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Helene takes toll on Asheville music scene

Wreckage of Asheville music venue Salvage Station left in the wake of Helene
Salvage Station
/
Instagram
Wreckage of Asheville music venue Salvage Station left in the wake of Helene

Here are some ways you can help those impacted by Helene

Helene ravaged western North Carolina last weekend, bringing devastation and destruction to homes and businesses throughout the region. This event has caused major harm to the entire area, which of course includes the music scene. Here’s what we know so far:

One important casualty from the storm was the live music venue Salvage Station, located in the city’s historic River Arts District. While the venue was destroyed, the owners posted on Instagram that the entire crew was safe. "We were even able to find our three Salvage Station cats who miraculously survived the storm and were eager to be fed and loved on" the venue posted to its Instagram page on September 30.

Asheville music venue Salvage Station was destroyed by Helene
Salvage Station on Instagram
Asheville music venue Salvage Station was destroyed by Helene

Other venues around town seem to have fared better with minimal damage and are now focusing their efforts on helping their community. The Grey Eagle, located not far from Salvage Station, says that all shows this week are canceled. They hope to reopen on Oct. 9, and in the meantime have been gathering supplies and giving out food to those in need from their taqueria located inside the venue.

Venues such as The Orange Peel, Rabbit Rabbit, and Asheville Music Hall have also announced that shows scheduled for the next week will either be canceled or postponed. This includes shows by artists including Remi Wolf, Violent Femmes, and Lake Street Dive.

Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville’s multipurpose entertainment center, has also announced canceled and postponed shows from Ray LaMontagne & Gregory Alan Isakov and Barenaked Ladies. The center opened up as an emergency shelter for displaced community members last weekend.

Also of note is Citizen Vinyl, a record pressing plant and coffee shop located in The Citizen Times building in downtown Asheville. The business has opened up its lobby and is providing extension cords to charge devices for anyone who needs it. They’ve also noted that their public Wi-Fi is available for anyone to use. Static Age Records has also posted that they have power and WiFi and are inviting people to come in to charge their devices.

Several Asheville-based artists have also had to cancel or postpone events they had scheduled. MJ Lenderman announced that the first three dates of his Manning Fireworks tour, scheduled to take place this week in Atlanta and Nashville, have been postponed. The tour will now begin in Knoxville on Oct. 6. Indigo De Souza also posted on Instagram that their home was completely flooded during the hurricane, and the upcoming dance events in Asheville and Los Angeles have been canceled while they deal with the devastation at home and within their community.

This morning a group of independent music venues throughout the state announced NC Indie Music Venues United for Western NC. Under this initiative, a portion of ticket sales throughout the month of October will be donated to relief funds assisting Western North Carolina. The venues include Raleigh’s The Pour House, Saxapahaw’s Haw River Ballroom, Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle, Durham’s Motorco Music Hall, Winston-Salem’s The Ramkat, and Charlotte’s Neighborhood Theatre.

Brian Burns is the WUNC music reporter
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