Music Industry Moves To Support Victims Of Katrina

UPDATE: As the incredible tragedy in New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast comes into focus many in the music industry are using joining forces to raise funds.  In the coming days and weeks we will showcase some of them. We encourage all in the music industry to use your talents as marketers, artists, and business people to help those effected by this incredible tragedy.

One New Orleans band the subdudes got out safely, but several band members have lost everything. Their selfless open letter to the music industry to help out is quite moving.  Read it here.

One subdudes gig at The Rancho Nacasio in Marin, CA that was to be canceled as the band members  relocate their families has been turned into a benefit for the band and the New Orleans relief efforts.  Read more on the venues web site here.

UPDATE: (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Bumbershoot, the Seattle Arts Festival, has a long history of bringing New Orleans-based musicians to perform at the yearly festival, and 2005 is no different. All Bumbershoot scheduled artists are safe and accounted for, but Hurricane Katrina has impacted some of our guests from Louisiana and their ability to travel and perform at this year’s festival. Jon Cleary will be performing a solo set, as his band cannot reach Seattle in time to join him for the festival, and Kermit Ruffins has had to cancel. Though Mr. Ruffins will not be joining us, our thoughts are with him throughout this difficult time.

Bumbershoot is reaching out to Louisiana and Mississippi, a part of the country that we all feel a special kinship for because of their incredible musical heritage and great celebrations such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival…Donation boxes for the Hurricane Katrina Victim Relief Fund will be located on Bumbershoot grounds inside Ticket Gates, at Information Booths, and inside the Mainstage on festival grounds..

We’re hearing that Celtic rockers Solas putting together a benefit in Philadelphia on September 14th.  If you can donate a performance or your services please email us and we’ll pass it along.

We’ve also heard from Cynthia Simien, a NARAS regional board member and the wife  and manager of our favorite Zydeco artist Terrance Simien, who tells us that the Grammy foundation MusicCares is working to provide assistance and housing for effect members of the music community.  The foundation has promised a minimum of $1 million and is solicating contributions and offering aid at http://www.grammy.com/musicares.

One of the most aggressive and creative efforts from the music industry that we’ve heard about is from music management/agency/label/promotion mini-conglomerate Madison House who wrote the following :

Greetings Friends,

Here is current plan from Concious Alliance, Madison House, and the String Cheese Incident, for creating assistance to refugees of the hurricane…

The Federal Government is failing terribly in their efforts, and we believe that it is important to take some action into our own hands. People need help, and The People need to help to provide it. Don Strasburg and Justin Baker have flown down to Dallas… I am searching for 2 semi trucks to be sent down to them asap… We will probably need a truck from outside of the region, as there do not seem to be many trucks left for hire in the south. We are therefore looking to rock n roll trucking companies for help. If you have ideas, then please pass them along.

We are putting the conscious alliance note, about donations, up on the SCI and MH websites looking for donations… Over 10k has been raised since last night. Matt Hogan is putting the word out to SCI pirates in Texas that we need help creating a crew. Don and Justin will go to a Walmart or wherever to fill up the trucks until they run out of money. We may try to have them do this in Dallas, because there is a feeling that Houston supplies are being tapped. We are going to mobilize the Madison House office to stop working on music today, and start working on helping this situation. Our efforts may be a drop in the bucket compared to the greater efforts taking place, but that bucket needs every drop it can handle right now.

Here is the website for donations. Donation tax receipts will be provided. Given the urgency of the matter, it is best to donate online through our secure, easy-to-use, PayPal account at www.consciousalliance.org Please contact me if you have ideas on how to help this crew get out there to help people.

Thanks, Jeremy Stein stein@madison-house.com

UPDATE:  (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Conscious Alliance team members are traveling to Houston on September 2 to assist the Houston Food Bank with their hurricane relief efforts. Over the course of the last 48 hours, Executive Director Justin Baker secured initial donations of $10,000, made arrangements with the national office of America’s Second Harvest Food Bank, the Houston Food Bank, and Costco managers in Houston and secured a Penske truck with which they will purchase and deliver pallets of food to support the refugees arriving from the Superdome and Convention Center.

The String Cheese Incident and their management/booking company Madison House are arranging for three-to-four additional semi trucks to meet Conscious Alliance in Texas and are helping to mobilize the music community around the cause. Baker and Conscious Alliance board member, Don Strasburg, plan to stay in Houston until their relief funds run dry. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen