FORCE OF NATURE  
"I love Canada and the freedoms that we enjoy here. This song is for a fine young man whose name I can't reveal, who lives in Ethiopia where the oppressive government controls most 95% of the economy. My friend was holding a meeting to encourage entrepreneurialism and the government security forces burst in and demanded to know who had organized the meeting. He was severely beaten had been unable to travel to an international students for liberty conference. It's hard to imagine how discussing ideas of freedom can get you jailed or beaten or disappeared."
Here is an example of the kinds of crackdowns that happen in Ethiopia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ayAbA3gRY

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It’s a known fact that when Canadian musicians collaborate as super groups, the result is always a winning combination. Mounties band combining Hawksley Workman, Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat) and Ryan Dahle (Limblifter) have meshed their individual styles producing a catchy album full of rich hits. Here, Vopnfjord’s collaboration with Whitehorse’s Luke Doucet is a wishful duo, and while “Melting” also features the two pairing up, “Force of Nature,” leaves you wanting more. An album more. The full sound of “Force of Nature” with Doucet’s stringed prowess gives gravity and push to a serious song about injustice. Vopnfjord amps up the tempo not so much to the pitch of his electronic pop outfit Major Maker, but harkens back to the melodious “Billions of Stars” from his full-band productions of earlier albums.

Lindy Vopnfjord
Acoustic Guitar and Vocals, Wurlitzer Piano on track 4

Rick May
Bass Guitar, Engineered by Garnett Betts at Coast Road Recording, Victoria, BC

Örn Eldjárn
Electric Guitar on track 2, engineered by Snorri Helgason at Snossgæti, Reykjavik, Iceland

Bob Egan
Pedal Steel Guitar

Ian LeFeuvre
Electric Guitar on track 2, Percussion and Drums on track 2, Violele on track 12

Stephen Krecklo
Lap Steel Guitar on tracks 6 & 7

Simon Miminis
Drums and Percussion

Luke Doucet
Electric Guitar on tracks 5 & 11

Todor Kobakov
Vibraphone, Rhodes Piano, Percussion and Drums on tracks 5, 6 & 9

Engineered by Jeremy Darby and Julian De Corte at Canterbury Music Company Toronto

Engineered by Todor Kobakov at Kobakov Sound Toronto

Mixed by Todor Kobakov at Kobakov Sound Toronto

Mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling NYC

Produced by Todor Kobakov

Lyrics

FORCE OF NATURE
There's a river running deep through the old plateau
And a force of the nature can't be stopped or slowed
You learn the pattern of the wind blowing wild across the plain
Feel the beating of the sun and the pulsing in your veins

And in the heart of all this darkness there's a thundering sound
And you can see it in the rain and hear it rumbling in the ground
You feel it pounding in your head
And you taste it in your blood
And it's telling you to keep moving
And get ready for the flood

There's a break in the dam and a crack in the earth
And how many deaths will rise from its berth?
And crumble the statues of men that are broken
And take back the dreams they had stolen

And the ones who try to stop it will be lost in the flood
As the river drowns them out and they are buried in the mud
They'll be forgotten in the pages of their own history
And their legacy will fall to myth and mystery

There's a river running deep through the old plateau
And you can't stop the water or the melting of the snow
A force like this can’t be organized or planned
You can't stop a force of nature bringing freedom to the land