After the Flood: a Compilation to Benefit Upstate New York Victims of Hurricane Irene. Available 2 September.

Hi everyone.

Stories and photos are streaming in from Upstate NY, particularly in creekside towns north of the Gilboa Dam in Schoharie County, NY… and the devastation can only be compared to what happened with Katrina.

CNN, Fox News, the major networks and other news outlets aren’t racing there to cover it. Perhaps it just isn’t sexy enough a story. But it’s life-changingly devastating.

Hundreds of cows and other livestock have drowned.

Bridges have simply washed away, including a landmark covered wooden bridge which stood (and withstood many floods) since 1855.

Portions of important state highway arteries have been completely destroyed. Businesses started by young people hoping to make a difference in the small towns they were raised in have seen their interiors and inventories covered in mud or carried away by seven or eight feet of rushing floodwater. Most of them don’t have flood insurance.

Here’s a story and photos that really drive home the devastation.

With all of this in mind, a bunch of NYC-based artists are joining together to release a benefit compilation album. It’s called After the Flood: a Compilation to Benefit Upstate New York Victims of Hurricane Irene.

It will be a digital-only release, and it will be available beginning Friday, 2 September 2011, at www.aftertheflood.bandcamp.com

All proceeds will be directly sent to the Northeast New York State Chapter of the Red Cross, earmarked towards flood relief, and the Schoharie County Community Action Program.

It’s going to contain well over 30 tracks, downloadable in the format of your choice, along with a detailed PDF booklet with information about each artist.

Bandcamp has also lowered their commission for this release so that more money will make it quickly to the people who desperately need it to recover from these heart-crushingly devastating floods. Pretty awesome of Bandcamp!

As of 1:00am on Wednesday 31 August, here is the roster of staggeringly talented and equally generous artists who have been kind enough to donate a track to this compilation:

Abby Ahmad

Bri Arden

Chris Ayer

Barnaby Bright

Lelia Broussard

Josh Dion

Bryan Dunn

Lara Ewen

Kailin Garrity

Shira Goldberg

Caleb Hawley

Greg Holden

Nick Howard

Zach Hurd

Wes Hutchinson

Mighty Kate

Sierra Noble

Joyous Noise

Charlene Kaye

Will Knox

Allie Moss

Abby Payne

Rachel Platten

Chrissi Poland

Martin Rivas

Jessi Robertson

Bess Rogers

Amber Rubarth

Jesse Ruben

John Schmitt

Casey Shea

Allison Weiss

Alexa Wilkinson

Emily Zuzik

It would be pretty awesome to let these people and towns know that the big, attention-grabbing city at the bottom of the state map contains people who care deeply about what’s happening up there.

It is crucially important that you help spread the word by sharing this blog page… please share it with any news outlets or PR people, or anyone who might be interested in contributing or getting their hands on some bitchin’ music.

Thanks for reading. I’ll keep you posted.

xoxo

-martin