It’s a short flight of stairs to the stage at The Secret Society on North Russell.  As you make the climb, you can feast your eyes on old photos of well known and not so well known musicians.  All the while you can faintly make out the sound of Pete Krebs’ band, The Earnest Lovers, playing honky tonk tunes by the likes of George Jones.  It’s an auspicious beginning to an evening hosted by musicians in support of musicians.

Upon entering the room I was greeted by the master of ceremonies himself, Jeremy Wilson.  He’s immediately warm and inviting as the host of this party. There was a generous vibe in the air with no pretentiousness in the room.

Each person had an interest in being part of the dream of The Jeremy Wilson Foundation. Most of the night is spent sipping cocktails and enjoying beautiful music and warm conversation. The atmosphere seemed more like a gathering of old friends than a fundraiser.

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The Jeremy Wilson Foundation works to provide funds to meet the medical needs of musicians in the Portland area.  Pete Krebs shared his story of receiving aid when he was diagnosed with cancer. The kinship and affection between Pete and Jeremy was palpable as they bantered back and forth.

Jeremy Wilson had two major announcements for us that evening.  One was regarding the online auction, Band Together. It launched for the first time that evening and is being held until May 21.  The auction is for all sorts of music memorabilia and concert tickets   Check out the auction here:

https://www.blacksparrowauctions.com/events/band-together-charity-auction/

 

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Jeremy’s other announcement concerned the creation of an endowment in order to help meet the needs of more musicians more quickly. The foundation plans to reach out to larger musical names like Pearl Jam to fund this project. Jeremy ended with many thanks to all of the local Portland businesses that have supported the foundation from the beginning, including The Secret Society, Voodoo Donuts and The Laurelthirst.

As the evening ended, I was struck by the gift of hope and community that music provides. Everyone in attendance was connected in some way to the local music scene. Organizations like The Jeremy Wilson Foundation remind us that music is important and we are all in this together.

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