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Dear #SweetSupporters,
As we round out another year, I want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for your kindness and support throughout 2025. Because of you, we have been able to offer essential support to musicians and music industry professionals dealing with physical and mental illness, disability, and age-related issues. I want to give special thanks to the many individuals and organizations that supported Sweet Relief in response to the LA Fires last January. Thanks to that support, we were able to say yes and issue a grant to all qualified applicants that applied for emergency assistance. We could not have done that without your generous donations. I also want to extend that thanks to our small but mighty staff who really stepped up for that immense challenge, I could not be more proud. Your contributions through donations, fundraising, and volunteering have made a long-lasting impact in the lives of countless individuals. We are deeply grateful for your belief in our mission and your dedication to helping those who have given us so much through music. Looking ahead to next year, we remain committed to expanding our impact, and we know that with your continued support, we can do even more to bring "Sweet Relief" to the music community. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity. We wish you a happy and music-filled New Year! Warm regards, Bill Bennett President Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
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We’re so excited to welcome The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol as a special guest for our Night to Honor Taj Mahal on February 21st at The Masonic!
Get your tickets below before they’re gone. The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol is one of the premier vocalists of her time. A Bay Area legend since the 1960s, she crosses boundaries between blues, jazz, gospel, funk, R&B and beyond. We’re grateful to have her join us! FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY VAN MORRISON, STEVIE VAN ZANDT, GEORGE THOROGOOD, MIKE CAMPBELL, BOBBY RUSH, PATTY GRIFFIN, JIM LAUDERDALE, WILL HOGE, JOE HENRY, RUBY AMANFU, TROMBONE SHORTY KIDS, AND TAJ MAHAL WITH SPECIAL GUESTS + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED TICKETS ON SALE DECEMBER 19  San Francisco, CA (December 16, 2025) - Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has announced their annual benefit concert, celebrating the legacy of legendary blues musician Taj Mahal, on February 21, at Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. Confirmed performers include Van Morrison, Stevie Van Zandt, George Thorogood, Mike Campbell, Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Will Hoge, Joe Henry, Ruby Amanfu, Bobby Rush, and Taj Mahal with surprise guests and additional performers to be announced shortly. Tickets for the event will be on sale this Friday, December 19. Taj Mahal is an influential American blues musician whose career has spanned more than five decades, marked by a deep exploration of roots music from around the world. Emerging in the late 1960s, he helped redefine the blues by blending it with Caribbean, African, Hawaiian, and Latin influences, long before such fusion became common. His early albums, including Taj Mahal and The Natch’l Blues, set the tone for a career built on innovation, soulful vocals, and masterful multi-instrumentalism. Over the years, he has collaborated widely, earned multiple Grammy Awards, and become a revered figure for preserving tradition while expanding its boundaries. Taj Mahal’s work continues to inspire new generations of artists and listeners drawn to his global, joyful approach to the blues.
“Thrilled to be honored by Sweet Relief and to celebrate with good feeling music," Taj Mahal shares, and continues, "Thank you Sweet Relief for all that you do and for bringing us together.” Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund adds, “What an incredible way to celebrate 32 years of Sweet Relief, by honoring the legendary Taj Mahal! This celebration is long overdue for such an acclaimed artist, and we are so grateful that he’s allowing us to bring these amazing artists together to bring the house down on February 21st. This will be a special show indeed, and is also a critical fundraiser for our music community in need of emergency financial assistance for physical or mental health care. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks and there are always a few surprises!” The February event is part of an ongoing series of shows presented by Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. It serves as a follow-up to 2025’s event celebrating Joan Baez which featured performances by Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Margo Price, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, Tom Morello + special guests. Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals. Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing costs, food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities. ### Connect with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Website | Instagram | Facebook | X For Sweet Relief Musicians Fund press inquiries, please contact: Jeff Kilgour | The Syndicate | [email protected] | 917.678.4420 Allie Gruensfelder | The Syndicate | [email protected] | 201.864.0900 x264  ON SALE NOW! A limited amount of engraved String Cheese Incident jewelry cut from Jason Hann’s cracked cymbal. A portion of every sale is donated to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund Less than 120 necklaces + 70 earring pairs were made. The jewelry we created was cut from Jason’s primary 18″ crash cymbal. This crash was smacked on-stage during all shows spanning 2018-2022. About 200 total shows! Alas, the cymbal (bravely) succumbed to its injuries in the line of duty and now YOU can own (and wear!) a piece of it. Jason Hann is the percussionist and electronic producer for the multi-flavored band, The String Cheese Incident, since 2004. His versatility in so many different styles of music allows for his percussion textures and rhythms to flow with SCI’s eclectic approach to their musical journey.
