Asheville Rising: An Ambient Compilation to Benefit Hurricane Relief Efforts in Western NC

In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Southeastern coast of the United States, causing widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities. Western North Carolina, including the city of Asheville and surrounding areas, was especially hard hit with flooding. As of November 28, at least 234 deaths and $120 billion in damage – across Florida, Georgia, Eastern Tennessee, North and South Carolina, into Virginia – have been attributed to the storm.

My wife and I had been planning a road trip to many of these areas – we were lovingly referring to it as our "Ville Trip" (or I was anyway) – Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Greenville, Chattanooga, Lawrenceburg (Tennessee, where she has family). Obviously we had to amend those plans. That's not even a problem compared to the devastation and hardship faced by those in the affected areas.

The idea of curating a compilation album of ambient and electronic music began percolating, spearheaded by Heather Pruner, aka SuperGlitch, given the ties to both Moog Music and Make Noise Music in those communities. After gathering a cadre of like-minded musicians (including yours truly, fellow Passed Recordings artists Ed Herbers, Exit Chamber, and I felt it in my sleep, and electronic music luminaries Lisa Bella Donna and Todd Barton, among others), Asheville Rising was born.

Bandcamp: Asheville Rising: An Ambient Compilation to Benefit Hurricane Relief Efforts in Western NC

Our mission for this album is that it might:

1. Spread awareness about the people of Asheville and Western North Carolina as a vital hub of humanity and culture.

   
   

2. Raise funds to help get the community back on its feet to not just function and survive, but to thrive once again as an important part of the national and global arts community.

   
   

3. Provide some solace and healing through music for anyone in need of a sonic balm for the soul.

All proceeds benefit BeLoved Asheville, a 501(c)(3) community-based, non-profit organization that provides much needed assistance to the underprivileged and underserved people of Asheville, North Carolina. BeLoved provides critical support such as food, housing, medical and mental health care. Learn more at BeLovedAsheville.com.

Seeing the devastation caused by natural disasters is heartbreaking, and Helene’s destructive path was so unexpected. Supporting the relief effort is simply the right thing to do.

Combining several instruments (guitar, VCV Rack, digital synths), I sought to capture that moment at dawn when the sun peaks over the ridge, flooding the landscape with light. The night was dark and full of terror, but the sun rises on a new day. Shaconage (pronounced Sha-Kon-O-Hey) is the original Cherokee name of the Great Smoky Mountains and means “Land of Blue Smoke.”

I also helped realize the cover design (based on a concept from my friend and labelmate Ed Herbers). And, if you download the album from Bandcamp, there's also a digital booklet "extra" that I designed. Whole lotta extra on this one: fantastic music, benefitting a worthy cause, cool people, and beautiful art!