Lively. Unexpected. Fun. Fiery. Schizophrenic. buttonjaw has been called many things — all of them true.

One reason this Portland band is hard to nail down is because their music is so varied, their style so different from song to song. One tune might showcase Scott Macdonald singing a plaintive ballad, the next Jake Smith shredding on guitar, another propelled by Sam Adams on bass and Dan Rosen on drums. Put it all together and the effect is magic. According to the Portland Tribune, buttonjaw is no less than “one of Portland’s best new rock bands … [playing] economical, harmony-laden rock ’n’ roll” — the kind of melodic and tuneful music you just don’t hear on American radio anymore. Even better, the guys in buttonjaw combine their musical chops with a social conscience for an effect that’s as powerful in real life as it is on the concert stage.

the way the story begins

In 2009, Scott was invited to participate in a project to investigate and document cases of human trafficking in a remote area of Ghana in West Africa. During three weeks there, Scott and his team helped rescue seven children from debt bondage and secure shelter for them in Kete Krachi and Tema. You can read more about the project from team member and journalist Amy Dempsey in her blog, 'Out of Nets.'

After he returned to Portland, Scott set out to bring awareness of this crisis to his hometown. As a musician and songwriter, Scott knew that to bring the issue to a greater audience he needed the medium of music to do it. buttonjaw formed in May 2010 as Scott found other like-minded musicians to help him record a CD of original music that would benefit survivors of human trafficking. “This is really where it comes together for me,” Scott says. “Doing something to help out with a moral and humanitarian crisis, while also making the kind of music I love. You can’t ask for anything more.”

In partnership with City of Refuge Ghana, the band will be donating 100% of the sales from their first 1,000 CDs and digital downloads to help build a safe house for children rescued from trafficking in Ghana, West Africa. We hope you enjoy the music and will partner with us to help make slavery history.