injustices are affecting their communities - and to make sure those stories are heard, seen, and felt by the decision makers and allocators of resources, from senators to mayors to CEOs. Visit our "Activism" page to learn more. More About KPH & The Canary Collective Suddenly bedridden from a perplexing and debilitating disease called "Environmental Illness" (and a ton of other names for her symptoms such as Lyme Disease, POTs, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and Interstitial Cystitis) Kaeley took a pivot in her career. After working 5 years in the non-profit world as a Seattle and DC-based community organizer, Kaeley turned to music as a way to heal and connect with others in a similar boat. Kaeley quickly found she was not an anomaly and was definitely not alone - an increasingly staggering number of young people are diagnosed with autoimmune and difficult-to-treat conditions every year. When insurance did not cover all of her life-saving medical treatment, her friends and family supported her through crowdfunding and Kaeley is sustained as a disabled artist with monthly donations via Patreon. She released an EP "Hi From Pillows" in 2017 with Local Woman Records and dreamed up and co-organized "#BedFest 2017," a virtual music and arts festival in which hundreds of other bedridden artists from around the world submitted songs and visual art expressing the pain of struggling to afford medical treatment and performed via international video conference. She also co-founded and helped organize a series called "Sick Womxn and Queers Shows" in the Pacific Northwest in which music, poetry, and interactive educational skits were used to demonstrate the importance of humans doing something to make healthcare, housing, and clean air and water more affordable and accessible to all. With her grant-funded full-length album "The Canary Collective: Vol 1," Kaeley collaborated with more "canaries" to make a Cat Power, Joni Mitchell and Sufjan Stevens-inspired collage of poetry, songs, and quotes from other chronically ill artists such as Jen Brea of MEAction and poet Leland Chazen. Their video entry to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2020 was featured on the "All Songs Considered" blog. She hopes to continue to use her music and unique performance style as a tool of encouraging dialogue around the ties between our healing bodies and our healing ecosystems on this planet. Her latest album "The 5 & 3" was recorded while quarantining in 100 days of solitude in a trailer in the Joshua Tree desert. It was recorded while staying on Serrano, Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, and Mojave tribes' land. The Canary Collective is committed to make harmony with the intention of healing harm to our bodies and Earth. In order to truly heal, injustices must be repaired and new systems must spring forth that work for all life forms - and that means reparations and justice for BIPOC communities is a necessary prioritized goal in anything we do. Visit our "Activism" page to learn more. |
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