A huge collection of 135 songs, featuring artists like R.E.M., Waxahatchee, and MJ Lenderman, has been released to help those affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
Named Cardinals at the Window, this album is available for $10 on Bandcamp, with proceeds supporting Rural Organizing and Resilience, BeLoved Asheville, and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. The project was put together by three locals: musician Libby Rodenbough, David Walker from New Commute, and journalist Grayson Haver Currin. Sharon Van Etten and the Mountain Goats are among those who shared new tunes for this cause.
Other musicians joined in by sharing covers or live versions of their songs. These include Fleet Foxes teaming up with Jeff Tweedy alongside Karly Hartzman from Wednesday. There’s also music from Helado Negro, the War on Drugs, Angel Olsen… wait a minute—did I just hear King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard? Yes! Plus Jason Isbell and many more like Feist and Phish added their magic too.
Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn worked with Clay Blair from Asheville to offer free audio engineering services for this album. This initiative is part of a broader relief effort led by North Carolina’s art community members to provide direct assistance where it’s needed most.
Libby Rodenbough expressed her thoughts while touring with Dead Tongues during the storm: “In the aftermath of a ‘natural disaster,’ it’s important to situate this manifestation of ecological collapse within a history of inequitable exploitation of land and people.” She hopes this will spark change towards building a better future in Western North Carolina .
