Light in the Attic Records has won music listeners’ hearts by reissuing cult favorite albums, such as the score to Jodorowsky’s Dune. Now, the label is earning our love once again with a star-studded livestream COVID-19 charity concert featuring Jarvis Cocker, Ben Gibbard, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Fred Armisen, Devendra Banhart, and more. The event kicks off tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. PST and is free to watch via Twitch and YouTube. Donations to MusiCares are encouraged.
In addition to the Pulp frontman and company, the charity show will include performances from Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Sandy Dedrick of sixties psych poppers The Free Design, Alex Maas of The Black Angels, Mark Lightcap of Acetone, The Beach Boys poet and lyricist Stephen John Kalinich, Japanese ambient pioneers Inoyama Land (Kankyō Ongaku), DJ Money Mark, Texas soul queen Barbara Lynn, British folk legend Michael Chapman, and Italian composer Gigi Masin.
Leonard Sanders of modern soul-gospel group the Supreme Jubilees, jazz giant Azar Lawrence, Brazilian great Marcos Valle, singer-songwriter Lynn Castle, guitarist Sessa, and Grant & Frankie Olsen (of Gold Leaves and Arthur & Yu, respectively) will be playing on the livestream, too.
“100% of donations will be given to MusiCares, helping people in the music community affected by the Coronavirus,” the record label said in an Instagram post. “While quarantined at home — from Rio to Tokyo; Cardiff to Austin; Barbados to Italy — each musician will be doing what they do best, sharing the gift of song, maybe in their pajamas and maybe with their kids, and wherever feels comfy and cozy in the privacy of their home.”
If it weren’t already obvious, this Light in the Attic livestream charity concert will be special for its guests and its setlist. The label has re-released rare music by some of these legendary artists over the past 20 years, and hopefully those acts will choose songs from records issued on the label. Meanwhile, the other musicians will cover songs from Light in the Attic’s catalog to honor their friendship with the label.
The coronavirus pandemic has seen artists come together to help those less fortunate than themselves however they can. Taylor Swift is covering the salary and healthcare of all employees at Nashville record store Grimey’s, Bon Iver are donating their merch sales to Wisconsin organizations fighting the outbreak, Rihanna gave $5 million to coronavirus relief efforts, Ariana Grande is sending money to fans who lost their jobs, and Dolly Parton donated $1 million to COVID-19 research while keeping up with her weekly reading of children’s books on Youtube.
Once this Light in the Attic livestream wraps up, consider viewing one of the hundreds of other digital concerts taking place online. Find out how to watch artists like Dave Matthews, Charli XCX, Ben Gibbard, Christine and the Queens, and more live with our updated list of quarantine livestreams.
Jim James, Fred Armisen, Jarvis Cocker to Play Light in the Attic Livestream Charity Concert
Nina Corcoran
