Last Tuesday, Kenny Clark loaded his three dogs and 20 guitars into the back of his car and headed west to Nashville, Tennessee, where he planned to leave instruments for hurricane relief.
“We had these two days of overwhelming pain, anxiety and confusion, and we wanted to help, but we didn't know what we could do,” said Clark, who co-owns and operates Asheville Guitar Pedals, a shop in North Carolina. . Hurricane Helen hits about three weeks ago.
The store sustained minimal damage but has been closed since the storm. Clark said he initially wasn't sure where to start the rebuilding effort, “and then my partner Miranda came up with the idea. It was a no-brainer.”
They helped organize A raffle and benefit concert at Soft Junk, a Nashville venue, last weekend raised much-needed donations and helped lift spirits. But Clark and other members of Asheville's music scene — which has a gritty and promising reputation — predict a long recovery ahead.
“We definitely don’t want people to forget about us,” said Liz Tallent, who handles marketing and special events for Orange Peel and Rabbit Rabbit, two prominent music venues in Asheville.
Like other artists and creatives in the city, the musicians support each other through financial and emotional problems that won't be easily resolved.
Many places are still closed, festivals have been canceled and tourists are practically absent. Some visual artists especially those located in the vibrant River Arts District have lost their entire portfolio, studio space and home in the flood waters of Helen. A key question now is how to rebuild life and livelihoods in Asheville as attention to the region has diminished.
Talent said the Orange Peel concert hall has become a storage location for pallets of emergency supplies, with the venue paying its staff to handle distribution. Drinking water is slowly returning to suburban Asheville, the city says, although many businesses are still closed or closed operating with fewer hours or service.
We are doing everything we can to keep our artists here in our community.
Katie Cornell, Executive Director of ArtsAVL
October is an important time for many businesses in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee – from rafting operators who transform into search and rescue teams to hotels and agritourism companies that depend on income from the peepers who usually visit this season. year.
Many musicians also rely on the fall performance schedule to keep them afloat through the winter, said Katie Cornell, executive director of ArtsAVL, Asheville's arts council. He said he hears frequent concerns from artists about storm-damaged cars, which they need to get to shows that are still being booked.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our artists here in our community,” he said. “We are very worried about losing artists.”
The shows will steadily return to Asheville in a few weeks, Cornell hopes, but it may take some time for visitors from far away to get to them. A destroyed section of Interstate 40, the main highway connecting Asheville to Tennessee and beyond, will be closed until at least January.
Asheville has a well-established festival scene that collectively raises millions of dollars every year for artists and musicians, restaurants and breweries, lodging operators and other vendors, Cornell said. Many of these events take place in the fall and several have already been cancelled.
Tim Gormley, co-owner of Burial Beer Co., has decided to abandon Barnpile, a music and beer festival he called his company's annual “Super Bowl” event.
“Honestly, it’s not a huge revenue driver, but it’s very significant for us,” he said.
Gormley operates five locations and a music venue spread across Asheville, Charlotte and Raleigh. Properties were not significantly damaged by Helen, he said, but less than half of his 130 employees are working right now; Like many companies, he had to give them some.
The Gombe Festival, which features black music, art and food, has also been canceled this year, said Anthony Thomas, the board's chairman. YMI Cultural Center, which has hosted the event since 1982. YMI itself has an even longer legacy – founded in 1893, it is one of the oldest African-American community centers in the country.
The festival was scheduled for the Friday following Helen's success, and canceling it meant the loss of thousands of dollars in planning costs, as well as a grand reopening of the YMI venue after a six-year, $6 renovation. .4 million.
But the rally's value goes beyond its costs, Thomas said.
“A lot of people who come to Asheville, the first thing they ask is 'Where are all the black people?'” he said. The Gumbay Festival is a place where the black community can “show off in downtown Asheville – an opportunity to showcase their music, their food, their art, their products.”
