Bringing community together
A note from Catherine:
On September 27th, 2024 Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina and suddenly our local music industry lost everything: gigs, instruments, venues, and its creative spirit as we fought to survive. Over 3 days in October, Echo Mountain Studio opened its doors in downtown Asheville and brought together 70 musicians for free jam sessions. Most of these musicians had never met. Jessica Tomasin recaps this incredible event in her Substack. Read the full post here, or the excerpt below:
Jessica Tomasin, Studio Manager:
I met with my team at Echo Mountain to discuss reopening the studio. We knew scheduling sessions for the following week would be tough given the short notice, but we wanted to take a step forward. I suggested hosting jam sessions for local musicians, knowing that with three weeks of canceled gigs, many hadn’t played in a while. The team was fully on board, and it felt like a meaningful way to help our community while finding a way forward.
On Monday, Charlie created a signup form within minutes so we could post it right away. By the next day, we had 50 musicians signed up. The Echo Mountain crew organized a call to review availability and start building out the sessions. We kicked off with drums and bass to establish a rhythm section and layered in other musicians based on their schedules and instruments. After a few technical snags with the platform, by Tuesday at 4:30, we had all 50 musicians scheduled across 12 sessions over three days, with everyone getting a chance to play. Some of these musicians we know, but there was many we did not know.
Our jam sessions kicked off at 2 PM the following day. When I turned on my computer at 9 AM, I saw we had another 13 sign-ups. It took three hours to fit them into the schedule, complicated by availability conflicts and the steady flow of people—friends stopping in for hugs, new faces for introductions—in and out of the studio’s control room. Scheduling musicians, by the way, is like herding cats; some who gave their availability later changed their minds, so I was juggling both new additions and rescheduling parts of the original 50.
I’d also reached out to friends at Drop of Sun, a local studio, a few days before and invited them to the studio. I wanted to learn about their relief efforts and see how we might support each other to aid artists in the long term. Having them there was wonderful as we welcomed musicians of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds into the studio.
In the end, we hosted around 70 musicians over three days, and it turned into something truly beautiful. The goal wasn’t a final product, though we recorded—it was about creating a space for our music community to come together.
It was incredible to see so many musicians meeting for the first time! Each session had its own unique vibe, with seasoned pros playing alongside people who’d only jammed in their garages. Some walked in intimidated, only to realize they belonged in the room—everyone did. Some joined multiple sessions, while others played just once.
We’re hosting another jam on Monday with my dear friend Elizabeth Garland, founder of Slay the Mic Media, and there may be more to come—we’ll see. We recorded and filmed everything, and our next step is likely to mix a few songs and maybe host a listening party. We’ll need space for at least 100 people; I have a feeling that’s where we’re headed.
It feels like we’re moving forward, but we have such a long way to go—all of us in WNC. I know the Echo Mountain team needed this, too. We’ve decided to donate a portion of each paid session to disaster recovery. So tell your friends to book a session, enjoy our local restaurants, and do their holiday shopping at local businesses. We need you.
