Arts

The floodwaters that wrecked our city earlier this year have long since receded, but their legacy of destruction and displacement is something Nashville will be dealing with for a long time to come. Luckily we’ve received a lot of help from friends all around the country in the intervening months. And there are more friends out there ready to lend a hand, as a group of musicians from here and elsewhere will prove next week with a special flood relief benefit concert.

From Buffalo With Love, a charity show for flood relief here in Nashville, takes place next Monday, November 8, at one of the city’s best live music venues, 12th and Porter. This show is one you won’t want to miss. The lineup features Joseph Wooten, Rick Huckaby, Johnny Neel with Detroit’s Broken Arrow Blues Band, Eyewitness Blues, Bullfrog Review, Seethree, and Buffalo, New York’s own Myron & The ID.

You don't have to live in Nashville to care about flood relief.

Though they may not all live here in Nashville, many of the folks involved in this show have roots in or ties to Tennessee. Tim Tucker of the Broken Arrow Blues Band says, “I’m a Ridge Runner at heart – my dad’s family is from Mount Pleasant, Tennessee.” Chuck Schultz of Malone Entertainment, who organized the show, has lived in Nashville two different times and still has connections here. “Why would someone from Buffalo New York want to host a showcase to benefit flood relief in Nashville, Tennessee? Well, it’s as simple as taking care of your friends,” says Schultz.

Even those who aren’t directly tied to Nashville share the more general connection of living as professional musicians. “When we heard about the flooding in Nashville, and listened to the stories of working musicians who had lost everything, it hit close to home,” says Myron Deputat, frontman for Myron & The ID. “As musicians we are all brothers in arms! Many people don’t realize the daily struggle we go through in order to keep creating, and performing. Most of us have to hold down a ‘regular’ job, or two, and spend what little money we make on equipment, recordings, merchandise, etc. The money made at most gigs doesn’t even begin to cover expenses, yet still we go on.”

“When we heard about the flooding in Nashville, it hit close to home," says Deputat.

“I’ve often asked myself, ‘What person in their right mind would work for below minimum wage?’ Then I pick up my guitar, and play a tune. It all comes back to me – it’s the music,” Deputat explains. “We do it for the music! If we didn’t practice, perform and create, who would? Someone has to keep making music. The world needs it! We need it! We’ve been given a gift as musicians to spread a little love, joy and hope throughout the world, and we have to keep giving. If we can’t be bothered to help one of our own, what would that say about us or the music we make? How could anyone take what we do seriously? By helping our brothers in need, we help everyone keep the music alive!”

“When I saw the photos and video of the epic flooding and the devastation that ensued,  I knew immediately I had to do something for a city I call ‘The home of my soul,’” Schultz writes in the program for From Buffalo With Love. “One of the only ways I know that help healing is in and through music. So I called upon some musicians I knew and some I’ve never met. Knowing that schedules are hard to make a week at a time, let alone 6 months out, was a challenge. But over time everyone was on board and genuinely excited to be part of it. So I put together a very eclectic lineup of musicians which I thought spoke not only to the cause, but also the spirit of Nashville being a true Music City.”

The doors at 12th and Porter open at 7pm next Monday, November 8, and the music starts at 8pm. You can order tickets online for $10 at www.ticketweb.com or www.malone-entertainment.com ahead of time, or you can pay $15 at the door. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and MusiCares.