Mix Live Blog: When Things Go Wrong

I’m finding it difficult to come up with something meaningful to say in the wake of what’s going on in Southern California. I’m referring, of course, to the wildfires that have engulfed the area in the past weeks, and continue to be a threat to people, wildlife and property.

There are people who have literally lost everything, and some have lost their lives. It’s upsetting to me to sit here 3,000 miles across the country unable to help while friends and colleagues are literally sifting through ashes to see if there’s anything worth saving. More often than not, the answer has been a heartbreaking “no.”

The list of people in the music community who have lost their homes and/or studios reads like a Who’s Who of the recording industry and there’s no need to broadcast their heartache here. Losing your home is bad enough, but there’s extra sadness when you consider the nature of what we do and what it requires over the course of a lifetime to do it.

It takes years of sweat and hard work to accumulate recording equipment or a collection of instruments, and for many musicians, the thought of losing a favorite instrument is like losing a part of their soul. True, they are only tools, but these are expensive tools that are often difficult to source even when you have the funds. A lot of the members of our community will have to start over, from scratch.

Mix Blog: If You Don’t Have It in Two Places…

There are a lot of legitimate charities rallying to help out, and as is often the case after a natural disaster, there are also a lot of scammers looking to take advantage of good-natured folks. Personally, I’m going to donate to MusiCares which, in conjunction with The Recording Academy, has pledged $1 million to launch the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort.

Legit organizations to which you can donate with confidence that the funds will actually reach those in need include the American Red Cross, California Fire Foundation, Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, Salvation Army, and YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, all of which have a history of assisting disaster relief.

Beware of phone calls and emails from people claiming to represent legitimate charities, and take heed when clicking on posts in social media like Facebook. There was at least one scam where what appeared to be an ad from Guitar Center actually had a fraudulent link. If you’ve lost musical instruments due to the California wildfires, the real Guitar Center has initiated a grant program to help replace lost instruments.

My heart goes out to our friends, colleagues and their families during this difficult time.