REM, Mac DeMarco, and MJ Lenderman to appear on new Los Angeles wildfire charity album
Good Music, the Dave Eggers and Jordan Kurland-founded series of compilation albums, are releasing a new collection on February 7th to help aid the devastation left behind by the Los Angeles wildfires, featuring a number of beloved names from the indie world.
The compilation, titled Good Music to Lift Los Angeles, will include new material alongside covers, live performances, remixes, and demos from the likes of REM, Mac DeMarco, MJ Lenderman, Death Cab for Cutie, Interpol, Perfume Genius, Tenacious D, TV on the Radio, Blondshell, Chelsea Wolfe, and many more, totalling 90 artists.
According to Kurland, Good Music to Lift Los Angeles had to come together quickly following the immediate devastation caused by the wildfires, but they are proud of the work they have done, which proves that “music is a healing force.”
“We only had a few weeks to put this compilation together and are absolutely humbled by the contributions,” he said. Adding: “Music is a healing force, and we hope this collection of songs, in addition to raising much-needed recovery funds, provides some solace.”
All proceeds from Good Music to Lift Los Angeles will be donated to the local community through the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the LA Food Bank. Bandcamp will release the album for 24 hours only for $20.25 and donate all of its sales to MusiCares in aid of the area.
Many artists have come together in support of the aftermath in recent weeks, including the Eagles, who donated $2.5 million to the FireAid benefit concert, which also brought together several of the biggest names in the business to raise funds for the city.
While Universal Music Group also made the decision to cancel all of its Grammy-related events during the week of the event, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr confirmed that the coveted awards show pivoted its usual message, instead focussing on raising “additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honouring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”
Musicians from all over have also shown their support in small ways, including Big Thief, who recently released the new charity EP, Passional Relations, which was made to raise funds to help the LA community.
In a statement, the band said: “Our hearts are broken for everyone affected by the fires in California. We’ve put together some of our favorite unreleased songs into an EP called Passional Relations, only available on our webstore, and all proceeds will go toward providing relief for those impacted by the fires in Los Angeles.”
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