Turkuaz Shares New Song ‘The Sideline’

Turkuaz recently premiered a new song entitled “The Sideline” during the Justice Comes Alive livestream benefit. Guitarist Dave Brandwein wrote “The Sideline” in response to “the dire social issues we face in this country.”

“When asked to be a part of Justice Comes Alive, we were, of course, eager and enthusiastic to participate and help this cause in any way possible,” the Turkuaz frontman said. “But just doing one of our old songs and sending it in didn’t feel right, so I decided to write something new, and to try and put some thoughts and feelings into a song based on the dire social issues we face in this country.” Turkuaz was joined for the debut of “The Sideline” by percussionist Yahuba Garcia-Torres, who was slated to join the band for their tributes to the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light this year.

“If you play American popular music in any form, it’s derived from a rich tradition of black artists and innovators who shaped the cultural bedrock of our country,” Brandwein explained. “With our style of music, we’re especially aware of this—and though we’ve typically been apolitical as far as the public eye is concerned, this latest push for civil rights isn’t politics. It’s common sense and pure moral decency.”

“We stand with Native Americans who were the natural inhabitants of this country. We stand with Black Lives Matter firmly, and in this song we explore why you can no longer be on ‘The Sideline.’ You are either actively anti-racist, or you are complicit,” Dave added. Watch Turkuaz’s debut performance of “The Sideline” below: