COVID-19 Charity Single From Cowboy Bebop Released By Game And Anime Talents

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two decades since the final episode of Cowboy Bebop ended with a bang, but the anime still holds a soft spot for many fans. The genre-bending show was not only hugely enjoyable but also featured one of the best musical scores of its time. One of the most memorable tracks is The Real Folk Blues by the Seatbelts, which served as the end credit theme for most of the episodes. Now, this iconic track is making a special comeback in an unprecedented musical collaboration between the videogame and anime industries.

The reason for the epic team-up is to support Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 response. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the world is in crisis right now and virtually all industries are feeling the repercussions of the pandemic. A lot of musicians have also been sidelined thanks to COVID-19, which is what inspired the project organizer, Mason Lieberman. According to Lieberman, the idea is to give back to others and support everyone else who has been impacted by the crisis.

The result is “The Real Folk Blues” as you’ve never heard it before thanks to the guest contributions of more than 40 guests. Yoko Kanno, the original composer of the song and her band, the Seatbelts, makes a return alongside original cast members and other contributors to the soundtrack. Lieberman has stated that many of his personal heroes are present on the release and they all worked really hard for the greater good in this exceptional time of need.

The Real Folk Blues is licensed and can be bought on Bandcamp right now. Bandcamp has also stepped up by waiving their revenue share, so donations are maximized. For anyone who prefers physical releases, there is also a special vinyl edition that can be pre-ordered through Qrates. Finally, for anyone using other storefronts, such as Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music, the single will launch on these worldwide on May 8, 2020.

Check out the full list of contributors and their key credits below and then head on over to Bandcamp to listen to the track. If you are big Cowboy Bebop fans like us it will certainly bring back a lot of good memories of the show and purchasing the single also allows you to support a good cause, so it’s a win-win. Be sure to give Mason Lieberman a follow on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube too or visit his website for more information

Music Direction/Arrangement – Mason Lieberman (Senior Game Audio Coordinator at Tencent. Composer/recording artist on projects like RWBY, Beyblade Burst, Rising of the Shield Hero, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., and more)

Featuring:

Special Guest Band – The Seatbelts (The original band led by Yoko Kanno that featured on the OST of Cowboy Bebop)Band Arrangement and Direction for The Seatbelts – Yoko Kanno

Trumpet – Koji Nishimura
Trumpet – Eric Miyashiro
Trombone – Yoichi Murata
Vocals – A-sha Mai Yamane
Percussion – MATARO
Upright Bass – Hitoshi Watanabe
Drums – Yasuo Sano
Electric Guitar – Tsuneo Imahori

And Special Guest:

Vocals – A-sha Mai Yamane

Mix / Additional Guitar – Masahiro Aoki (Legendary former composer at Capcom with credits on Mega Man, Street Fighter V, Astral Chain, and more)

Mastering Engineer – Jett Galindo (Mastering engineer at The Bakery LA on projects like the La La Land OST, Barbara Streisand, and Green Day)

Organ – Robbie Benson (Band leader of Super Soul Bros)

Keys – Ed Goldfarb (Series composer, Pokémon: The Animated Series)

Guitar – David McLean (Guitarist on Beyblade Burst, One Minute Melee, host of Animyze)

Synth/Additional Sound Design – Jason Walsh (Senior composer and sound designer at Hexany Audio with recent credits including Overwatch Contenders, PUBG Mobile, and League of Legends)

Bass – Matthew Hines (Touring bassist with recent gigs including the Jonas Brothers, Ledisi, Summer Walker, Kiana Lede, Bazzi, and more)

Drums – Kevin Brown (Touring drummer with recent gigs including Jason Hawk Harris, the Southern California Brass Consortium, and more)

Saxophone – Zac Zinger (Composer and woodwind player for Street Fighter V, Jump Force, Mobile Suit Gundam: Side Stories, and more)

Flute – Kevin Penkin (Series composer, Made in Abyss, Rising of the Shield Hero, more)

Lead Vocal – Shihori (J-pop singer and song-writer on shows like Fairy Tail, Macross Frontier, Irregular at Magic Highschool, and more.)

Lead Vocal 2 – Úyanga Bold (Lead vocals on things like Mulan (2020), League of Legends, and multiple projects with Hans Zimmer/Pinar Toprak etc.)

Lead Vocal 3 – Raj Ramayya (Lead vocals on Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Wolf’s Rain, Made in Abyss, and more)

Backing Vocal 1 – Dale North (Composer for Dreamscaper, Wizard of Legend, Sparklite, Nintendo Minute, and more)

Backing Vocal 2 – Dawn M. Bennett (Voice actress for anime and game series like Dragon Ball Super, Fairy Tail, RWBY, Borderlands 3, and more)

Backing Vocal 3 – Kaitlyn Fae (Filipino-American singer, actor, writer, director, co-host on the nerd video podcast, PanGeekery)

Rap 1 – Substantial (Legendary jazz-hop rapper, Nujabes’ collaborator, with dozens of major placements and projects)Rap 2 – Mega Ran (Critically-acclaimed nerdcore legend)

Rap 3 – Red Rapper AKA Zaid Tabani (Rapper with credits on Street Fighter, the EVO worldwide fighting tournament’s main theme, and Rooster Teeth’s Red VS. Blue)

Poem – D.B. Cooper (Voice sctress and director on Hearthstone, Bioshock 2, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Ghostbusters (2016), DC Universe Online, and more)

Spoken word – Beau Billingslea (Voice actor from Cowboy Bebop – Jet Black)

Ending Tag – Steve Blum (Voice actor from Cowboy Bebop – Spike Spiegel)

String Director/String Arranger/Orchestrator/Disco slide king – Lance Treviño (Film composer for titles like Beyblade Burst God, Hanazuki, Chef’s Table, and more!)

String Copyist/Orchestrator/String Mockup – Dallas Crane (Multimedia composer and personal assistant to Austin Wintory)

Strings: Our string section is composed of brilliant artists whose individual credits include grammy nominations, tours with artists like Eminem, Sting, and Hans Zimmer, and recordings for soundtracks like Steven Universe, God of War, The Lion King (2019), and many, many more.

Violins – Molly Rogers , David Morales Boroff, Felicia Rojas, Jeff Ball
Violas – Joe Chen, Molly Rogers Isaac Schutz, Jeff Ball
Cellos – Andrew Dunn, David Tangney
Upright Bass – Travis Kindred Music Video – Zaid Tabani and Dallas Crane