heart light experience: November 2010

We are all creators that need to look out for one another...

My Friend Sheldon sent this please take the time to read and give if you can...
How many people don't like music? I'd say none. How many people don't listen to music everyday? Maybe 1? Maybe 2? (I don't like them already)!! :) Music is the soundtrack of our lives, but all too often the talented artists that make it are faced with insurmountable financial battles, either due to health related issues, or the volatility of the business. Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was started to help keep our passionate artistic contributers afloat during these times of trouble. They have helped me, and they have helped my friends. (They also recently, as an example of their great work, raised over $100,000 for Richie Hayward of Little Feat when he was battling cancer, a battle he unfortunately lost about a month ago). My goal is to help repay them for their kindness and generosity towards me in the past, and to try to raise funds to fill the coffers that will someday help my friends and colleagues in the music community, and if the cards fall in such a way, they may even be helping me once again.

Please join me in helping out those that give so much to our lives, usually while having a tough go of it themselves. Some musicians make it big and are doing fine, but many are barely getting by, and many more are struggling, to say the least. Health insurance? Good one!! We, (Sweet Relief, myself, and some little helpers), have recently undertaken the monumental task of making the third Sweet Relief CD, Sweet Relief 3, Pennies From Heaven, of which I have the great honor of being a part of. The first two CD's were critically acclaimed, and had a host of great artists, named in the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund information below, so I will try to avoid being redundant by not mentioning them here. What I will mention are some of the artists that are joining us on this one: Ben Harper, Victoria Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, She & Him, kd lang, Sam Phillips, Ron Sexsmith, Michael Penn and Aimee Mann, Shelby Lynne, The Living Sisters, Joseph Arthur, Angela McCluskey and Tina Schlieske of Tina and the B-Sides. There are more 'special guests' coming along, too. Stay tuned for details!!

There is also a documentary being shot of 'The Making Of...,' directed by Gandulf Henning, who also directed 'Gram Parsons Fallen Angel,' and 'Merle Haggard Learning To Live With Myself.'

If you can find it in your heart to make a tax deductible contribution to the Sweet Relief Compilation CD, it would be greatly appreciated. We've had some very generous donations, some up to 4 figures, and we're off to a very a good start, but we ain't where we need to be yet. Of course, we love the larger donations, but realize most people are not in a position to do that, especially in these tough economic times, but even the $10 and $20 ones add up. If all of my friends alone mailed in $20 - $25 each, we'd be pretty close to where we need to be to cover the recording portion. All proceeds from the CD sales will go directly to Sweet Relief to be allocated to professional musicians in need. A lot of you are musicians yourselves, so you could be investing in your own futures by helping us raise money for Sweet Relief to continue to do the good things they have been doing for the music community for the last 17 years.

How do I donate, you must be asking by now!! Well, you can go directly to the Sweet Relief website at sweetrelief.org, go to the donate page, choose 'Sweet Relief CD compilation' under the program designation tab, and use a credit card for quick, easy payment, which I thank you in advance if you are doing, or.........

....to pay by check, please make your check payable to Sweet Relief and mail it to:

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
4952 Warner Ave, Suite 235
Huntington Beach, CA 92649

Please write 'SR CD Compilation Fund' on the check so it's allocated correctly. DO IT NOW, BEFORE YOU GET SIDETRACKED!! ;) Thank you for your consideration in this. It is dear to me because they have helped me, and now I am getting to help them back, while working with some of my friends and colleagues, as well as some artists who have inspired me along the way. Below is some further information about Sweet Relief.

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund information stolen right from Wikipedia: Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a non-profit charity that maintains a financial fund from which professional musicians can draw from when in need of medical care or financial needs. Initially intended as a one-time CD launch benefit for Victoria Williams, Sweet Relief has evolved into a charity organization that relies on donations from artists and the public as a general fund to all professional musicians in need. The fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling with their finances while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

The organization was started after musician and singer Victoria Williams fell ill with multiple sclerosis in 1993 and had no way to pay for her own overwhelming medical expenses. Money was raised to help her via benefit concerts and the release of a CD Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams, which was performed by other musical artists including Lou Reed and Pearl Jam.

A second CD titled Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation was released in 1996. All of the proceeds went toward Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to aid the organization. A variety of alternative rock artists volunteered their time to perform a variety of songs from Vic Chesnutt. Some well-known artists including Garbage, R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, The Smashing Pumpkins, Joe Henry and Madonna performed for the CD.

Sweet Relief provides service to the music community through financial assistance in the following categories: Insurance Premiums Prescriptions Housing Costs Food Costs Alternative Therapies/Treatments not covered by insurance