Crafting a song of hope during covid-19 Artists and performers from reno band together to create an original song and music video to help uplift the city.

Directors Statement

Heartbeat to Heartbeat, Eye to Eye (from Reno with love) is a message of hope for the community and city that I am proud to call home. The project came at a time when I personally wanted to contribute something positive to the world in the face of so many struggles.

Visually, I wanted to communicate the idea of isolation, but also all our inherent connectedness. We chose locations that are not only iconic to Reno, but each one of them represented some of our biggest industries that have been shutdown due to Covid-19. We filmed in an empty Reno Aces baseball stadium to represent sports, at the University of Nevada representing schools, The Lear Theater and Pioneer Center representing performing arts and movies and in front of casinos representing gaming and entertainment.

Getting the opportunity to craft a visual message to go along with the extraordinary produced song, was a real honor and privilege for me. Filming with some of Reno’s finest musicians and performers, all of us coming together to help share this message, was one of my most rewarding projects ever.

I hope that the song and the video help to remind our community of how truly strong we are and that we will always be stronger when we stick together and love one another.

-Bryon Evans

Official Press-release from The City of Reno FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mayor Schieve, Artown and community partners debut new Reno song and video

“Heartbeat to Heartbeat, Eye to Eye (From Reno with Love)” brings city together through music

Reno, Nevada (August 18, 2020) — In response to a friendly challenge by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and several Reno arts and culture partners are proud to present “Heartbeat to Heartbeat, Eye to Eye (From Reno with Love),” a new song and video inspired by Mayor Fischer’s “Lift Up Lou” movement, launched in early March to keep residents’ spirits up during the fight against COVID-19 and maintain a sense of connectedness, even at a time of necessary social distancing.

Through her role as Chair of The United States Conference of Mayors’ Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports (TAPES) Standing Committee, Mayor Schieve enthusiastically accepted Mayor Fischer’s challenge to uplift The Biggest Little City through the arts.

“This amazing song and video show that, even though our lives have changed dramatically since March, our arts and culture scene is still very much alive in Reno,” Schieve said. “The arts have strengthened Reno’s economy, driven tourism, sparked creativity and innovation, and have promoted local business. I am so very proud to once again raise the profile of Reno’s incredible local arts and culture scene. I want to thank all the talented musicians and artists who found a way to collaborate from a distance and bring our city even closer together. We truly are #BigArtsLittleCity!”

The new Reno song represents a collaborative effort by: the City of Reno, Artown, Reno Philharmonic (Reno Phil), Eric Henry Andersen and Bryon Evans Films

Written By: Eric Henry Andersen, Tyler Stafford, Dave Berry, Kate Cotter, Khalilah Smith Cage, Shaughn Richardson, Tristan Selzler, Jeff Depaoli and Zachary Teran
Audio Produced By: Eric Henry Andersen and Tom Gordon
Video Directed, Filmed and Edited By: Bryon Evans
Featuring: Khalilah Cage Smith, Cliff Porter, Kyler Rea, Tim Snider, Reno Jazz Syndicate and nearly 50 other musicians and artists from the Reno area.
Mixed and Mastered By: Tom Gordon for Inspired Amateur Productions and Imirage Sound Lab in Sparks
Recorded By: Tom Gordon, Eric Henry Andersen and Tyler Stafford, at Imirage Sound Lab, Moon Room, Angel’s Share Studio and remotely around Reno

The many collaborators overwhelmingly agree that the production of the song and video came together quite naturally and synergistically, which is rare for a project with so many moving parts and of such magnitude.

Helping to benefit Reno artists Introducting the "from reno with Love artists Fund"

All proceeds from the song, which is being marketed nationally, will benefit Artown, a source to provide emergency resources to people and nonprofits throughout the Reno community who have been hurt by the pandemic. The fund is being called the “From Reno with Love Artist Relief Fund.”

“Artown is built on collaboration and inspiring community through the arts,” said Beth Macmillan, Artown Executive Director. “This project aligns perfectly with Artown’s goals and mission. By supporting 53 artists, Artown is able to help some of the most economically vulnerable members of our community, while assisting in the creation of an incredibly inspiring piece of collaborative music and uplifting video. We hope everyone enjoys it.”

“We wanted to address the legitimate frustrations that are on all our minds right now, while simultaneously encouraging a message of strength, love and unity,” Andersen said. “Working with such an eclectic, talented and enthusiastic cast of artists provided more than enough inspiration to deliver on that mission. Producing this song has truly been the honor and opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Heartbeat to Heartbeat, Eye to Eye (From Reno with Love) is a message of hope for the community and city that I am proud to call home,” Evans said. “The project came at a time when I personally wanted to contribute something positive to the world in the face of so many struggles.”

For more information:

To learn more or contribute to the From Reno with Love Artist Relief Fund, visit artown.com/fromrenowithloveartistfund.

In addition to Reno, several other cities around the country are also participating in this city song challenge and project, including New York City, Austin, Atlanta and Chicago.