Donate to Scott McCaughey's Go Fund Me

Scott McCaughey's been blessed to have two amazing parts to his career. First as the front man and guitarist for Seattle's finest, the Young Fresh Fellows and then second as The Minus Five and if that weren't enough, one of the touring members of R.E.M.

Sadly, I saw on Robyn Hitchcock's Twitter that McCaughey had a stroke the other day. So far the Go Fund Me account that was started has raised a decent amount to help cover the medical expenses. Still, a serious stroke is nothing to make light of, and the plight of a musician circa 2017 is a hard one what with Silicon Valley disrupting the income flow, not to mention a lot of musicians don't have a lot of insurance if any. Whether we like to think about it or not, they are a vulnerable class of people.*

So if you are feeling generous this Thanksgiving, please donate to a good cause. Head over to his Go Fund Me and help out.

*As an aside, the Content Creators Coalition is an organization that some think is a front for the RIAA and others think is the first step towards creating an organization to give a voice to musicians who are trapped between the old boss (record companies) and the new boss (YouTube/Google/Spotify). Regardless of where you fall on the matter (if you fall on either side), their President stepped down today for what may have been some disrepectful behavior towards female musicians. Not a good look.

That being said, if you want to support musicians, buy their music, preferably directly from their own sites. When they're in need of help, go to their Go Fund Me and help. When they're trying to make an album, support them through Kickstarter or Indiegogo or whatever. And lastly, consider supporting organizations like The Sweet Stuff Foundation which helps musicians in need. (They helped out the surviving family members of one of the people killed at the Eagles of Death Metal concert at Le Bataclan a few years ago. They are good people.)

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. These may be trying times, but let's be the light that shines in the darkness. Be good to each other and be generous. Put the politics on hold and find common ground.