U2 charity to buy instruments for musicians affected by Hurricane Harvey
U2 guitarist The Edge is using his Music Rising charity to purchase instruments for displaced musicians in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Music Rising was founded by David ‘The Edge’ Evans, legendary producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar head honcho Henry Juszkiewicz in November 2005 in response to the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.
Funds raised by the initiative aided the reopening of the historic Preservation Hall landmark in New Orleans in April 2006 after it lost all its instruments in the hurricane, while the charity also replaced the Baldwin Piano that Fats Domino lost when his house was decimated.
According to the charity’s official website, Music Rising has restored instruments to tens of thousands of parishioners and students in the Gulf Coast region.
Speaking to US radio station Mix 104.1 yesterday (7th September), U2 singer Bono says the charity is now stepping up to aid another southern city hit by a natural disaster – Houston, Texas.
Bono said: “You might recall that Edge – when Hurricane Katrina did its damage to New Orleans and destroyed the lives of so many musicians there – he put together Music Rising. And it was a really clever way of getting the musicians of the area some instruments so they could continue to live.
“Edge has been in discussions now to do the same in Houston. And you know, we have private ways that we will respond, but publically that’s what we’re doing.”
For more details head to the Music Rising website.
In other U2 news, the Irish band debuted their new song 'You're the Best Thing About Me' on Wednesday.
The first official single to be lifted from U2's upcoming album ‘Songs of Experience’, the song is available to download right now. Watch the lyric video here: