A little more than a week ago, Hurricane Helene devastated a sizable swath of the Southeast, with extensive damage and loss of life in Western North Carolina. The city of Asheville and much more rural areas were both hit hard, and relief efforts continue. It’s a tough blow under any circumstances, and it lands especially close to home for Nashvillians who have ties to the area’s rich musical community.
An array of Nashville musicians are doing one of the things they do best when there’s a need: organizing benefit shows to raise funds to help. Over the weekend, a pair of shows called Blue Ridge Recovery came together with support from The Basement and Basement East and radio station WNXP; Crumbsnatchers, Alanna Royale and others played The Basement East Sunday night. Tonight (that’s Monday, Oct. 7), the show moves to the OG Basement for its second installment. Katie Pruitt, Gabe Lee and others will perform (including a surprise guest headliner). Proceeds go to True Animal Rescue and BeLoved Asheville; advance tickets start at $25, and the show kicks off at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Exit/In has announced Unplugged for Appalachia, a benefit concert at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. Stephen Wilson Jr., Lori McKenna, Amanda Shires, Lily Rose and Elvie Shane are some of the heavy hitters coming out for this packed lineup. Ticket prices are TBA, but they will go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 10 a.m. Funds will go to the American Red Cross and the 1st Volunteer Tennessee Ranger Squadron, which is on the ground in the affected area and works with Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to help coordinate aid.
Update, 10/7/2024 at 3:30 p.m.: DIY arts space Soft Junk will host the Western North Carolina Benefit Concert organized by Asheville Guitar Pedals. Langhorne Slim, Courtney Marie Andrews, Jobi Riccio, Jess Nolan and many more will play. The show kicks off at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, and $35 is the suggested donation at the door.
Update, 10/8/2024 at 1 p.m.: Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift will revive their livestream series Live From Tubby's House on livestream platform StageIt for a special hurricane relief show. It's set for 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, and tickets are pay-what-you-can; proceeds will go directly to people affected by the storm.
Update, 10/11/2024 at 9:30 a.m.: A new compilation called Cardinals at the Window, available via Bandcamp, features unreleased tracks (live recordings and studio tracks) from more than 130 artists. All proceeds will be split evenly between the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Rural Organizing and Resilience and BeLoved Asheville. The lineup includes Asheville locals, Nashville locals and folks from far and wide. A tiny sampling: The War on Drugs, Waxahatchee, Angel Olsen, Phish, R.E.M., Lonnie Holley, Rich Ruth, Lambchop, William Tyler, Luke Schneider, Little Brother, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Geologist, Tyler Childers and Laraaji.
