Earlier this month, a group of Reading based musicians released Musos4…Reading’s Homeless – a compilation album of new songs from local artists, all to raise money for Launchpad’s COVID-19 emergency appeal.
The album was the brainchild of seven musicians from Reading – who recognised an opportunity during lockown. “Most musicians want to play and get their music to an audience,” said Jan Rylewicz, of punk band Pioneers of Green, “but with the lockdown, that wasn’t happening. In discussion with friends in other bands, we came up with the idea of putting something together.”
A call for local contributing artists was sent out on social media and it had an overwhelming response across a wide range of musical genres. The team had a difficult job of selecting the songs for the album as they were keen to showcase the breadth of musical talent from across Reading and Berkshire, and across all styles – from punk to ska, and electro to ballads. A total of seventeen songs were selected and the album is now available on on Bandcamp and costs only £10.
All money from the sales of the album will help to support our work during the pandemic, as Derek Walsh of the band Forbury, explains. “It was very important to us all that we could help vulnerable people with this project, by raising some money to help them. I was aware of the important work that Launchpad do, and when I suggested that we could support Launchpad, the team were very keen to raise money for them, especially during the current lockdown which has made things even more difficult for homeless people.”
Kate Martin, Fundraising Manager at Launchpad, said: “We are so grateful to Musos4 and all the contributing artists for their incredible support. Putting together an album of local musicians is such a fantastic idea, and it’s even better that the group have chosen to support Launchpad with the venture. The album proves that Berkshire is a county full of talent!
“Launchpad is pulling out all the stops to help extremely vulnerable individuals, couples and families in Reading during the pandemic, while ensuring we keep our staff, clients and members of the public safe. But we simply cannot deliver our crucial services without the support of the local community and initiatives like this.”
The group hope that they will be able to continue bringing together Berkshire’s musicians while supporting local charities through album releases, live gigs and festivals.
Download Musos4…Reading’s Homeless album and help support extremely vulnerable people in Reading.