The past three decades have written a story packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. The String Cheese Incident has been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music. TRACK FEATURES MEMBERS OF SOCIAL DISTORTION, PENNYWISE, THE MINUTEMEN, FOO FIGHTERS, ALKALINE TRIO, THE GOGOS, TSOL, AND MORE PRE-ORDER “WE ARE LA” VINYL HERE PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT SWEET RELIEF MUSICIANS FUND  Los Angeles, CA (December 9, 2025) - To commemorate the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, a collaborative single “We Are LA” will be available on January 7, exactly one year from when the fires began. The single features some punk rock heavy hitters including members of Social Distortion, The Linda Lindas, The Minutemen, Foo Fighters, Alkaline Trio, Pennywise and more. To pre-order the limited-edition vinyl, visit HERE.
Produced by GRAMMY Award winner Ted Hutt and Charlie Overbey, proceeds from “We Are LA” will benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, who provide services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals. Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing costs, food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities. The full list of collaborators include: Mike Watt of Minutemen, Jonny Two Bags of Social Distortion, Ron Emory and Greg Kuehn of TSOL, Atom Willard of Alkaline Trio, Rami Jaffee of Foo Fighters, Jim Lindberg of Pennywise, Tony Reflex of The Adolescents, Jane Weidlin of The Gogos, Annette Zilinskas of The Bangles, Eloise Wong of The Linda Lindas, Texacala Jones of Tex & The Horseheads, Teresa Stone of The Pony Tales, Paul Roessler of The Screamers, Kimm Gardner of CH3, Ted Hutt of Flogging Molly, Marko DeSantis of Sugarcult, Johnny Whitmer of The Stitches, Christian Fuhre of Aversion, Aaron Rev Peters and Jake Margolis of The Drowns, Aric Steinberg of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, Patrick Hildebrand, Owner of The Amazing Music Store and victim of the wildfires, Gary Tovar of The Godfather Of Punk and Founder of Goldenvoice, Charlie Overbey of Custom Made Scare & Katie Overbey of The Backlash. Charlie Overbey & Vanessa Dingwell are no strangers to using their platforms for fundraising and stepping up to help a community in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Lone Hawk Hats & Honeywood Vintage, with the help of their celebrity clientele, raised over $100,000 through a live social media auction for Navajo Nation COVID-19 relief, benefiting the Navajo Nation via The United Natives Foundation. That same year, Overbey also recorded the single “Ode To John Prine” for Save Our Stages with members of Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Guitarist Jimmy Vivino, Singer LP, and his daughter, Katie Overbey. Earlier this year, as part of the ongoing Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts, Charlie Overbey & Vanessa Dingwall, founders of Lone Hawk Hats & Honeywood Vintage, launched an auction across social media, where fans bid on their iconic signed hats. Benefiting Sweet Relief Natural Disaster Fund, signed hats were available daily, including but not limited to, singer/songwriter LP, Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr, Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Taime Downe from Faster Pussycat, along with actors, Cree Summer, Dan Stevens, Josh Holloway, Brian Konoval, 1883 & 1923 Costume designer Gaby Acosta, among others. ### Connect with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Website | Instagram | Facebook | X For Sweet Relief Musicians Fund press inquiries, please contact: Jeff Kilgour | The Syndicate | [email protected] | 917.678.4420 HARPER HOUSE MUSIC FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES THEY WILL MATCH ALL DONATIONS TO SWEET RELIEF MUSICIANS FUND12/3/2025 IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, UP TO $50,000  Photo credit: Neal Casal New York, NY (December 2, 2025) - Rooted in the belief that music is a vital and universal source of connection, joy, and meaning, Harper House Music Foundation (HHMF) seeks to be an agent of change by facilitating efforts that help artists share their work, lead stable and healthy lives, and preserve their unique legacies. Every donation towards Sweet Relief Musicians Fund in the month of December, Harper House Music Foundation will match up to $50,000. Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals. Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing costs, food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities.
