R.E.M., My Morning Jacket, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and The War on Drugs are among dozens of artists who have contributed songs to a new compilation titled Good Music to Lift Los Angeles. The 90-track album will benefit those affected by the recent wildfires that devastated the L.A. area. The expansive collection will be released on Friday, February 7, at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT and exclusively via Bandcamp.
Good Music to Lift Los Angeles costs $20.25 and will only be available to purchase for 24 hours. One-hundred percent of the proceeds raised by album sales will go toward communities impacted by the fires via California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the LA Food Bank. In addition, Bandcamp will donate all of the money from album sales to the Recording Academy’s MusiCares charity. Those funds also will support those affected by the fires.
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Good Music to Lift Los Angeles will be available at GoodMusicComp.bandcamp.com. The compilation is made up of previously unreleased tracks by from artists from a variety of genres. It features a mix of brand-new tunes, covers, remixes, live performances, and demos.
Among the many other artists contributing to the album are Death Cab for Cutie with The Postal Service, Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Dawes, Animal Collective, Cold War Kids, Courtney Barnett, Dr. Dog, Faye Webster, The Hold Steady, Hurray for the Riff Raff, I’m with Her, Interpol, Josh Ritter, K.Flay, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Lucius, Mac DeMarco, Manchester Orchestra, Modest Mouse, Mudhoney, Real Estate, Silversun Pickups, Soccer Mommy, Soul Asylum, Tenacious D, TV on the Radio, and Ty Segall.
About Some of the Specific Songs on the Compilation
The compilation includes live performances by R.E.M. (“Electrolite”), The War on Drugs (“Lost in the Dream”), and The New Pornographers (“Continue as a Guest”). In addition, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service have offered up a collaborative live rendition of Depeche More’s “Enjoy the Silence.” The album also features My Morning Jacket covering the 1964 Buck Owens tune “Together Again.” Dawes, whose members were directly affected by the wildfires, contributed the unreleased song “Without the Words.”
A full track list for Good Music to Lift Los Angeles will be announced soon.
More About the Compilation
Good Music to Lift Los Angeles is the latest benefit compilation from the Good Music series. The series was founded by author Dave Eggers and artist manager Jordan Kurland. Their goal was to give artists a platform for their music while raising money for progressive causes.
“We only had a few weeks to put this compilation together and are absolutely humbled by the contributions,” noted Kurland in a statement. “Music is a healing force and we hope this collection of songs, in addition to raising much needed recovery funds, provides some solace.”
The Q Prime artist-management company was one of the compilation’s co-producer.
“There is a lot of work to be done to support and rebuild the Los Angeles communities devastated by the fires,” Q Prime executive Eleni Psaltis noted. “[F]ostering a sense of love and community with music is a great way to start.”
Psaltis added, “[W]e called on artists from the LA community and beyond to donate tracks and put this compilation together.”