Members of My Chemical Romance, The Darkness, Gogol Bordello, and more have teamed up to cover the Ramones classic “I Believe in Miracles” to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.
The socially distant performance was organized by Gogol Bordello guitarist Boris Pelekh, and features his bandmate Eugene Hutz as one of the vocalists. Also singing are Justin Hawkins (The Darkness), Walter Schreifels (Quicksand), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s), Brett Anderson (The Donnas), and Frank Turner.
The collective, dubbed #rockforhopeproject, is rounded out by Pelekh, guitarist Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance), drummer Michael Miley (Rival Sons), bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas (MuteMath), and bassist Nathen Maxwell (Flogging Molly).
Along with the video of the performance, which premiered today (May 22nd) on YouTube (watch below), a GoFundMe page has been created to raise money for the nonprofit Partners in Health. A description on the GoFundMe page reads:
“We are #rockforhopeproject. We are members from different popular rock groups who have come together to make music to help raise funds for specific global needs. For this specific fundraiser we collaborated from our homes during the Covid-19 lockdown. Through sending our recordings and videos to each other we have compiled a recording and video of a Ramones’ song called ‘I Believe in Miracles’. This is a very special punk-rock song and we hope that it brings positivity to people’s live at this difficult time. We are also raising funds for the Partners In Health COVID-19 charity. Our motto is simple: Watch our video. If you enjoy it, please donate. If you’re not in the position to give, share it with someone that is.”
In a press release, Pelekh said, “Rock for Hope was inspired by my mom who’s in her mid-sixties and a staff nurse at New York Presbyterian in Queens. Her hospital became a central hotspot of the pandemic in New York City and her unit was repurposed for COVID-19 patients.”
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He added, “The situation was growing more grim by the day, so it became very difficult for me to isolate at home and not try to help somehow. I decided to muster up a bunch of friends from other bands to come together virtually and lay down a hopeful and anthemic punk rock song.”
Watch the all-star collective of musicians performing the Ramones’ “I Believe in Miracles” below.
