On Monday evening, Humboldt County Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson dropped the above music video on social media. It’s a “We Are the World”-style singalong featuring an array of musicians and politicos (Hi, Rep. Jared Huffman!), all performing from the confines of their respective places of sheltering-in.

The seeds of this catchy ditty were sown during a Zoom collaboration between Wilson, his daughter Ella and Bay Area musician John Elliott. The latter uploaded an acoustic solo performance of the unfinished song with an invitation: “Help us finish it! Write your own verse and upload a video of you singing it on YouTube.”

Wilson told the Outpost this morning that Mike Dronkers, former KHUM deejay and current digital communications coordinator at HSU, then took the initiative to assemble and produce the version posted here, credited to the West Coast Quarantine Orchestra with writing credits to Nigella Baur, John Elliott, Lila Nelson RN, and Mike Wilson.

Wilson explained a bit more of the backstory on Facebook:

After listening to [an episode of] The Daily (NYT) podcast a few weeks ago I had a spark for a song. I reached out for some help… I had no idea it would turn out this cool.

This really would have never happened w/out Mike Dronkers taking the initiative, taking the reigns [sic] on wrangling all the musicians and producing this. Basically ALL the work.

Thanks to everyone that did all the writing, playing and producing. Some I know well, some I know of, some I’ve never met. I love it when things just take a life of their own. Just, wow.

This is considered open source songwriting so if anyone wants to write new versus and put it out there… by all means. Here’s a link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2yZXTsDhVdAKDgCpAtzLga2rb-mjdCB1FTjS0t2vvvFXaUCUomzjwPjtg&v=JkzB3PX1EEE&feature=youtu.be

John Elliott (www.thehereafterishere.com), Nigella Baur, Lila Nelson , Jane Williams-Eichensehr, John Harper, Mark Lovelace, Matt Brunner, Deborah Waxwoman and so many others…