Music of the Americas is an organization working to build cultural bridges through community events -- sharing music, food, fun and the arts of different American cultures. The events allow American musical cultures (including Native American and Hispanic) to express themselves at friendly, family-oriented gatherings. Cultures are encouraged to include their traditional foods, crafts, etc. These shows have taken place in such diverse settings as Hastings Entertainment Stores and the Skirball Cultural Center in Santa Monica, California.
Ecuador: In 2005, the Long Beach / Manta Sister Cities organization invited Shawn to perform in their annual Cultural Event at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in LA. Through them, Shawn became interested in Baraspamba, a remote school in the Andes in Ecuador (inland from Manta). Shawn and All that Culture are proud to be providing musical instruments for those children with the help of one of his sponsors.
Canada: Heading North in the Americas, Shawn is breaking into the Canadian music scene. His song FREEDOM (from his first album Shawn Michael Perry & Only the Brave) was recorded with Canada's own -- Edmund Bull. Shawn's song LIBERTAD is the Spanish version of FREEDOM, which was first recorded in Saskatoon in 2004. It later became part of the album.
Spike TV: a recent docudrama chronicling the life and career of tennis pro Poncho Gonzalez featured a song from the first CD. That album was co-produced by John Avila, the multi-talented bassist/producer of Oingo Boingo fame. Ron McMaster of Capital Records did the mastering.
