LA: a compilation of 97 tracks in support of fire victims

On January 21, Leaving Records announced the release of an album, Staying : a compilation bringing together the creations of 97 artists. The profits will go to support the victims, as well as their fellow artists who were victims of the Los Angeles fires.

Conceived and compiled by the creator of the Leaving Records label, Matthew David and with the help of Carlos Niño, the disc entitled Staying was born from the ashes of the Los Angeles fires. In total, there are 97 tracks that provide support to artists impacted by the disaster. There we find, among others, personalities like André 3000, Julia Holter and Arushi Jain.

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In an intimate press release, which seems written on the spot, Emmett Shoemaker, journalist, writer and editor, puts down on paper the climate that reigns in the City of Angels. A timeless, post-apocalyptic scene, he describes it strikingly in spine-chilling prose:

© Leaving Records – « Staying »

“We get up in the morning without having slept. We check the air quality. We check the progress of the fires on the same app we all have installed (the city’s alert system keeps crashing). We add another photo to the travel bag. We wonder what the phrase ‘8% lockdown’ means or what distinguishes ‘ready’ from ‘ready’ when evacuation alerts are issued every few minutes. And what happens when warnings turn into orders? We evacuate. If we have time, we go around our houses, recording every room, recounting all our belongings, for ‘insurance’ purposes. If we don’t have time, we leave. We’re coming to a place…safe…safer? We exhale.
Another alert. We evacuate again. We didn’t even open the travel bag. We send messages. We call. They don’t respond. They’re probably fine, but why aren’t they responding? Probably for the same reason you’re not responding. We don’t have time and we can’t think. Your phone is blowing up. Relatives and friends watch the news. ‘How far away are you?’ You’re too close”

Raw text, where we understand the emotion that accompanies the release of the record. The titles follow one another to pay a polyphonic tribute to those who have sometimes lost everything. To support recovery efforts, 50% of profits collected will be allocated “in the fairest possible manner to artists in need”. The other part will be donated to black families and precarious communities displaced and affected by the fires.

Also read: LA: Public Enemy begs to stop posting “Burn Hollwood Burn” to illustrate the fires compile

The label has a special history with this Los Angeles County location and its community. He then applies what is best to try on his own scale to heal the gaping wounds of the city.

“Personal and collective healing, ecological recovery, spiritual transcendence, radical communality – these concerns are omnipresent in Leaving’s list and catalog. Never in the history of the label has there been so much demand to celebrate and implement these principles. »

Since the outbreak of the fires on January 7, numerous support initiatives have been launched. Fundraisers have been held to help artists such as Zachary Cole Smith (Diiv), rapper Fat Tony, Madlib, and many others. Organizations like BeyGood and MusiCares have actively participated in collecting donations to allow certain artists to consider purchasing or repairing lost equipment.

On January 30, a charity concert will culminate the solidarity movement with performances by personalities such as Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell and Red Hot Chili Peppers.