SWANNANOA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – You don’t need a trained ear to know when a guitar sounds out of tune. On Saturday at Warren Wilson College, the spirit of community was pitch perfect.
“This is our community service,” says luthier Cathy Currier of Kentucky, who came to Western North Carolina to lend her expertise with guitars to be distributed to Helene Survivors.
“Cleaning, restringing, and adjusting,” she told Queen City News.
Currier and others in the music community stepped up for a simple reason, she explained.
“Music saves lives,” Currier says.
Many lost instruments in the historic storm and John Rogers of Grayson County, Virginia has felt lost ever since.
“A new start, a little bit of light,” he said of the chance to replace his musical equipment.
He was among the first in a long line to grab hold of the lifeline they believe has the power to save their psyche.
“Thanks for coming; we’ve got plenty of instruments for everybody!” a volunteer assured them.
Wood Songs collected more than a thousand instruments to be distributed for free to those who endured Helene. The inventory included guitars, drums, horns, keyboards, amps, and more.
Folk musician Michael Johnathan leads the distribution effort.
“They create the soundtrack of America’s front porch,” he said. “So exciting to see these many hundreds of people lining up to get the instruments donated from all over America because America loves the spirit of the front porch, and that is what these people represent.”
“We know that the region has gone through a very hard time,” Johnathon announced before the crowd got their pick of a wide array of instruments.
“Okay, I’ll take it!” one man says, grabbing an acoustic guitar.
Each donation was like a gift from a stranger, and yes, there were a few strings attached. Sometimes, it comes with a note from the donor.
“Peace, love, and good music to you,” said Kari Porter, a UNC Asheville student, who found calm after the storm.
“After Helene, I was using instruments from campus, and I wasn’t able to enjoy that craft, and this is just incredible,” Porter says.
“This one’s gorgeous, man,” Rogers said, choosing a guitar. “I’ll take that one. Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”
Without music, they’d all miss a beat.
“This is my therapy,” says Rogers.
“God, you’re saving my life here, thank you so much!” he told volunteers.
On this day, it was a constant stream of strums with smiles.
“After the storm, me and my family have been financially thin,” said Western Carolina student, Draegan Taylor.
Getting his groove back means everything.
“It’s how I connect with other people,” Taylor says.
For months, musicians have been forced to adapt to the sound of silence. Now, they can reclaim the sound of solace.
Tyler Ladd christened his guitar with a Bob Dylan classic.
“And accept it that soon, you’ll be drenched to the bone,” he sang while trying out a guitar. “You’d better start swimming, or you’ll sink like a stone; the times, they are a-changing.”
“Means the world to me to be able to have this,” said Ladd.
Together, they’ve learned disaster recovery is not a solo act. That gives them gratitude.
“Thank you so, so much,” Rogers repeated. “Thank you so, so much. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”
He can’t say it enough.
He and hundreds of others are reconnected with a soothing source of identity that’s been sorely missed.
“Changed my whole situation in like 30 seconds,” Rogers says.
WoodSongs isn’t the only group reaching out to musicians hit by Helene.
The nonprofit ReString Appalachia continues to collect instruments and cash donations to help restore the soundtrack of the mountains.
