Five years ago this summer, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Today, the city is dealing with the consequences of the BP oil spill, as well as ongoing rebuilding from Katrina’s destruction. On the occasion of this unfortunate anniversary, the nonprofit musicians’ resource group Air Traffic Control is putting together a little something special. It’s a digital download album called Dear New Orleans, named after a letter Times-Picayune writer Chris Rose published shortly after Katrina to thank people for their support of New Orleans.
Dear New Orleans features an enormous 31 tracks, including covers and original songs from the likes of Steve Earle, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Laura Veirs, Jon Langford, Wayne Kramer, The Wrens, Mirah, Thao Nguyen, and My Morning Jacket, plus many more. Jon Langford and McSweeney’s Publishing head Barbara Bersche provided the album art. The compilation will be available for download on August 24 from dearneworleansmusic.org, iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody, and eMusic.com. Proceeds benefit arts and culture organization Sweet Home New Orleans and the environmental group Gulf Restoration Network.
Dear New Orleans tracklisting:
01. OK Go, “Louisiana Land”
02. The Mendoza Line, “Catch a Collapsing Star”
03. Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, “Midnight in the City of Destruction”
04. Janet Bean and the Concertina Wire, “My Little Brigadoon”
05. Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “Love in the Hot Afternoon”
06. Paul Sanchez (feat. Shamarr Allen), “Don’t Be Sure”
07. Alec Ounsworth (feat. Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and John Boutte), “Dr. So and So”
08. Steve Earle, “Dixieland”
09. Luke Reynolds, “Flood”
10. Jon Langford, “Last Fair Deal Gone Down”
11. Laura Veirs, “I Can See Your Tracks”
12. Vijay Iyer, “Threnody”
13. Jill Sobule, “Where is Bobbie Gentry?”
14. Flobots, “Stand Up”
15. Rebecca Gates, “Doos”
16. The Wrens, “Crescent”
17. Indigo Girls (feat. Brandi Carlile), “Kid Fears”
18. Timothy Bracy’s Collection Agency, “Matching Scars”
19. Nellie McKay, “Late Again”
20. Blind Pilot, “Buried a Bone”
21. Mirah (feat. Thao Nguyen), “NOLA”
22. Allison Moorer, “A Change Is Gonna Come”
23. 2nd Chief David Montana, “The Change of Heart Man”
24. Wonderlick, “The American Way”
25. Bonerama, “Mr. Go”
26. Thao Nguyen and Bonerama, “Body”
27. Erin McKeown and Bonerama, “Blackbirds”
28. Nicole Atkins and Bonerama, “When the Levee Breaks”
29. Mike Mills and Bonerama (with Wayne Kramer and Dave Herlihy), “Ohio”
30. Wayne Kramer and Bonerama (with Mike Mills, Erin McKeown, Nicole Atkins and Martín Perna), “Kick Out the Jams”
31. My Morning Jacket and Preservation Hall Jazz Band, “Carnival Time”
• Air Traffic Control: http://www.atctower.net