Has it really now been that long? Sense we headed down, not knowing anyone except we knew where the damage was done and they could use some music and cheering up. So we headed that way not knowing what to expect. And as they say, one thing leads to another and here we are 5 years later 12 trips and 200 instruments and 3 area schools we have donated to. How this all started we like to say, it has always been the wrong directions but the right path.
There is no way this could have been done without the help of many folks. And I want to tell you folks out there on the net about a few of them.
Guy Nouri- http://www.dragonfly.com/ I met Guy a few years back at a Future of Music Conference in DC. When I had this crazy idea soon after Katrina Guy gave us the support right off the bat. He always told me,”Bill, get there as soon as you can.” Because I think Guy knows the power of music and how it can heal. Without Guy we would have not been able to go and I wish one of these days he can seat by a water and sit down and have a beer and some crawdads, he has made some friends down that way.
Thank you Guy!
Al Coffey-Al is a local Roanoke, Va. musician who plays the fiddle, guitar, a mean blues harp, and anything else he can get his hands on. Al went along with this idea not know much of anything except he also knew where the hurricane hit and where to go and that’s it. I will always treasure those strange monuments we shared going down those wrong directions but right path thing.
Thank you Al!
Henry the Fiddler- http://www.htfiddler.net/ent/ent.htm Henry I met years ago when he was jamming’ with Don Mclean. At the time I was apart of the Clearwater project, cleaning up the Hudson River. There were many sloop clubs along the Hudson River at that time (1973). The sloop clubs would promote cleaning up their part of the river. Sometimes we had small festivals with food, music and trying to show folks we can clean the river! From what I can remember Pete Seeger and I built a stage out of drift wood (there was plenty in the river). So it was in this setting I met Henry.
Forward maybe 30 years and Al and I are living at a firehouse in Slidell, La. ……
Get an e-mail from Henry and I told him what we were doing the very next day was Thanksgiving and we were going to about 3 homes and play music. Henry was up in Arkansas and he called me that night. He told me he was coming down just like that. He drove through the night and got there playing music right off the bat walking in playing the Arkansas Traveler. He was on the ground for 3 months down there.
Thanks Henry!
Rich Baumann-http://www.baumannauctions.com/richbaumann/ I met Rich online on Wholewheat radio. I was telling folks about what we are doing down in the Gulf Coast and Rich contacted me and told me he wanted to come down from Wisconsin. Rich is the best with the kids and they loved him. Rich came down twice
Thanks Rich!
Guy Davis http://www.guydavis.com/ – I told Guy and his manager Thom Wolke about what we were doing and Guy came down to do two concerts. He even gave us a few instruments. He even did an emprises harp playing for the kids in a classroom. We want to thank Guy for coming down and cheering up the folks in Slidell.
Thanks Guy!
Mel & Vinnie- http://www.melandvinnie.blogspot.com/ I met them through the Clearwater circles up in New York. Once at their home when I told them what we were doing they offered to use their brand new mini van and come down and play music with us. That was a fun trip, Mel, Vinnie, Sue Alkins, Al and I. Vinnie did all that driving and was very patience with us all. With a car full of liberal’s even directions can be interesting.
Thanks Mel &Vinnie!
Sue Alkins – I met Sue through Pete Seeger and it was nice for Sue to offer to come down. She is a great massage therapist and helped us all in a tense situations and camped out with the rest of us that cold winter, even down in the Gulf coast.
Thanks Sue!
Mike Mead- http://www.mmeade.net/ I met at Asbury Park, New Jersey at the Clearwater festival there. When Mike found out what we were doing he jumped right on board. Not only did he come down and play but he also drove all around New Jersey collecting instruments. Mike has a very big heart. We want to thank him and his girlfriend for giving of them selves.
Thanks Mike!
Gordon Soderberg http://veteransgreenjobs.org/category/newsandevents/coverage - I met Gordon in Slidell, La. at a base camp for volunteers, http://neworleansvfp.ning.com/photo/bioliberty93-1?context=latest . The way I get it Gordon built about 10 or so base camps. A place to cook and shower and rest so folks can go out during the day and work on cleaning up the mess, we stayed at that base camp more then a few times. Gordon would always keep us very updated with the latest as to what is going on the ground.
Right now Gordon is out West with a program he started, Vets for green jobs.
Thanks Gordon!
Above all we want to THANK all the folks who gave us their instruments. You have, I think changed some lives and put smiles on many kids faces.
Thank you!!
Whenever we would leave the Gulf Coast after about a week I always felt a bit guilty leaving because there was so much more to do and we all knew it. But I and others had to head home and that question would always be in my head, have we done enough? I don’t know but I would hope so.
And in that hope this fall we will be going up to New York to collected more instruments. So if anyone in New York or close by, feel free to contact me,liberty-street@juno.com and we will stop by and make another kid happy and hopeful of the future. Maybe that’s the payoff seeing those happy faces.
Still Pickin'
Bill Hudson
http://www.dragonfly.com/ is sending entertainers to the devastated areas in Louisiana and Mississippi
0 comments:
Post a Comment