Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and beloved indie singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco have teamed for the first time on the single “Disorders,” all proceeds from which will be donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds, which aims to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.
“What keeps me coming back to playing my guitar is the magic of how musical bits and pieces can transform into a complete song with a life of its own,” Gossard says of “Disorders,” which was crafted in tandem with Pearl Jam producer Josh Evans and the musicians Skerik and Stanton Moore. “The major ingredients are usually an inspired collaboration and some ephemeral fairy dust. What was recorded six years ago as a demo in New Orleans sat for a while until Skerik had the epiphany to ask his friend, the singer, musician, artist and activist Ani DiFranco, to add her voice and words. Ani’s fierce melodic independence and her visceral in-the-moment vocal performance took this track to a much higher plane. I’m thrilled to have been part of this song and to have had the chance to collaborate with this incredible group of artists.”
Speaking of when Skerik first approached her about a song that was in need of vocals and lyrics, DiFranco says, “What showed up was a killer track with an evocative guitar hook, a shape, a vibe, a bombastic balls-to-the-wall outro. I marveled that anyone could record a song that sounded so cohesive and fully realized with no melody or lyric to guide it. I felt instantly inspired and honored. I was invited to sing about whatever I wanted.”
From there, DiFranco turned her thoughts to presumptive overturning of the Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion in the United States. “Women in every Republican stronghold in this country are left treading in a sea of unnecessary suffering, just trying to keep their heads above water,” she says. “Poor women will be drowned by the score. That is why this track is a fundraiser for abortion access — to help women who don’t have resources but who desperately need abortions. I am so grateful for men like Stone, Skerik and Stanton — not just for the blessing of this track and the honor of being invited into it, but for actually seeing women in their full humanity and being willing to stand with them.”
“Disorders” is being released by Gossard’s Loosegroove Records and DiFranco’s long-running Righteous Babe imprint.
