Episode 082 offers a bit of a different trip than the usual Upful LIFE Podcast. This program is focused entirely on Asheville NC & surrouding Appalachia in the wake of unimaginable destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene in late September. The Asheville music and arts community is a beacon of light and creativity, full of ambitious artisans, dreamers n' doers whom I admire. The good folks of AVL and Appalachia need a whole lotta love, positive energy, prayers, and most importantly DONATIONS to continue their long, arduous process of recovery and rebuilding. 

This podcast presents four conversations between five different people rooted down in Appalachia, connected to the local music/arts community, and who each lived their own harrowing version of this same nightmare.  It is an honor and privilege to offer a platform for these special souls to tell their storm stories, and ruminate on the realities of the recovery journey. Tune in for emotional, inspirational reflections from Leah Song (Rising Appalachia) and Andy Fyfe, Josh Blake of GFE and iamAVL, Wren Ashley from The Nohm Collective, and Brian Good of Asheville Music Hall.

If you are moved by the contents of this programming, please consider a donation to any of the efforts linked below.

• 0:00 - ep.082 preview


• 4:00 - iamAVL - Music Industry Relief Fund


• 6:15 - Come Together 12/6 benefit concert for Asheville Music Hall


• 7:50 - The Upful Update


• 10:00 - why I'm doing a pod about Hurricane Helene / Appalachia


• 17:20 - shoutout Katie Flanagan - AVL superhero


• 20:00 - introducing LEAH SONG and ANDY FYFE


• 23:00 - conversation w/ Leah, Andy [37 min]


• 1:01:40 - introducing JOSH BLAKE


• 1:03:30 - conversation w/ Josh [46 min]


• 1:50:00 - introducing WREN from The Nohm Co.


• 1:52:20 - conversation w/ Wren [25 min]


• 2:17:00 -  introducing BRIAN GOOD of Asheville Music Hall


• 2:20:15 - conversation w/ Brian [19 min]


• 2:39:15 - afterglow, Vibe Junkie JAMZ

On September 27, 2024 the remnants of the Category 4 Hurricane Helene turned Asheville, N.C., into a post-apocalyptic landscape: fallen trees blocking streets; roads turned into creek beds; power lines down everywhere; city water lines destroyed; bridges torn apart. The region’s two rivers carried whole houses downstream. What buildings that remain in the lower areas of Buncombe County are larded with a foot-deep layer of toxic mud. Many people died. 

The storm was prodigious. Official reports note that 2,300 structures were destroyed completely or made uninhabitable. That’s homes, stores, and other businesses. The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina was closed along its entire length, and its director said that some 10,000 trees had fallen into the roadway. Parts of the parkway were covered in landslide mud, while in other places the pavement had washed away entirely. In several locations, the North Fork Swannanoa River carved new courses, leaving at least one bridge over dry land and the water flowing a hundred yards to the west.  

Along the French Broad River south of downtown Asheville, the River Arts District was completely wiped out. The narrow, 14-mile long Hickory Nut Gorge, which drops about 1,800 feet between the town of Gerton and Lake Lure, much of the road is now reduced to a rocky creek bed.  Estimates for regional damages are currently at $53 billion.

Vibe Junkie JAMZ

"Tomorrow's Cost" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and Friends

"Everybody Hurts" (REM cover) - Al Green

Vetted resources and references

• Grassroots Aid Partnership


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• iamAVL - Music Industry Relief Fund


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• Rising Appalachia [several fundraising options]


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• Flood Back Art 


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• Katie Flanagan [AVL superhero]  donate here


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• Art Garden AVL


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• Asheville Music Hall - Joe Marcinek's Dead Funk Summit 12/6


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• More resources via ArtsAVL

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Theme Song: "Mazel Tov"- CALVIN VALENTINE