82 Rage Against the Wind benefit CDs sold
Rage Against the Wind benefit CD NOW AVAILABLE
Rage Against the Wind - White Wash and Kellen
Walk On - Hunter Lawley
Closed Captions - Justin Keys
Came a Pale Rider - Oktober
My Hometown - Self Made
You're Country - Florida/Georgia Line
Carousel - Michael Ray Britt (of Pull)
My Life - Mishap
Big Blue Eyes - Bret Dailey
Karma - Alva
Second Best - Kellen
Love Hate and Let it Go - White Wash
Mama Tried - Victoria Hallman
Amazing Grace - Steadfast Heart
Click here to donate any amount your choose to our cause.
On April 27th several severe storms and tornadoes touched down across the southeast shattering lives and homes. The state of Alabama received the majority of the damage. The state is still in the grips of the devastating reality and the numerous casualties. We are rebuilding but with so much destruction it is a slow process.
Due to the widespread tragedy and horrendous damage statewide most of the attention is understandably going to the more densely populated areas such as Tuscaloosa and Pratt City. Yet there are so many rural communities which were also affected by this panic. Among them are the rural communities of Eoline (Bibb County) and Sawyerville (Hale County).
Rage Against the Wind is an idea formulated by a handful of local musicians and others who wanted to make a difference, but in a unique way - by bringing a youthful spirit to the fight to rebuild what was taken in a brief moment.
On June 20th the Rage Against the Wind benefit compilation album featuring several Alabama artists, many from the Bibb County area, will be released to the public. 100% of the proceeds from this album will go to storm victims in the counties of Bibb and Hale. No money will be donated to any organization, rather it will go directly from the hands of White Wash Productions and Out of the Box Entertainment (the producing entities) to those of victims.
On June 25th in Brent, Albama these artists will perform the first of a series of free live events. Donations will be recieved, and 100% of the proceeds from sales of merchandise and concessions will also go directly to the victims of these storms.
If this venture has the success we are planning, the project will begin donating money to other rural areas which were affected by these storms and are being overlooked due to the attention of major cities.
We hope you support our cause and RAGE WITH US!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Michael Ray Britt - Rage of a seasoned gunslinger
For nearly a decade Britt was well known by many in the working music acts across the south. A raging (no pun intended) guitarist and ultimate perfectionist, he has wowed the unwowable (and we are pretty sure we just made that word up).
Yet with all the talent he possesses and all the respect he has earned, Michael Ray Britt has never been able to grab onto that star. Between service in the U.S. Army and raising a family he allowed his dreams to become secondary.
In 2010 Britt and some local musicians including RATW promoter, Jeremy Crowson (bass) formed a new band with a new sound. "Pull" combines the imagination of true heavy metal with the southern flare that Britt has always possessed.
Hunter Lawley - A Working Musician Rages
Hailing from the Heart of Dixie , Hunter Lawley has established himself as one of Alabama's most entertaining musicians. It is a trying task to nail his sound to any particular genre. He's country infused, with a rockabilly attitude and can rock with the best rock musicians.
His inspirational song, "Walk On" will be featured on the "Rage Against the Wind" tornado relief album. Hunter was contacted by RATW executive producer, Daniel L. Bamberg about appearing on the album and graciously hopped on board, allowing Bamberg to select from a variety of HLB originals.
"Hunter's work is exactly as advertised," said Bamberg. "He is a blue collar musician, and by that I mean a working/career musician. This is his job and he seems very dedicated to the integrity of live performance. I am thrilled to have him on this album. There were some other great tracks he submitted but 'Walk On' is a perfect blend of the ingredients I hear in Hunter's music. It also fits this cause perfectly."
As a full time artist, Hunter Lawley has wowed audience all over the southeast, opening for acts such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Eric Church, BlackBerry Smoke and Tony Joe White. Playing in some of the biggest venues in the country, such as Workplay Theatre, The War Eagle Supper Club and The Flora-Bama, he captivates crowds with his energetic performance and unmatchable stage presence.
White Wash and Kellen Rage on Talk of Alabama
"Strange things happen on live television," explained Bamberg. "We in no way hold ABC 33/40 accountable for the audio difficulties. You can be the most professional and well rounded producer and something can still go awry. I was tremendously proud that David (White Wash) and Kellen did not let the audio problems stop them. They were amazing with all things considered and maintained professional poise."
Bamberg expressed his appreciation for the producers at 33/40 and Talk of Alabama in promoting the RATW cause.
"Ultimately looking at the segment it wasn't great but this is not about us as individuals it is about our cause," stated Bamberg. "I deeply appreciate ABC 33/40 for finding the time to help promote our message. There are still many people in Bibb and Hale Counties who are in need of help in various ways. Due to so much devastation across the state a lot of the rural areas are fending for themselves in terms of awareness. The Red Cross has visited, FEMA has visited but much of the help in these areas is coming from our local EMA, Police, Churches, and community leaders. So our cause was generated to add to that small but determined army of inside help. Any moment major media gives to this campaign is both necessary and appreciated."
Presumably due to the obvious audio problems ABC 33/40 has not placed a video of the performance on their website. Bamberg explains that this is probably a good thing.
"We were looking forward to the blog posting the video until we actually saw it for ourselves," said Bamberg. "I believe ABC 33/40 exercised proper discretion in not posting it online. They seemed to feel pretty bad about how things ended up. I think they ultimately didn't want technical issues to reflect poorly on these amazing artists. If you saw it, you saw it. If you didn't see it, that is probably a good thing. Regardless, we still deeply appreciate the opportunity to promote the cause."