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Edge's Crescent City Mission
The U2 guitarist visits New Orleans, launches program to help get local musicians back to work
By Evan Serpick
Between sold-out tour stops in Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta, U2 guitarist the Edge took a detour to New Orleans on November 17th to see Katrina's devastation firsthand and to draw attention to Music Rising, an initiative he launched with producer Bob Ezrin to help New Orleans' musicians get back on their feet. "The whole New Orleans tradition is so close to me as a musician that I want to make sure that this isn't the end of that," says Edge, who cites Fats Domino, the Neville Brothers and Professor Longhair as Crescent City heroes. "People in the music business should get serious about helping. If we don't, not only are we not acknowledging the debt there, but we're letting go of something that's really special and will never be seen again."
In collaboration with MusiCares, a nonprofit musicians-aid organization, and with the help of Gibson Guitars and Guitar Center, Music Rising has already raised more than $1 million to give 1,000 instruments to local players, many of whom have been scattered across the country. In the future, Music Rising hopes to help provide housing and stipends for 3,000 to 5,000 local professional musicians.
The U2 guitarists—sometimes overshadowed by another activist in the band—began his visit with a stop at a Guitar Center in the Harahan neighborhood, which had mostly escaped post-Katrina flooding. Inside, rows of shiny guitars and saxophones stood at attention as Edge met and jammed with local musicians who are starting to play gigs again.
"The music community is in disarray," says Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, a sax player in Allen Toussaint's band. "A lot of cats are gone, a lot of cats aren't gonna be able to come back." Cayolle's house and several of his horns were destroyed in the floods. "I'm glad that someone who has the world's attention will come here and focus that attention on New Orleans."
Cayolle, guitarists Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Deacon John Moore, and pianist Joe Krown reconnected at the event and shared war stories. A few local clubs such as the Maple Leaf and Banks Street are back in action, but scores of others remain shuttered, and gigs are scarce.
"More of my amps are gone," says Washington, who fled for Ohio during the flood with two bags of personal belongings. "I had to borrow on for my gigs." He came back a week ago when he got a call from the booker of the Maple Leaf to return for his weekly show. "We drove all night to get there," he says. "I'm so glad to be home."
In the days after the storm, MusiCares provided emergency financial-aid packages to help musicians buy food and clothing, but the group's New Orleans rep says the instruments Music Rising will provide are just as vital. "Musicians 100 percent appreciate the charity, but what they would appreciate more is getting back to work," says Reid Wick, who is also a local player. "They may not be able to talk about it or have a deep cry, but when they play their horn or their guitar, that's what they sink their soul into."
To raise money for Music Rising, Gibson will donate proceeds from a limited-edition, hand-painted new guitar designed by CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and the Edge, now available online. Ticketmaster and VH1 are also donating money and services, and the Jimmy Buffet Foundation may soon join as well.
After touring the city, Edge had dinner at Restaurant August—a city landmark that has reopened just days earlier—with New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival organizer Quint Davis and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. Davis said JazzFest would return to the Fair Grounds in 2006, and Edge checked his calendar, giving Davis hope that U2 would headline the event.
"Music is going to be a very important tool in regenerating New Orleans," says Edge. "It's not just a form of entertainment here, it's a soundtrack to every single aspect of life."
--Rolling Stone
Edge's Crescent City Mission
The U2 guitarist visits New Orleans, launches program to help get local musicians back to work
By Evan Serpick
Between sold-out tour stops in Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta, U2 guitarist the Edge took a detour to New Orleans on November 17th to see Katrina's devastation firsthand and to draw attention to Music Rising, an initiative he launched with producer Bob Ezrin to help New Orleans' musicians get back on their feet. "The whole New Orleans tradition is so close to me as a musician that I want to make sure that this isn't the end of that," says Edge, who cites Fats Domino, the Neville Brothers and Professor Longhair as Crescent City heroes. "People in the music business should get serious about helping. If we don't, not only are we not acknowledging the debt there, but we're letting go of something that's really special and will never be seen again."
In collaboration with MusiCares, a nonprofit musicians-aid organization, and with the help of Gibson Guitars and Guitar Center, Music Rising has already raised more than $1 million to give 1,000 instruments to local players, many of whom have been scattered across the country. In the future, Music Rising hopes to help provide housing and stipends for 3,000 to 5,000 local professional musicians.
The U2 guitarists—sometimes overshadowed by another activist in the band—began his visit with a stop at a Guitar Center in the Harahan neighborhood, which had mostly escaped post-Katrina flooding. Inside, rows of shiny guitars and saxophones stood at attention as Edge met and jammed with local musicians who are starting to play gigs again.
"The music community is in disarray," says Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, a sax player in Allen Toussaint's band. "A lot of cats are gone, a lot of cats aren't gonna be able to come back." Cayolle's house and several of his horns were destroyed in the floods. "I'm glad that someone who has the world's attention will come here and focus that attention on New Orleans."
Cayolle, guitarists Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Deacon John Moore, and pianist Joe Krown reconnected at the event and shared war stories. A few local clubs such as the Maple Leaf and Banks Street are back in action, but scores of others remain shuttered, and gigs are scarce.
"More of my amps are gone," says Washington, who fled for Ohio during the flood with two bags of personal belongings. "I had to borrow on for my gigs." He came back a week ago when he got a call from the booker of the Maple Leaf to return for his weekly show. "We drove all night to get there," he says. "I'm so glad to be home."
In the days after the storm, MusiCares provided emergency financial-aid packages to help musicians buy food and clothing, but the group's New Orleans rep says the instruments Music Rising will provide are just as vital. "Musicians 100 percent appreciate the charity, but what they would appreciate more is getting back to work," says Reid Wick, who is also a local player. "They may not be able to talk about it or have a deep cry, but when they play their horn or their guitar, that's what they sink their soul into."
To raise money for Music Rising, Gibson will donate proceeds from a limited-edition, hand-painted new guitar designed by CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and the Edge, now available online. Ticketmaster and VH1 are also donating money and services, and the Jimmy Buffet Foundation may soon join as well.
After touring the city, Edge had dinner at Restaurant August—a city landmark that has reopened just days earlier—with New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival organizer Quint Davis and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. Davis said JazzFest would return to the Fair Grounds in 2006, and Edge checked his calendar, giving Davis hope that U2 would headline the event.
"Music is going to be a very important tool in regenerating New Orleans," says Edge. "It's not just a form of entertainment here, it's a soundtrack to every single aspect of life."
--Rolling Stone
