As many of you know, the band has been very supportive of the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund, an organization devoted to providing financial support to displaced NOLA musicians. You may have seen the moving video R.E.M. and Entertainment Weekly put together recently along with photos of post-hurricane Katrina stills shot by Michael, NOMRF, and Mercy Corps. We also mentioned in a news item a few days ago that Mike Mills has signed a vintage amplifier which will be auctioned later this month to benefit NOMRF.
If you have friends who enjoy New Orleans music, please encourage them to consider supporting the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund in the MySpace Impact Awards, Community Building category. NOMRF is in competition with some very worthy charities and voting is currently taking place here through August 24th. You can vote every day though Friday – winners of the $10,000 grant will be announced next week.
From NOMRF Myspace page:
Imagine waking up tomorrow and packing up everything you can fit in the car. Your guitar, home studio, merchandise – everything you leave behind is lost. Two years after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund helps displaced musicians survive. Along with grants, NOMRF has offered housing, furniture, transportation and instruments. We founded NOMRF in internet cafes and FEMA rooms while out on the road post-Katrina, and hundreds of grant recipients are still spread throughout the country. With volunteer graphic designers, publicists and video producers, everything you see on our MySpace is a labor of love.