Art News

Artists Find Ways to Protest Gulf Spill

NEW ORLEANS, LA (AP).- Musician Shamarr Allen was flying back into Louis Armstrong International Airport when he got his first real glimpse of the BP oil spill. The words of CEO Tony Hayward’s TV spot — “To those affected and your families, I’m deeply sorry” — were ringing in his ears. Allen was exhausted after playing a private party, but he couldn’t sleep until he and some friends had laid down their response. Like the oil from the Deepwater Horizon drill rig, “Sorry Ain’t Enough No More” came gushing out. “To whom it may concern, come here, first things first. “Tell me, how much is this dead pelican worth? “How does it feel to have a man’s blood on your shirt? “To single-handedly put a whole industry out of work?” The song — a blend of rap, blues and brass-band jazz — begins with Hayward himself speaking about the “tragedy that never should have happened,” and ends with Allen’s simple plea: “Think, people.” For the 29-year-old trumpet player, whose home in