Don McLean releases new ‘Vincent’ music video in celebration of Van Gogh’s birthday

Don McLean releases new video in celebration of Van Gogh’s birthday and World Bipolar Day. Photo: Vivien Killilea-Getty Images for Lighthouse Immersive and Impact Museums, used with permission.

In collaboration with Immersive Van Gogh and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD), folk rock legend Don McLean will release a new music video of his song “Vincent,” also known as “Starry, Starry Night.” The video was recorded at Immersive Van Gogh Los Angeles and is being released in commemoration of Van Gogh’s birthday and World Bipolar Day on Wednesday, March 30.  Viewers are encouraged to make a donation to support the ISBD. Anyone making a donation of $40 or more will receive a two-for-one coupon code (valid through April 30) to visit Immersive Van Gogh in any of the 14 cities where it is currently being presented. After making the donation, the donor will receive an email from ISBD with instructions on how to redeem the offer. The exhibition will open in San Antonio starting May 26 through September 5 of this year and tickets are now on sale here. To make a donation to the ISBD, click here. (Immersive Van Gogh, 2022)

Van Gogh, born March 30, 1853, is widely thought to have struggled with bipolar disorder or other mental illness, and tragically took his own life in 1890. World Bipolar Day, recognized annually on March 30, is a world-wide awareness initiative that provides a platform for education and discussion. The video release also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the song’s rise to No. 2 on Billboard Charts in March of 1972.

“I am excited to release this video in collaboration with Immersive Van Gogh and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders. Van Gogh himself struggled with mental health, and by launching this video, we hope to support mental health awareness as a tribute to Van Gogh on his birthday. This is an especially meaningful way for me to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of a song that so many people have told me has a special personal resonance for them.” – Don Mclean

“Don McLean’s song is truly a classic. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring wider awareness and understanding about bipolar disorders thanks to this collaboration.” – Immersive Van Gogh producer Corey Ross

“Approximately 2% of the general population has bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depressive illness, and it affects women and men equally of all ages. We are delighted to partner with Immersive Van Gogh through this initiative that celebrates both Van Gogh’s birthday and World Bipolar Day, to raise awareness of this illness and the important work of our organization and its members.” – President of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Professor Gin Malhi

Don McLean is a Grammy award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, and a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. His smash hit “American Pie” resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named a top 5 song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). A New York native, Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. After paying his dues in the New York club scene in the late ‘60s, he went on to score mega-hits like “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air” and many more. In 2021, Don received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrated the 50th anniversary of “American Pie,” and recorded a version of the song with a cappella group Home Free.

The mission of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) is to foster international collaboration in education, research, and clinical care to improve the lives of those with bipolar disorder and related conditions. The ISBD has members from over 50 countries, and over the past two decades has become the leading source for emerging research in the field of bipolar disorders. This year will mark the ninth celebration of World Bipolar Day.

Lighthouse Immersive brings together two of Toronto’s preeminent production companies, Starvox Entertainment and Show One Productions, to bring the world premiere of Immersive Van Gogh, Immersive Frida Kahlo and Immersive Klimt: Revolution to over a dozen North American cities. Working directly with the Italian masters of immersive digital art and other leading global creators, Lighthouse Immersive has custom-designed all exhibits to distinctly envelop the various architectural settings they inhabit. To date, Lighthouse Immersive has sold over 4.8 million tickets to Immersive Van Gogh across North America, with Artnet recently commenting on the wave of immersive galleries, calling it “one of the largest coordinated art phenomena of all time.”

Abigail Lapell’s new album Stolen Time

Abigail Lapell studies the hopes and hardships of immigrating to a new world on new tune Land Of Plenty from her upcoming album Stolen Time, due out April 22, 2022. Photo: google

Over the past decade and three spellbinding albums, Abigail Lapell has earned two Canadian Folk Music Awards (English Songwriter of the Year in 2020 and Contemporary Album of the Year in 2017), hit number one on Canadian folk radio, and accrued a staggering 13 million+ Spotify streams while touring widely across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Her new album Stolen Time is due out April 22, 2022. (Abigail Lapell, 2022)

There is a deep level of empathy that only comes about when one has experienced or been impacted by similar situations. In the case of Canadian singer/songwriter Abigail Lapell, watching a ban on Muslim immigrants happen right before her eyes struck a generational chord with the woman whose family escaped the Holocaust by immigrating from Eastern Europe to North America. Lapell took to her notebook and the resulting song, “Land Of Plenty,” presents a simple-but-striking look at the hopes and hardships of immigrating to a new world as the opening track from her upcoming album, Stolen Time. Its themes are both timeless and timely in its recurring, prayerful refrains, evoking the spirits of Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger. Flood premiered “Land Of Plenty,” which described the song as a, “stripped-down beauty.” Fans can stream “Land Of Plenty” now at this link, check out previously-released singles “Pines” and “Ships,” and pre-order or pre-save Stolen Time ahead of its April 22nd release right here.

The upcoming Stolen Time strikes a balance between Lapell’s acoustic debut Great Survivor and her two rockier Chris Stringer-produced records Hide Nor Hair and Getaway, while bringing a live-off-the-floor 70s folk-rock vibe and more structural experimentation to the table on songs that feel expansive in their scope—unhurried, psychedelic, and other-worldly. Lapell’s band underscores and meets the power of her vocals on songs like “Ships,” a wild sax solo seemingly enticing her higher and louder to meet the crashing waves. Many of Stolen Time’s standout tracks are solo acoustic guitar songs, backed by little more than Lapell’s harmonica, pump organ, or accordion. “Old Flames,” with Lapell’s melodic fingerstyle guitar mimicking flickering embers, is a bit of an answer song to Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” the swirling and woozy “Scarlet Fever” was inspired by an elderly relative’s tales of being quarantined as a child, and the aforementioned “Land Of Plenty” haunts with its folk-refrain statement on immigration, past and present.

Stolen Time also marks the collaborative meeting of two important music communities for Lapell, who spent formative years in Montreal’s Mile End before returning to her hometown: From Toronto, Dan Fortin (bass), Dani Nash (drums, vocals), Christine Bougie (lap steel, guitar) and Rachael Cardiello (viola); and from Montreal Katie Moore (vocals), Chris Velan (vocals), Pietro Amato (French horn) and Ellwood Epps (trumpet); Nashville pedal steel player Fats Kaplin and Vancouver cellist Peggy Lee also play on the album.

Stolen Time track list:
Land of Plenty
Ships
Pines
Scarlet Fever
All Dressed Up
I See Music
Waterfall
Stolen Time
Sewage
Old Flames
I Can’t Believe

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Stolen Time release date