Okay, you donated $10 via text message. You called into the Hope for Haiti telethon and, thirty minutes later, gave a woman who wasn’t Julia Roberts your debit card number. You’re feeling pretty good about your efforts. As you should. So why not reward yourself by giving more—and enjoying some great tunes in the process? Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, along with a host of local musicians, can help you with that.
For under a buck, you can score Vedder’s beautiful rendition of The Boss’ “My City of Ruins,” performed last month for the latter’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. (Proceeds benefit Artists for Peace and Justice Haiti Relief.) Springsteen’s inspiring ode to Asbury Park, New Jersey (“Rise up!”) has new, internationally apt meaning now. Vedder’s take is faithful to the original while also a close sonic cousin to his Into the Wild work and the tear duct-punching “Just Breathe” from Pearl Jam’s Backspacer. One dollar. One amazing song. One way to help your fellow human beings rise from tragedy.
Another way: buy tickets to next month’s “Hootenanny for Haiti.” The details:
Showbox and Seattle Theatre Group (STG) present “A Hootenanny For Haiti” at Showbox at the Market on Sunday, February 28th at 7:30pm.
Duff McKagan, Mike McCready, Kim Virant, Kristen Ward, Kim Warnick, Mark Pickerel, Star Anna, Chris Friel, Gary Westlake, Jeff Rouse, Justin Davis, Ty Bailie and friends perform together in an intimate setting to support the Haiti relief efforts of Partners in Health (www.pih.org).
“A Hootenanny For Haiti” is possible by the generous donations of the artists and venue with 100% of the ticket price going to Partners in Health.
That’s right, this is a night with members of PJ; McKagan’s Loaded; McCready’s first band, Shadow; UFO tribute band Flight to Mars; the Fastbacks; etc. It’s an eclectic and insanely talented mix of artists—and I wouldn’t be surprised if “and friends” included the likes of Stone Gossard and Tim DiJulio. All for $15 donated bucks.
There are other local music-related outlets for Haiti support. They deserve your patronage, too. But will they rock you like these?