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Watch Shortstraw's new music video and raise funds for charity


Cape Town - January 2017 sees the release of Bowsie, the 5th song from Shorstraw’s Those Meddling Kids Collective. 

The song Bowsie is all about Bowser, Alastair’s beloved part Rottweiler, part Labrador who passed away in 2016 while the band was on tour in Europe.

From the start, Alastair’s love for his dogs led to the use and mention of dogs in so many aspects of the band’s image and creative output. For many years they practiced at Alastair’s house, and so the dogs were a big part of their lives. Alastair never got to say goodbye to Bowsie, so now a few months after her passing, she gets honoured with a song about her and the loss felt now that she’s gone.

"Bowsie is signature to Shortstraw in the sense that our same energetic spirit is felt throughout the song. Even though the context has the potential to be saddening, the song is upbeat and strong."

The Bowsie Foundation

With the release of Bowsie, Shorstraw is also launching The Bowsie Foundation, an initiative set up by the band as a means to support animal charities in South Africa.

The aim of the foundation is for the band to do their part in making sure animal charities out there can receive whatever money and aid they can give them. The band often gets asked to do charity shows, and wish they could do them all. Instead, with starting their own foundation, and their annual Mandelapalooza, they can rather focus their efforts on making sure the charities they believe in receive the right funding, and that they know they are doing everything in their power to make a difference.

The 15 Day #BowsieChallenge

For a long time, the band has had the idea to match YouTube views of a video with a brand that would donate money to a charity based on how many views they achieve in a certain amount of time. They never acted on it because there was never the right song for it. With the love and celebration for dogs mentioned earlier, it only seemed right that the charity of such an idea should be a dog-related charity. When the song Bowsie surfaced, they knew they had to make this idea happen.

Shortstraw is proud to announce that Montego Pet Nutrition has come on board to pledge money for The Bowsie Foundation’s first project - the #BowsieChallenge. Montego will be donating R1 for every view of the Bowsie video received within 15 days, up until R15 000, so the band is setting out to achieve 15 000 views in 15 days. The Bowsie Foundation will be donating the money to an animal charity of the band’s choice. The bands are also giving fans the chance to recommend charities.

Montego Pet Nutrition, one of South Africa’s largest pet food manufacturers, is a family owned business based in Graaff Reinet, in the heart of the Karoo. Today, Montego’s aim is as it has always been; to provide South African pet owners a wide range of high quality pet foods at affordable prices. From super-premium to economy, dry food and wet food, as well as treats and sauces, Montego has earned its place in the homes of many, many South African families.

For more info on The Bowsie Foundation, click here.

The music video for Bowsie features the band performing inside a dog kennel, at the bottom of a garden. They are also celebrating all the beloved dogs (or cat in the case of Tom) of each band member. They also show their grief for the loss of their good friend, Bowsie.

Watch the music video for Bowsie here:

Buy Bowsie here on iTunes.

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