Swamp Xistas Power Lines

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Funk/Soul Series: Beth Mckee’s Swamp Xistas Power Lines is a collaborative soul music project raising awareness and support for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Power Lines an ongoing collaboration between songwriters, musicians, and community members. 100% of performance fees, downloads, and recording royalties will support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Swamp Xistas Turn the Power of Music into Meals for Central Florida By Ward Gros

What if a song could help put food on the table? With Power Lines, Orlando singer-songwriter Beth McKee and Swamp Xistas are making that connection real. The collaborative music project pairs soulful, roots-driven music with a commitment to fighting hunger in Central Florida, directing download revenue, recording royalties and 100% of the performance fees from fundraising appearances to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

“The Swamp Sistas have always been about more than making music,” says McKee, founder of the collective. “Community, connection, and showing up for one another are at the heart of what we do.” Hunger relief, she says, gives the musicians a way to put those values into practice.

McKee co-wrote the Power Lines title track with Rachel Decker, Jim Myers, Jen Lowe and Renee Arozqueta. The song brings together her expressive vocals, gritty guitars, layered harmonies and a driving rhythm. Its lyrics explore the ties that hold people together across time and distance, celebrating friendship and the people who know us best.

That sense of connection carries into the music video. Part of it was filmed during a volunteer gathering at Second Harvest, where participants packed meals and made music together. For a few hours, the work of feeding neighbors and the pleasure of making music shared the same space.

The need behind that work is considerable. Greg Higgerson, chief development officer at Second Harvest, estimates that one in seven Central Florida residents needs food assistance at some point during the year. Among children under 18, the figure is one in five. Many are working people trying to manage the rising cost of groceries alongside rent, utilities and other household expenses.

The Swamp Xistas have helped make a considerable difference. Higgerson says the collective’s grassroots support has brought in resources and awareness that have helped provide well over a million meals to some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.

The Power Lines project offers another way to keep that support going. Rather than organize a single benefit concert and move on, McKee and her collaborators spent a year creating and releasing original music. Each release gives listeners another opportunity to participate, while the group’s Power Lines Substack shares the stories behind the songs and the people involved.

“Power Lines has provided yet another infectious, fun, and meaningful way for generous people in the community to demonstrate their personal values,” Higgerson says.

The recorded releases also give the project a life beyond its performances. “Unlike a one-time benefit, the recorded music will continue to generate royalties for Second Harvest beyond the life of the project,” McKee explains.

Second Harvest serves seven counties through more than 800 partner organizations, including food pantries, schools, shelters and senior centers. Those partnerships bring food within reach of families, older adults and working people who might otherwise have to make difficult choices about which household needs can wait.

For McKee, volunteering makes the work tangible. “Community care isn’t just an idea. It’s something we can practice.”

Higgerson hopes the partnership will encourage other artists and groups to find their own ways to help. The creativity and enthusiasm surrounding Swamp Xistas, he says, offer a model for changing the world “one meal at a time.”

On November 21, Swamp Xistas bring Power Lines to Timucua’s White House, marking the culmination of this chapter of the project. Joining McKee onstage will be core band members Renee Arozqueta, Bill Collins, Jim Myers, Amy Robbins and John David Williams, along with additional Swamp Xistas Bunky Garrabrant, Rachel Decker and Greg Higgerson. Together, the musicians will