Carly Johnson is worried for the livelihood of local musicians who depend on bars and restaurants for their living wages which are now closed due to the directive by Governor Beshear to prevent further spread of Covid19 . And she should be: She's one of those musicians who depends on these venues. But instead of wringing her hands, she's launched a GoFundMe page called "With A Little Hope From My Friends" to help out folks just like herself in this time of great uncertainty. At the end of the fundraiser, there will be a grand concert in the Fall of this year as a big thank you to the community for their help. WFPK will announce more when those details are known. In the meantime, here is the letter from Carly on the GoFundMe page and how you can help:
Dear Louisville Live Music Lovers,
The terrifying financial impact of the coronavirus is only beginning to wreak havoc in Louisville, KY and beyond. Restaurants and bars are now in crisis, being forced to close for the good of the community and the trickle down affect is real.
This fundraiser hopes to mitigate some of the financial burdens that are trickling down to your Louisville musicians. Having the opportunity to express ourselves musically for Louisville is an honor and a privilege—even with the uncertainties and struggles that being a full time musician so often entails—we consider it our calling and a gift to be able to openly connect with our community.
We need your help. As full time musicians, for many of us, playing for you at restaurants and bars is our entire source of income. With the closure of this community we are truly in a bind and we’re afraid for our future.
The mission of this fundraiser is to provide a minimum of 2 weeks relief for any Louisville musician that is now out of significant work due to these closures. Our larger loftier goal is provide 4 weeks of relief. Though both of these estimates of downtime are extremely modest, we’re hoping for the absolute best.
We are SO GRATEFUL for your support. This fall we will have a Louisville musical showcase with all of the musicians that will benefit from your generosity, called “With A Little Hope From My Friends.” We plan to thank you all with as much love and music as we can muster. All donations of $25 and over will include free admission to this future concert, to be put on Fall 2020.
Though this list is rapidly growing, just a small handful of the musicians that will currently seek immediate relief from your contributions are:
Carly Johnson • Craig Wagner • Robbie Bartlett • John Austin Clark • Sheryl Rouse • Tim Whalen • Jyn Yates • Kiana Benhoff • Alice Culin-Ellison • Myra Craig • Lauren Eid • Brett Holsclaw • Kendall Carter • Mathew Mozzoni • Brigid Kaelin • Lee Puckett • Anthony Tarullo • and many many more...
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Please stay safe and love each other.
Love,
Carly Johnson and your Louisville live music family
PARTICIPATION LOGISTICS:
Any musician that mostly relies on performance income from restaurants and bars/special events can contact me! I will put them on the list for relief. My goal is to get anyone who needs it, at least 2 weeks of financial relief. Of course this will all depend on how much we receive but I have faith! Amounts given out will be based on individual musician’s projected losses over the next 2-4 weeks.
