Shinedown has raised $250,000 to benefit first responders via Direct Relief, a non-profit organization that is “making sure the courage of health workers on the front lines is honored with meaningful support, and the people most at risk in this pandemic are cared for – regardless of politics, religion, or ability to pay.” The bundle fundraiser was launched by Brent Smith and Zach Myers amid the coronavirus pandemic to support the healthcare workers and those on the frontlines.
The funds were raised via a t-shirt and song bundle and a generous $20,000 donation from the band. You can grab the bundle HERE as it is still available with funds still benefitting Direct Relief. The song mentioned is their new song “Atlas Falls,” which didn’t appear on any Shinedown albums but was a song that didn’t make the album cut for their 2012 release of Amaryllis.
“Keep moving forward now, keep your head above the clouds / I’m right with you, I’ll lift you. Just hold on,” the songs chorus sings.
“Their sole purpose, and the mission of what Direct Relief is built around, is the medical and scientific community – the men and the women that handle those situations during times of crisis, whether it’s poverty, or a natural disaster or a pandemic,” Zach Myers told Forbes in an interview speaking about Direct Relief. “And that’s exactly what Direct Relief is there to do: to get these men and women the resources they need, on the ground in times of crisis, so they can heal the sick, keep themselves protected and get on to a better and brighter future.”
“I always had a kinship with the song and felt it’d see the light of day at some point. I didn’t realize it would be at this level. But here we are. And it’s the same song today where it is being utilized during the efforts with Direct Relief and how we’ve partnered with them – because it’s a song of optimism,” Brent Smith told Forbes. “I have a good friend of mine who’s a medical doctor. He’s working on the front lines in the medical community to help where he can. But he said something to me that actually did give me a breath of fresh air and hope. He said, ‘Brent, all pandemics have one thing in common: They all ended.’ But the ending to this is going to be up to us. We’re going to have to work with one another.”
If you are unable to purchase the bundle but still want to help, You can go to Direct Relief and if you have $5, you can donate directly to them on their website.
