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All Eyes on Appalachia: Hurricane Helene and Ways Music Fans Can Help

October 3, 2024 - By Alexander Savinov

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This past weekend, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the southeast. Despite not making landfall, Western North Carolina and East Tennessee were hit especially hard. Entire towns have been completely devastated, with cars, businesses, and homes washed away.

Many have lost loved ones, and many more are still unaccounted for. Roads are closed all over the region, and many lack power, water, and cell service, further complicating relief efforts.

People often compare Burlington, VT to Asheville, NC - scenic mountain towns with a love for live music and the great outdoors. Our Vermont areas experienced disastrous flooding just last fall, and our hearts ache for everyone in the region.

We are sending all of our love to our friends and family who are going through this and want to do what we can to help and let you know how you can, too.

Local Organizations to Support

In times like these, it can be overwhelming trying to find ways to offer direct support to those in need. We have team members at CashorTrade who call Asheville and the surrounding area home and others who have loved ones there, and we can confidently say that these local organizations are on the ground and will put every dollar donated immediately to work:

  • BeLoved Asheville: Take a quick look at their social media, and you'll see that these heroes are out there braving dangerous conditions to get food and water to those who need it most. Click here for many ways to donate.
  • Samaritan's Purse: This international relief organization is based in Boone, NC, which was hit particularly hard by the flooding. They need volunteers on the ground and donations. Click here to learn more.
  • Manna Food Bank: If you are in the area and can make it there, you can drop off donations at the WNC Farmers Market this week from 8 AM to noon. You can also make a direct financial contribution here.
  • United Way East TN Highlands: The impacts of the hurricane were felt in East TN as well, and this organization is doing great work to help people in need.
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of NE TN: They have distributed several truckloads of food and water and desperately need donations to keep the work going.
  • Nesbitt Chapel Relief Fund: The mountain towns surrounding Asheville were hit hard and it's even tougher getting resources and help there. This chapel is serving as a place for folks to get food, water, an internet signal, and more.

Benefit Concerts Galore

UPDATE: Since we first published the blog, many of our favorite artists have announced benefit shows. Here's a rundown of some of them:

A huge benefit show is happening at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on 10/26. The show will feature performances from Billy Strings, Eric Church, James Taylor, and Luke Combs with all proceeds going towards relief efforts in the region.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday 10/10 at 10 AM EST with an auction and raffle to be announced. Come out and support live music while raising money for those in need!

Goose had to cancel their 2-night run in Asheville for obvious reasons, but they are putting on a pair of benefit concerts to help raise money for relief efforts. You can catch them on 10/25 in Winston-Salem, NC, and on 10/26 in Birmingham, AL.

Local presale tickets will be available on Thursday 10/10 at 10am ET (with password: RELIEF) and the public on sale on Friday 10/11 at 10am ET. Proceeds will go to benefit hurricane relief in partnership with Conscious Alliance and local organizations.

It warms our hearts to see so many artists scheduling benefit shows in lieu of cancelations in Ashville. Here are several other benefit shows in the coming weeks:

  • Lotus: 10/10 in Wilmington, NC
  • Sturgill Simpson: 10/21 in Cary, NC
  • Greensky Bluegrass: 11/1 in Charlotte, NC
  • Pigeons Playing Ping Pong: 11/2 in Chatanooga, TN
  • The Disco Biscuits: 11/3 in Atlanta

Speaking of Pigeons, they are running an auction with all of the proceeds going towards the Salvage Station crew. Donate for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show of your choice, a meet & greet with the band, a VIP package for two, and more. Click here for all the details.

Helping Music Venues

As all remaining shows for the year have been canceled, the amazing crew at Salvage Station are without work for the foreseeable future. If you purchased a ticket to a show, please consider donating your refund to their GoFundMe. Even if you didn t, every dollar helps in these unprecedented times.

Our partners at NIVA are also helping independent venues with their Emergency Relief Fund. If you know a venue that was affected by the storm, you can direct them here to fill out an application for assistance, and you can also donate directly to show your support.

A Recap of Relief Efforts

We love King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and are proud members of the Weirdo Swarm. Gizzheads all over the country donated some amazing items to a raffle, with all of the proceeds going to BeLoved Asheville.

Their efforts raised $33,785 in less than two weeks. Thank you to Lane Flexner, Gizz Family, and the Weirdo Swarm for putting this together!

Our friends Joe Russo's Almost Dead had shows scheduled at Salvage Station in Asheville. The storm decimated this amazing independent venue and all future shows have been cancelled.

JRAD live-streamed their show in Charlottesville and two never-before-seen gigs on nugs.net with all proceeds going to Manna Food Bank and BeLoved Asheville. These three shows and poster sales raised over $20,000 for relief efforts.

They are also selling a bunch of classic JRAD show posters for 50% off and donating all of the proceeds. Click here to check them out and get some fresh art for a good cause.

After Billy Strings announced he would be offering refunds to attendees of his Renewal Festival, it warmed our hearts to see many Billy Goats posting on social media about donating theirs to relief efforts. Billy loves Asheville, and Asheville loves him right back.

Hopefully, we can all gather safely in February for his historic six-night run. In the meantime, let's show all the support we can to Asheville and the surrounding areas. It's going to be a long road to recovery, but we can do this!

Last but not least, there's an incredible compilation album with 136 tracks that you can snag for just $10. It features songs from Phish, KGLW, Tyler Childers, the War on Drugs, and so much more. 100% of proceeds split evenly between Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR), and BeLoved Asheville.

We are all in this together. Stay safe, and stay strong. We are sending y'all our love and support.