[Rolling Stone] Kentucky Musicians Share ‘Lift Up Louisville’ for COVID-19 Response Fund

Musicians and artists from the diverse music scene in Louisville, Kentucky, have collaborated on a charity single, “Lift Up Louisville,” to raise money for the city’s COVID-19 response fund.

Recorded remotely in the midst of quarantine, the song and its accompanying video feature dozens of local Louisville acts including Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Will Oldham, Ben Sollee, Scott Carney, Dani Markham, Patrick Hallahan, Jecorey Arthur, Jason Clayborn and more, organized by the Louisville Orchestra’s music director Teddy Abrams.

All proceeds from the single will benefit the One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund, the city’s central funding source for providing emergency resources in the surrounding region.

[Consequence of Sound] Jim James, Will Oldham, and Over 20 Kentucky Artists Share “Lift Up Louisville”

Over 20 Kentucky musicians, including Jim James, Will Oldham, and Scott Carney of Wax Fang, have teamed up with Teddy Abrams of the Louisville Orchestra for the new charity single, “Lift Up Louisville”. Proceeds benefit the One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund.

The song came about at the request of Louisville mayor Greg Fisher. Abrams organized the proceedings, as well as writing the piano music that became the song’s backbone. The lyrics were a collaboration between James, Oldham, Carney, and Louisville rapper 1200, birth name Jecorey Arthur.

[Stereogum] Watch Jim James, Will Oldham, & Other Kentucky Musicians Sing New Charity Single “Lift Up Louisville”

We’ve seen a whole lot of all-star singalongs in recent weeks — like the celeb-heavy Canadian one that aired as part of a COVID-19 relief special last one — but the new song “Lift Up Louisville” is a little different. The new single has been created specifically by the musicians of the music-rich Kentucky city Louisville. The song features people like Will Oldham, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Patrick Hallahan, Wax Fang’s Scott Carney, mandolinist Sam Bush, folk musician Daniel Martin Moore, and rapper Jecorey Arthur — all of whom call Louisville home.

“Lift Up Louisville” comes from an idea that Louisville mayor Greg Fischer had. Fischer wanted to do something nice for the city, raising money and showcasing many of the city’s musicians. Fischer contacted the Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams, who recently put out an album with Jim James. Abrams helped put the track together and write the song. The song pulls in a lot of different musical genres, but it largely fits within the country-folk tradition for which Louisville is probably best-known. In the video, the various musicians perform in their houses or out in Louisville’s mostly-abandoned streets. Check it out here.

[WFPL] How Nearly 30 Louisville Area Musicians Composed A Song For The City

When Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer pitched the idea of a city song, Teddy Abrams said it became clear, pretty quickly, that the piece should be created by a collective of local musicians.

Abrams, a pianist, composer and music director for the Louisville Orchestra, had been working with the mayor on a campaign called “Lift Up Lou,” which, as part of the effort, used arts and culture to boost community morale during these tough times. What emerged was a sort of anthem for the city called “Lift Up Louisville,” Abrams said the mayor told him “it would be uplifting, it would be positive and something that would really showcase our city in the best way.”

“And I said, okay, well we’ll get to work on that,” Abrams said.

Read the full story here...

"Lift Up Louisville" Featured on NPR Music's All Songs Considered podcast.

On this edition of All Songs Considered, I bring you "Joy" in the form of a song from the artist known as Tenci — and some words of encouragement from Lucinda Williams and her new album Good Souls Better Angels. Also, a track that started with the mayor of Louisville who inspired musicians Jim James, Teddy Abrams, Will Oldham, Ben Sollee and Jecorey Arthur to create "Lift Up Louisville," a song to benefit the community and the One Louisville: Covid-19 Response Fund.

Read the full story and listen to the Podcast here...