On the donation, Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund shares “Our friends at Harper House Music Foundation have stepped up once again to help us provide a safety net for our music community, and we could not be more grateful for their continued support. This end of year campaign is vital to our mission, and this matching gift will have a huge impact on the number of musicians and music industry workers we’re able to help via our emergency financial assistance grants”. Stephen Sullens, Founder and President at Harper House Music Foundation adds, “We’ve admired Sweet Relief’s work helping artists for decades, and are excited to expand our recent LA fire relief funding to more programmatic support through our year-end match. Incentivizing donations to Sweet Relief as they continue to be such a significant force for good within our music community is core to Harper House Music Foundation's mission.” For more information about Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and ways to donate, visit https://www.sweetrelief.org/ ### Connect with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Website | Instagram | Facebook | X Connect with Harper House Music Foundation Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn For Sweet Relief Musicians Fund press inquiries, please contact: Jeff Kilgour | The Syndicate | [email protected] | 917.678.4420 Allie Gruensfelder | The Syndicate | [email protected] | 201.864.0900 x264 For Harper House Music Foundation press inquiries, please contact: Ken Weinstein | Big Hassle Media | [email protected] Noise Pop Supports Sweet Relief during Giving Tuesday with $3 per ticket Donations to Select Shows12/2/2025  For Giving Tuesday today, Noise Pop will be donating $3 for every ticket purchased for the following shows to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, to support our mission of helping musicians and music industry workers in need!
🎶DeVotchKa "A Tribute to the Music of Little Miss Sunshine" Sat, Feb 21 at Gray Area GET TICKETS 🎶Playboy Manbaby Tue, Feb 24 at Kilowatt GET TICKETS 🎶Shannon Shaw and Friends at KQED Live Thu, Feb 26 at KQED HQ GET TICKETS 🎶Ether Rose Sun, Mar 1 at Kilowatt GET TICKETS  Join us in helping those who give us so much through music. This year for Giving Tuesday, we are raising emergency funds for musicians and music industry workers in need. You can make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps.
Funds raised through this campaign will help all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing physical and mental illness, disability, or age-related problems. Sweet Relief grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing costs, food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities. This December 2nd, let’s come together to make a difference. Your donation ensures that the people who create and support music can continue doing what they do best.  Celebrate New Year’s Eve in an unforgettable way with a trip to Austin to meet San Holo backstage at his “Wholesome Riddim New Year's Eve” show! You and a guest will experience the energy of the night in person, enjoy VIP access, and share an exclusive backstage moment with San Holo.
Your prize includes round trip travel to Austin, TX and a 2-night hotel stay for two, two VIP passes on San Holo’s guest list for his show at Emo’s Austin on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, a backstage meet and photo with San Holo, a San Holo-signed guitar, a San Holo merch pack, plus a gift card for pre-show dinner and local ground transportation to top it all off. Your donation helps Sweet Relief Musicians Fund support musicians facing physical or mental health issues, disability or age-related problems. Every entry helps bring vital resources to those in need, and enters you for a chance to win this New Year’s Eve experience with San Holo. Ends December 19th! Enter now |
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CONTACT US:
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund 2650 E Imperial Hwy Ste 208 Brea, CA 92821-6135 Tel. 714-626-0447 Fax 714-626-0473 Toll Free Assistance line 888-955-7880 |
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity. Federal ID# 95-4443269
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