R.E.M., MJ Lenderman, Fleet Foxes, Jason Isbell, Phish, Decemberists & More Contribute to Massive Hurricane Helene Benefit Album

More than 100 artists have banded together for the massive Cardinals at the Window compilation featuring previously unreleased recordings to benefit the victims of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Proceeds from sales of the $10 album — which is out today on Bandcamp — will go to a number of organizations on the ground in hard-hit Asheville, N.C., including Rural Organizing and Resilience, BeLoved Asheville and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Among the artists who provided previously unreleased songs for the record are: the Mountain Goats (“Hand of Death”), Sharon Van Etten (“Weather”), Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (“Smilin'”), the Go-Betweens (“Ashes on the Lawn”), Sylvan Esso (“One More”), Real Estate (“Pink Sky”), Hotline TNT (“Candle”), Geologist (“Route 9 Falls”) and Lonnie Holley (“Tonky’s Rocket Ship”).

Others offered up live recordings or covers, including: R.E.M. (“King of Birds”), Phish (“Sand”), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with Jerry Douglas (“Children of Children”), Jeff Tweedy with Karly Hartzman (“How Hard It Is For Desert to Die”), the War on Drugs (“Harmonia’s Dream”), Fleet Foxes (“Blue Ridge Mountains”), King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard (“Change”), Feist (“Borrow Trouble”), the Decemberists (“William Fitzwilliam”) and Tune-Yards (“Hypnotized”).

The compilation also featured songs from Angel Olsen, S.G. Goodman and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Lambchop, Tyler Childers, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Helado Negro, the Avett Brothers, Kevin Morby, Drive-By Truckers and many more; click here to see the full track list and to contribute.

A number of artists have stepped up to offer help to the wide swath of Americans who were impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton, including Taylor Swift, who donated $5 million to relief efforts in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, according to a statement from Feeding America on Wednesday.

Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and brought with her historic storm surge and lashing winds that resulted in 230 deaths to date and billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure. Milton’s landfall in Florida on Wednesday (Oct. 9) as a category 3 storm is expected to leave an equally destructive path in its wake.

Other acts doing their part include Luke Combs and Eric Church, who announced their Concert for Carolina benefit show this week, which will take place on Oct. 26 at North Carolina’s Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, where they’ll be joined by James Taylor and Billy Strings. In addition, Metallica pledged $100K to Helene relief and Dolly Parton donated $1 million of her own money to help relief efforts, as well as another $1 million through her various business entities to help affected areas.

Morgan Wallen donated $500,000 to the Red Cross‘ hurricane relief efforts through his Morgan Wallen Foundation, Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation donated $100,000 to help animals impacted by the hurricane and Sturgill Simpson announced a one-off Oct. 21 benefit show at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, N.C. with proceeds earmarked for the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.