 Who Are We?
We are people just like you who appreciate the unique community of musicians, club owners and promoters, which, until recently, called New Orleans home. For some of us, this respect comes from a trip (or trips!) to the city and its venues where we were welcomed to physically and spiritually join the local musical community. For others, this respect comes from admiring the scene from afar and dreaming of experiencing it in person. Someday.
Why Focus On The Music?
With so many different organizations offering much needed help to so many communities affected by hurricane Katrina, we were anxious not to simply duplicate existing efforts but to reach out to individuals with urgent, immediate and specific needs who may otherwise slip through the cracks.
Because our own passions revolve around everything the culture and music of New Orleans have given, we decided to focus our community's efforts on helping the musicians and club owners who are the lifeblood of the NOLA community.
What Are The Most Urgent Needs?
Musicians can continue to work even after being displaced from their homes-provided they have instruments and a place to play. But, as we've witnessed, Katrina left very little behind, taking countless instruments and many historic clubs with her. Musicians without instruments can't work. Club owners with no spaces to fill can't work. And promoters with neither musicians nor clubs can't work either. That has left hundreds and hundreds of New Orleans natives, who have brought joy to thousands and thousands of the rest of us, who are currently unable to feed themselves or their families.
What Are We Going To Do About It?
We started We Got Your Back to bring together musicians, artists, club owners, instrument manufacturers, and other resources (including you), to replace instruments, salvage clubs and book money-making out of town gigs for displaced New Orleans artists.
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Who's Next?
We are currently mobilizing the We Got Your Back community to get Kirk Joseph a donated replacement for his sousaphone, which was lost in the storm.
Kirk Joseph (above) has earned his seat at the table of New Orleans' greatest musicians. During his long tenure with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Joseph developed his innovative approach to the sousaphone, going beyond the instrument's perceived limits with a rich musical vocabulary.
In between performances and recording sessions with Anders Osborne and a host of other locally, nationally, and internationally known artists, Joseph began working on his own material in collaboration with some of New Orleans' most talented musicians. The result was the Backyard Groove, an assemblage featuring Kevin O'Day on drums, Chris Mule and Hiro Mano on guitar, “Sheik” Rasheed Akbar and Eric Traub on saxophon, Raymond Anthony Williams on trumpet plus a variety of special guests.
We are currently calling on all our contacts (and even our contacts' contacts) to try to secure a donated sousaphone (spread the word!). Failing that, we will try to negotiate a discounted price on a sousaphone and collect donations to cover the reduced cost of the instruments. Check in with http://www.artformusic.org for the latest.
How Can You Help?
First, by taking a moment to remember what the musicians and club owners in New Orleans have added to your life-really feel that feeling, then commit to helping these people continue to spread that joy. You can start by telling as many music lovers you know about artformusic.org and encourage everyone to log on BUY A WE GOT YOUR BACK T-SHIRT and use the site's tools to share information and ideas.
Know a NOLA musician in need? Tell us. Know a nationally touring act that needs road musicians? Tell us and encourage them to hire an artist from New Orleans. Have friends or contacts at companies that make or sell musical instruments? Hook them up with us or with a musician you know who lost his or her most musical partner.
Thank you in advance,
Art for Music and The We Got Your Back team.
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