For musician and songwriter Xander Smith, front man of the psychedelic indie rock band Run Run Run, becoming a supporter of Best Friends Animal Society was one result of a personal transformation he experienced several years ago.
"One day, I realized what it was to be on this planet and be a fellow human being,” he says. "My spirit was moved by work and time spent helping others."

Smith began supporting Best Friends five years ago at the Lint Roller Party in Hollywood, an annual gala fundraiser for our Los Angeles programs. Friend and fellow rock musician Keaton Simons happened to be performing at the event, and Best Friends needed volunteers to set up and operate the sound system for his performance. A consummate musical professional, Smith offered his services. Though he's almost always on tour with his band or otherwise in the recording studio, Smith hasn't missed volunteering at Lint Roller since then.

"It was the magic of the experience, and the people involved, that kept me around,” Smith says. "I really liked the spirit of how it was put together. And it seemed like a great way to spend my time."

Smith recently upped the ante of his dedication to Best Friends. Along with the resounding support of his band-mates, he has contributed a Run Run Run track to the soon-to-be released Best Friends 25th anniversary collection called "Giving Animals a Voice Through Music," a double CD featuring a host of jazz, new age, rock, country and multi-genre artists.

To pre-order the CD or to listen to samples, click here.

The CD is produced by Best Friends' partner Animal Media Foundation, a Vermont-based nonprofit that brings artists and animal groups together for the betterment of animal welfare. The proceeds of the CD will be split 50-50 between Best Friends and the Animal Media Foundation (which will then disperse its share among local rescue groups in Vermont).

When producers were choosing artists for the CD, Run Run Run was a no-brainer, given Smith's previous work for Best Friends, and his longtime attachment to animals.

While Smith was still a toddler, his family moved to Running Springs, a town in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. In the 1970s, the small community was still largely wilderness. Animals flocked to the Smiths' backyard, and Smith recalls crawling out onto the porch to see what he thinks was a pack of wolves standing in the yard. The family dog, a malamute the young Smith called Woofie, took off with the pack, and returned a few days later in remarkably fine shape.

"I grew up with that inside of me," he says, "and I've always loved animals." Smith currently has two cats, one he rescued from the street and the other he adopted from a shelter. Joining Best Friends was, he says, "a perfect fit"

The track Smith chose for the 25th anniversary collection is called "Twist," a song unlike any the band has ever written or recorded before.

"It's been sort of a wandering orphan in our repertoire," he says. "Our music is dark and psychedelic, like Pink Floyd and Smashing Pumpkins, but this is a really sweet-sounding pop song. It may be one of our best."

This is the first time Run Run Run has associated its name with a particular cause. Smith doesn't like to make a big deal out of the positions or ideological beliefs the band has. But Best Friends has figured large enough in his life that he couldn't decline contributing to the CD.

"Maybe this is the time for our listeners to get a little glimpse at some of the things that drive me as one of the writers in the band," he says, "and maybe they will be inspired by what inspires me."

Written by Ted Brewer of Best Friends
Photos from Xander's web site