The Cleanest Line

Patagonia Music Collective Volume 3 – Buy an Album, Benefit the Environment

We’re thrilled to announce the release of Patagonia Music Collective Volume 3, our newest album of exclusive songs from world-class artists to benefit non-profit environmental groups. You can purchase each song individually for 99 cents, or grab the entire Benefit Album for only $10.89, through the iTunes Music Store. At least 60% of the proceeds from these songs will benefit the associated environmental groups.

Here’s a quick rundown of the artists on Volume 3: Medeski Martin & Wood, Esperanza Spalding, Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), David Crosby & Graham Nash, Drive-By Truckers, Jake Shimabukuro, DeVotchKa, The Civil Wars, William Elliott Whitmore and Dolorean.

Preview all Patagonia Music Benefit Tracks

We also released digital liner notes for all three Patagonia Music Collective albums. Each PDF includes beautiful photos of the artists and a bit about the enviro groups each song benefits. You can download them for free right here or on the Patagonia Music Benefit Album page (right-click to download).

Patagonia Music Volume 1 liner notes (PDF)
Patagonia Music Volume 2 liner notes (PDF)
Patagonia Music Volume 3 liner notes (PDF)

And don’t forget, we’re constantly updating our New-Music Stream with fresh tracks you can stream for free through the Patagonia Music Player or Patagonia Music iPhone App.

Thanks for supporting Patagonia Music. To all of our international friends, stay tuned. We'll let you know as soon as the program is available globally.

Patagonia Music: Surfing with Abigail Washburn and the Making of “Sala (USA)”

One of the nicest parts about being involved with Patagonia Music is getting the chance to meet some of the artists who’ve generously donated their music to benefit the environment. Ben Sollee stopped by the office on his bike-powered tour through Southern California, moe. played a show for Patagonia employees right before we launched, and, last month, Abigail Washburn came through town and kindly asked if we would take her surfing. [Photo: Jon Estes]

Abigail Washburn - LA story: late night misty jams, 3 killer gigs, new band name, now surfing for the first time with @Patagonia. Pinch me. Santa Barbara ahoy!
9:11 AM Mar 26th via Twitter for iPhone

As one of the lucky folks who was tapped to teach Abigail and her band how to surf, I was both excited to meet such an amazing musician and worried that I might be responsible for a tour-ending injury – this would not sit well with her manager or her husband. Surfing is not a dangerous sport, if you know what you’re doing. The two times you're most likely to hurt yourself are when you’re pushing the limits of the sport and when you’re paddling out for the very first time.

SXSW x Patagonia Music - Free Concert this Saturday at Patagonia Austin

If you live in the greater Austin area or happen to be attending the SXSW Music festival, mark your calendar for this Saturday night. Patagonia Austin will be hosting a free concert in the store to celebrate the launch of our new Patagonia Music program. If you can't make it, please consider helping an enviro non-profit by grabbing a Benefit Track or two.

Patagonia Music Collective Presents

Vetiver
Bahamas
Laura Jansen
Firehorse

Saturday, March 19, 2011
Patagonia Austin
Doors open at 7:00pm, music from 7:30 – 9:00pm
Free
Space is limited, first come first served

I just returned from Austin and the SXSW Interactive conference. It's a fantastic city filled with friendly folks, delicious food, good music and tons of bike taxis. Free's recommendations if you visit: Lambert's, Manuel's, Koriente, The Ginger Man, Cork & Co. (yo Fresno!), and The Bright Light Social Hour if you're looking for a rocking local band.

Cheers to everyone at SXSW and the Patagonia Austin crew.

[With thanks to Brad for the passes.]

Dirtbag Diaries: Sodade

Our sports transcend languages. Ever seen two climbers mime the sequence to a boulder problem? Smiles between skiers on a powder day? Our passions become a vehicle to explore a world outside of our own. Jacob Bain has traveled to SE Asia, Cuba, and Africa. And though he sometimes has climbing gear, he always has a guitar. Through music, Jacob has jammed with locals, incorporating the new sounds and experiences into his music. In the summer of 2010, Johnny Fernandes invited Jacob and his band Publish the Quest to Cape Verde to partake in a musical experience as part of his goal to preserve the local music. Can a hook, a line and a new take on a traditional song overcome culture and language barriers? –Fitz Cahall

Listen to "Sodade"
(right-click to download - contains expletives)

Visit dirtbagdiaries.com to hear the music from "Sodade" or download past episodes from the podcast. You can subscribe to the show via iTunes and RSS, or connect with like-minded listeners on Facebook and Twitter.

And don't forget, you can listen to The Dirtbag Diaries – as well as the New-Music Stream Fitz mentioned – on our new Patagonia Music iPhone App.

Buy a Song, Benefit the Environment - Introducing Patagonia Music and the Patagonia Music Collective

I'm very excited to announce a brand new philanthropic collaboration for us: Patagonia Music. We've teamed up with a diverse group of world-class musicians to raise funds for environmental activism. The concept is simple: Buy a song, benefit the environment. Artists donate exclusive Benefit Tracks – you won't find these songs anywhere else – you buy some great music, and every Benefit Track purchased raises much-needed funds for non-profit environmental groups. Together we form the Patagonia Music Collective. Preview all Benefit Tracks.

How do you hear the music? Visit our new Patagonia Music page and launch the pop-up music player. You can also download our new Patagonia Music iPhone App right now, for free. If you hear a song you like, click the right arrow for the link to purchase it on iTunes.

Hit the jump to see the complete Patagonia Music Collective launch line-up. We'll be adding new artists and exclusive songs frequently. [Featured artists in photo: Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt, Philip Glass, Ziggy Marley]

Cellist Ben Sollee Ditches the Van and Pedals by Patagonia

Our lives seem to move in fast forward. We run from our homes to our jobs and back barely noticing the scenery, or the people around us. For touring musicians the pace is even faster—they drive 300 miles to a city that they’ve never seen during the day, load their gear into the venue for the night, and drive off when the show ends to the nearest motel to the highway. Then wake up and do it all again.

For cellist Ben Sollee things were moving too fast. Or he was. The solution? Jump on a bicycle and ride from gig to gig, feeling the asphalt beneath him and the pull of his cello in tow. Sollee has teamed up with drummer Jordon Ellis for the Ditch The Van Tour and the duo stopped by the Patagonia headquarters last week to talk bicycles and share their vision, and music, with all the employees at the Ventura office. Is there a better reason to stay at work past five o’clock than a beer and some live music?

[Video: Ditch the Van Bike Tour - Chapter 2 from marty benson on Vimeo.]