The globetrotting EMA (Erika M. Anderson) may have already left her temporarily adopted home of Portland for the green, green pastures of Oakland, but she's still at the forefront of our thoughts as she drops this wrenching new single and video just in time for V-Day. "Take One Two" is just as raw as anything on her stunning Past Life Martyred Saints album, but it feels a little warmer, a little more reassuring. Proceeds from this single (for sale on iTunes) benefit the Jamie Isaacs Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding the victims of school bullying.
Here's what Anderson says about the video, which is old camcorder footage recovered from her teen years:
This footage comes from a South Dakota trailer park in the mid-'90s, and features a small group of freaks and misfits who seem to be having the time of their lives. Dressing up, hanging out, making up funny skits, and lots of laughing. When I look back now at our fresh young faces (yes that is me with the short dark hair and cat-eye liner), I'm amazed at how simply happy we all look. This is especially remarkable as I know what was going on outside those plywood walls: getting called names, shoved into lockers, and threatening to get our asses kicked for being queer or punk or just plain weird.Read the rest here, and watch the extraordinary video above.