Indie Stars Shine On New Fire Relief Comp
RILO KILEY, DAWES, DANIEL BRUMMEL & MORE + VIDEO PREMIERE: Inside QUAZAR & THE BAMBOOZLED's 'Burning Down The House' Session
There’s no “right way” to deal with tragedy and trauma, but creating art can certainly be cathartic.
Almost a year after the Eaton Fire, I’m still processing the loss of our family home, our beloved foothills neighborhood, and much of the Altadena community. Not to mention the five drum sets and a carefully curated vinyl collection that went up in flames with the rest of our most precious personal possessions.
I turned to writing in the weeks after the Eaton and Palisades Fires—and later postcard collage—to process my grief and expend nervous energy. My old Silver Lake music friend and Altadena neighbor, Brandon Jay (aka Quazar), turned to music, first as a performer and soon after as the founder of Altadena Musicians, an organization helping to replace gear and vinyl for fire-impacted musicians and music-lovers.
“I lost my house and recording studio in the Eaton Canyon fire. Talking Heads’ ‘Burning Down the House’ started running through my head as soon as I got the news that our house was completely gone. I played the song for my kids while we were driving back to LA for the first time after evacuating and I told them this was going to be our family’s theme song,” Jay said.
“My band Quazar and the Bamboozled played in LA after the fire and we performed the song live with my kids joining in. It felt like my way of taking the power away from the horrible thing that just happened to us.”
Video of that Quazar and the Bamboozled performance reached the team at Gimme Shelter Collective who were curating Gimme Shelter: Songs For LA Fire Relief. The Shepard Fairey designed two-LP vinyl comp also features: Elliott Smith; Rilo Kiley; Dawes, Andrew Bird, and Alan Hampton; Flaming Lips; Norah Jones; Poolside and Satin Jackets, and Daniel Brummel & Rachel Haden, among many others. Proceeds go to nonprofit organizations supporting Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
⚡️💥 VIDEO PREMIERE
Behind the scenes at the recording of “Burning Down The House” for ‘Gimme Shelter’
“Being able to help Brandon out and host so many fire affected folks, bringing their talents together for a very cathartic recording of ‘Burning Down The House,’ was very special. Also happy that we were able to contribute a Rilo Kiley track as well.”
—Pierre de Reeder, Rilo Kiley & 64 Sound Studio
Over 50 musicians played and sang on the joyous Talking Heads cover.
“I did an open invitation to have any fire-impacted musicians join the ‘Burning Down The House’ recording session at 64 Sound in Highland Park on March 19th,” Jay said.
The track was produced by Rich Mouser, who also lost his home and studio in Altadena, with strings/horns arranged by Brummel. Contributors included: Pasadena musical theater students; violinist Irina Voloshina of Melodia Mariposa, Pasadena Symphony, and LA Opera; experimental instrumentalist Ursula Collision on musical saw; percussionist John Mader on steel drum; composer Gwendolyn Sanford on kazoo, and Center Theater Group’s music director David O on piano.
“It was a very special day and a real joy to have so many people come together, many for the first time, to heal and create some music together,” Jay said.
“It’s my belief that music can be healing. Even physically. The right song or the right collection can help pain be contextualized or processed or even moved on from. I love being a part of a release like [Gimme Shelter] that makes healing its primary objective. Not to mention, to help raise a little money for those that need it.”
—Taylor Goldsmith, Dawes
Brummel’s Pasadena home survived the fire, but suffered significant smoke damage—and both of his daughters’ schools burned down.
“As a Pasadena/Altadena native, having to run for our lives as half our hometown burned down was a very traumatic experience for me and my family,” Brummel said.
In addition to participating in The Bamboozled’s “Burning Down The House” session, Brummel contributed a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going To Town” to Gimme Shelter. It was recorded with a backing band including Matt Mayhall (drums), Ben Brodin (Hammond organ), and Paul Rigby (pedal steel). The track also features vocals by Rachel Haden who lost her childhood home in the Palisades Fire.
“Wainwright’s haunting opening line, ‘I’m going to a town that has already been burned down…’ popped into my head and felt very true to my daily experience of returning to post-fire Altadena. Once I sang through the song, I realized instantly that it expressed exactly how I was feeling about the whole situation,” Brummel said, adding, “To my ear, Rachel has one of the greatest voices on earth, so being there as she sang those words was a magical, cathartic experience.”
Brummel’s band Sanglorians and Jay (aka Quazar) will be performing at Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The afternoon, all ages show—also featuring talented local teens The Acrylic—is a vinyl donation drive for Altadena Musicians. We’ve already received a few boxes of used and new vinyl (with more on the way!) from generous donors including Los Angeles College of Music, Big Stir Records, McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World, Omnivore Records, and Propellor Records.
And we can’t wait to see what arrives from the local community on the day of the Healing Force show. We’ll also be previewing tracks from Gimme Shelter: Songs For LA Fire Relief between acts. The compilation officially drops on Monday, Dec. 15.
“Relief compilations bring resources and attention to the very real needs of the affected community. They document the feelings and compassion artists have for the issue, and give a way for artists and listeners both to express support in a tangible way,” Brummel said.
“Some of my favorite records are comps!”
Melted Wax—Part 2
Earlier this year I wrote about a few albums that were part of a 1,000+ vinyl collection destroyed by the Eaton Fire. This is a follow up about 10 more albums I’ve wanted to reach for in recent months. You can read the first Melted Wax essay HERE.
Beautiful documention of how collective creativity becomes survival strategy during crisis. The detail about 50+ musicians showing up for that Talking Heads session is powerful because it shows community forming around shared loss rather than fragmenting. Lost a childhood home to wildfire years back and the hardest part was watching everyone try to process it alone. What Quazar built with Altadena Musicians transforms that isolation into something generativ, and relief comps like this create both immediate aid and lasting artifacts of resiliance.