“Love means using whatever gifts or talents we’ve been blessed with to help others.” — Corey Bernhard
Killiam Shakespeare — the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based quintet — and Aloe Blacc — the Grammy-nominated Southern California native —just teamed up to release one of the most poignant, emotive and necessary songs of the year.
“Take You Home” — recorded and produced by Killiam founders Corey Bernhard and Steve McKie — is a heartfelt tribute to solidarity, unity and compassion; sonically astounding but equally as crucial given the oft-increasing depraved state of society. The accompanying video showcases personifications of love and positivity, ultimately melding with the single to create a complete package of required art. Blacc’s vocals twinge with hope, singing out to an entire world in need of healing:
“This song is about the humanity we share with our fellow brothers and sisters. From friends helping friends to nations aiding nations. There is no shame in asking for assistance when you are truly in need. And it is the duty of the able to look after those who are not.” — Aloe Blacc
After releasing the single and video, Bernhard and McKie took the time to speak about the making of “Take You Home”, their definitions of love and their devotion to Philadelphia.
ON GENESIS OF TRACK
The music came from sitting at the piano trying to get my head together. It was the night the kid shot up the church in Charleston, South Carolina and I was pretty messed up, couldn’t sleep. So I sat down at the piano and that’s where the framework of the song came from. A few days later me and Steve tracked it out at the studio and Steve laid drums on it. Then over the summer at Jazzy Jeff’s PLAYlist retreat, Steve played Aloe the instrumental and he wrote and recorded that night.
That really turned it into a song, and we just laid some more parts in there and Simon cut guitar, I did a string arrangement and some cool kids from Temple came down to Jeff’s with us one day and we cut live strings on the record. After we finished recording, we went back to Jeff’s studio with Vidal Davis who mixed the record, then we brought it to Rick Friedrich’s studio where he mastered it. — Corey Bernhard
Resources! DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Hamptons Studio, Vidal Davis’ mixing ears. We wanted to record this song with true music elements; real pianos and organs, and moog synthesizers — basic, but moving drums and guitars. On top of that, a real string section and choir.
We were introduced to Aloe from DJ Jazzy Jeff at his PLAYlist retreat; Jeff has a gift for connecting people together. That same night while listening to music in the basement, we played him tracks — the first one was the “Take You Home” record. We recorded the vocals the very next day during the retreat in the drum booth — so much was going on — and the rest was history. I remember Adam Blackstone walking in, taking a listen and saying, “Y’all got a hit!” — Steve McKie
ON GENESIS OF VIDEO
The visuals match the mood of the song; Maximillian Shelton and Blackmouf did some amazing work. The themes from the song really come through in the video — faith, friendship, love, compassion, perseverance, trust, even in the midst of struggle. Stuff we really need in this country today. Aloe turned us on to LaToya Ruby Frazier’s photography and we were looking for shots in Philly that could convey a similar feel as her work does.
There’s also a cool undercurrent of music being personified, or highlighted as a foundation for all these things. That’s where being shot mostly in Philly comes in, because Philly has such a strong tradition of making real music and carrying that torch. Philly is a magical place and the music people make here reflects that. — Corey Bernhard
Once we completed the entire song, we knew it was extremely important to make the visuals match how the song felt from listening to it. For me, it’s a anthem, a inspirational American song. Being born in Philadelphia, I’m proud to be from such a historic musical town. To be able to make a song and film it around town meant the world to me and my family. Most of it was shot in Philly, and of course there’s so much history and tradition that played a huge factor in our shoot locations that we wanted to implement in the video. We’re artist, we love all kinds of artistic people. The murals in Philly, the museums… Aloe’s scenes were shot in Los Angeles, but the song itself lended the treatment perfectly. The church scenes, the alleys… — Steve McKie
ON LOVE
LOVE means surrendering to God. Trusting God’s vision and listening to God’s instructions. Using whatever gifts or talents we’ve been blessed with to help others. — Corey Bernhard
Love means having someone you can depend on. Being around people that makes you feel good and comfortable. Brotherhood — that’s love to me. I knew the day we all decided to start this band that everyone genuinely loved and cared for each other. — Steve McKie
Production Credits:
Band: Corey Bernhard (Piano, Organ, Bass) x Steve McKie (Drums) x Simon Martinez (Guitar) x Anthony de Carlo x Aaron Draper
Strings: Nastasja Vojinovic (Violin) x Benjamin Weaver (Violin) x Elena Smith (Cello) x Rosa Ortega (Violin)
Choir: Simone Treadwell x Sheyenne McKie x Sianni McKie x Jakeya Sander x Ashley Howard x Aaron Draper
Mixed by: Vidal Davis
Mastered by: Rick Friedrich
