In harrowing times like these with the recent flooding, I think it's safe to say we all share an unbridled compassion for our community, the friends and family members of ours whose lives have just been upended by the unrelenting torrential rains of the past week. Myself, I have a sister that lives up in Lyons, and while she's safe, her neighborhood is just absolutely decimated. Besides the property damage, the infrastructure is completely overwhelmed; there's no water, no sewer, no electricity, and it sounds like it's going to be months and months before things even remotely begin to get back to good.
So, indeed, our hearts our with those folks. But although the compassion is immediate, it also comes with sense of utter helplessness at first. It's hard to sit back and see all the devastation and not be able to do anything right then and there. Fortunately, we don't have to wait long for ways to channel that compassion. We're lucky to live in a place where we take care of our own, and nobody has to ask us twice.
And as such, as with past tragedies, folks have already stepped up to help, including the National, who, at Red Rocks a few nights ago, announced that they were donating part of their earnings to benefit flood victims and then passed around a water jug for donations (pictured above). And since then, one by one, a bevy of acts, both in and out of state, have stepped up.
OneRepublic, whose annual Acoustic Christmas, slated for Friday, December 20, has sent word that their concert will also benefit victims. Big Gigantic, meanwhile, will be donating a portion of the proceeds from their two upcoming shows to Conscious Alliance's flood relief fund, and the organization will also be on hand collecting donations. Eoto is playing a flood relief benefit this at the Aggie this Saturday night. And as we speak, there's relief concerts being organized by Swallow Hill (featuring Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore, Harry Tuft, among others) and Bop Skizzum at the Bluebird.
We're in the process of compiling a complete list of scheduled benefits and will update this post as soon as we have a coherent list together. If you have an event you'd like to have included, drop us a line with all the information, and we'll be sure to add it. In the meantime, please join us in sending good vibes and prayers out to all those affected by the flooding. We're with you!
Follow @Westword_Music