Hard rock outfit Godsmack aimed on bringing a ton of substance to their “Unforgettable” music video, and that mission was (for lack of a better word) accomplished. Over 400 New England middle school students joined the group at the SNHU Arena (Manchester, NH) for the shoot.
Music programs continue to be at risk in schools across the country, and the band wanted to make a video about how music is an impactful art form. “Unforgettable” begins with the question “What Is Music To You” with various students sharing their respective stories.
The music video has a two year history, as Godsmack invited 20 students to join them in studio and provide vocals on the chors of “Unforgettable.” Those students were also ivited to perform the song with the band in concert at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (August 22, 2019).
The band returned to Gilbert H. Hood Middle School and had students rehearse with them the day before the music video shoot to help them prepare. Frontman Sully Erna is seen in the video talking to the students and the rest of the bandmates (guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, drummer Shannon Larkin) are also dole out hands on advice to the eager to learn youths.
“We took these middle school students on a two-year long journey to show them how important music truly is to us all,” said Erna. “Throughout 2018, we continued to include these kids in all aspects of the process by showing up at their school and personally teaching them the song, including them to join a part of our world tour inviting them to perform live onstage with us, taking them to NYC to further educate them on the business side of the music industry, visiting them at their schools to talk to them about the gift of music, and ultimately inviting them to shoot their first ‘official music video’ with the band.”
“Unforgettable,” which is currently at #11 on the active rock charts, is off their seventh studio album When Legends Rise. The album previously released three #1 singles (“When Legends Rise,” “Bulletproof,” and “Under Your Scars.”
Godsmack’s passion in spotlighting the power of music while also reaching out to the younger generation was a touching sight to see, and I’ll definitely be playing more of the band’s music on Spotify. Do you have a favorite Godsmack album and/or song? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on the band!
