On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall with the Gulf Coast and began to wreak havoc across Texas with its torrential downpours, high winds, and resulting floods. One such city that was inundated by days of relentless rain was Houston. Within 48 hours, homes were under water, streets un-drivable, even un-walkable, and lives changed forever. Though it may appear that the city has already “rebuilt” itself, with downtown commuters back in their normal office routines, restaurants open and serving happy patrons, and some lives tuned back into normalcy, the reality is that many Houstonians are still suffering nearly four months after the horrendous natural disaster and the city has a long way to regaining normalcy for all of its citizens.

JIM JAMES

Keeping an eye on those who need it most, Mark Austin, pioneer of the Convoy Music Group and Houston music connoisseur, did what he knows best and put on an incredible concert for the city. Friday night at House of Blues Houston, Mark Austin brought together the Newport Folk Festival and Houston’s own The Suffers to provide over five hours of musical entertainment with all of the proceeds going to Harvey relief efforts. Better yet, the evening included partnerships with Live Nation (who graciously donated the venue costs for the evening) and Fender (who graciously provided guitars for numerous performers and has partnered with Austin to provide musicians impacted by Harvey with brand new guitars if theirs were lost or damaged during the storm). Last but certainly not least, all of these partners came together, with other notable Houstonians such as Bun B, to host a silent auction that is set to raise abundant, additional funds for Harvey relief. Some of the items included a dinner with Bun B, a Fender guitar signed by Tom Morello, a Fender guitar signed by every performer from the evening, tickets and a signed vinyl to The Killers upcoming show, and many more items.

MATTHEW LOGAN VAZQUEZ

The lineup for the evening included Joshua Asante, Nicole Atkins, The Texas Gentlemen, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Wild Child, The Suffers, Shakey Graves, and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket). Despite only having thirty minutes to showcase their talent, these artists and groups hosted an incredible evening that was jam-packed with great performance after great performance.

SHAKEY GRAVES

THE SUFFERS

THE TEXAS GENTLEMAN

WILD CHILD

Coverage & Photography by Marshall Heins II

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