Holiday Fundraiser 2019
Donate any amount to AIDS/LifeCycle today and get “The Warmest Fire EP” free! My new original holiday song features vocals/guitar by Margot Carlson and is produced by my partner-in-Christmas, Andrew Scott Bell. It also comes with two tracks that aren't out yet...but your donation will score you an exclusive advanced download.
1. The Warmest Fire
2. The Warmest Fire (Acoustic)
3. The Warmest Fire (Bonca Remix)
Donations of $15 or more earn a download of “Snow Covered” - an exclusive collection of cover songs by artists putting their own spin on Sam Wineman originals. Check out new takes on your fundraiser-favs from musicians like Grace Baldridge and Stefan Stefan Swaans, as well as returning collaborators like Kaylee Fahimipour, TZNA, and more. Order yours today by donating $15 or more to AIDS/LifeCycle!
- “Christmas Is Us” - Grace Baldridge
- “New Year’s Kiss” - Margot Carlson
- “The Warmest Fire” - Stefan Swaans
- “Snow Machine” (Interlude) - Aaron Lempert
- “No Chill” - Kaylee Fahimipour and Ashkaan Fahimipour
- “I’m In If You Are” - Matt Marlin
- “Snow Machine” - Liz Martin
- “Christmas Sweater” - Aaron Lempert
- “Joy To The World (I’ll Never Be What You’re Looking For)” - Taylor & Mona
- “Christmas Is Us” - Andrew Scott Bell
- "Guitar" - TZINA
Listen to The Warmest Fire on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/47xhU1XLDeUcXj3Je7FnXp?si=p_zu9e1oTtyDA-VFriY32w
Returning Christmas Collaborators:
This is my 3rd year working with composer Andrew Scott Bell, who produced Right In Front of My Christmas in 2017 and remastered it in 2018. He also produced last year’s “Christmas Is Us” and went on to score my Christmas horror short, Milk and Cookies. This year, Andrew produced The Warmest Fire as well as the acoustic version.
“The Warmest Fire (Bonca Remix)” is my 4th collaboration with Alexey Bonca, who worked on previous tracks “Four Years Ago” (2015), the piping-hot original “New Year’s T” (2016), and the irresistibly danceable 2018 remix of “Hot Christmess”.
If the name Kaylee looks familiar, it’s because we’ve been at this for 10 years! Kaylee Fahimipour duetted on the original “Organic Polar Bears” in 2009 as well as the remake in 2017. We made an acoustic version of “Christmas Sweater” in 2013 that turned into a 2014 release when she brought her partner Ashkaan on board with guitar. You can also hear Kaylee’s vocals on “Joy To The World (INBWYLF)” 2017/2018. Kaylee and Ashkaan also remixed Snow Machine into last year’s donor-exclusive “SlowMachine” and are covering "No Chill" this year.
2019 marks a third song with TZINA, who I collaborated with in 2015 on “New Year’s Leave.” In 2018, TZINA remixed “Guitar” into the bundle of pop-love joy that donors earned an exclusive download to. This year, she will be covering "Guitar".
I’m looking forward to introducing the rest of these fresh voices to you!
2020 Goals
In 2018, I joined ALC as a cyclist and it changed my life. In 2019, I experienced the joy of serving as a roadie - one of the many volunteers who make sure cyclists have what they need to complete their journey.
From 2017-2018, your holiday album donations totalled over $4,000. This year, let’s kick it into high gear. Help The Warmest Fire and Snow Covered bring $5,000 of my overall goal.
Why AIDS/LifeCycle
Your donations fund the life-saving services offered locally by the Los Angeles LGBT Center. They also help fund San Francisco AIDS foundation. Erasing stigma starts with visibility, and what better way to be visible than with 2,000+ cyclists and roadies on a 545 mile ride?
A few years ago, I lost a very dear friend of mine who was living with HIV. He was so vibrant and full of love, and when something like that happens, it’s hard not to feel helpless and angry and sad. But what made grieving even more difficult was the stigma that came with HIV. Were we allowed to talk about it? Post about it? Would that be disrespectful to him, to his family?
In 2017, I held a candle in his honor at the AIDS/LifeCycle candlelight vigil. I was immediately overwhelmed by the community and love that surrounded me. I knew then and there that I wanted to ride in 2018. I also knew that fundraising would mean having an ongoing dialogue about HIV. One of the biggest gifts that came out of my experience last year was being able to do just that - work towards erasing the stigma that surrounds it.
This June, I will join thousands of other cyclists and roadies on a journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a 7 day, 545 mile ride to end AIDS. Please give what you can. Your help is what will get us there.