Indigo Girls, Stephen Colbert, Mandy Moore, Chris Thile, and many more to appear
Presented in part by TX Whiskey, Allbirds, and the Americana Music Association; donations go directly to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and Direct Relief
The Bluegrass Situation, along with its co-founder, actor/comedian/musician Ed Helms, have been wildly successful — in both raising money and lifting spirits — with their weekly “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour,” a 21st-century online variety show which benefits MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and Direct Relief through real-time donations.
Entering their fourth week, “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” has already raised more than $35,000; donations will be accepted through Memorial Day, May 29.
Variety praised “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” for its inclusion of “Americana music favorites and a shot of comedy,” and the series has been spotlighted by Good Morning America, WNYC’s The Soundcheck, Crooked Media’sLovett or Leave It, Rolling Stone, Spin, and KTLA — not to mention Grammy.com’s in-depth feature and Conan O’Brien’s witty endorsement, both seen below.
This week’s star-studded show will feature the likes of Indigo Girls, Stephen Colbert, Chris Thile, Mandy Moore and Taylor Goldsmith, Rosanne Cash, Molly Tuttle, Langhorne Slim, and much, much more.
Having aired every Wednesday for the past three weeks, “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour’s” final installment airs May 13, at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific, and can be streamed at thebluegrasssituation.com, YouTube, and Facebook.
“The response to the ‘Whiskey Sour Happy Hour’ — from artists, industry, and audience —has been beyond what we ever expected,” BGS executive director and co-founder Amy Reitnouer Jacobs said. “I hope over the last four weeks we’ve brought some joy to people’s day, helped raise money for two great causes, and raised the bar for what streaming production quality can look and sound like in these unprecedented times.”
“Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” is presented in partnership with the Americana Music Association, TX Whiskey, and Allbirds, all of whom provided endless support in getting this party started.
In addition to supporting “Whiskey Sour Happy Hour,” Ft. Worth’s craft whiskey brand TX Whiskey has already stepped up their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting 100% of their production to making hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer.
On top of that, TX Whiskey continues to support local musicians by giving them an online stage and revenue generator through their “Straight From the Couch Sessions” — streaming every Friday night in April on IGTV.
“Whiskey Sour Happy Hour” sponsor Allbirds have been working hard to lift up the healthcare community responding to COVID-19, having already donated $500,000 dollars worth of shoes to healthcare workers nationwide.
While supplies last, customers are able to bundle any shoe purchase with a donation to immediately supply a pair of Wool Runners to a healthcare professional who’s already reached out to Allbirds for support.
Don’t need a new pair yourself, but still want to help? That’s an option, too.
More About Ed Helms:
Helms can currently be seen in Netflix’s comedy film Coffee & Kareem opposite Taraji P. Henson. Upcoming, he is set to write, co-executive produce, and star in Mike Schur’sRutherford Falls for NBCU’s new streaming service, Peacock. He is also slated to host and executive produce NBCU’s hybrid television comedy True Story alongside Randall Park and has completed production on Nicole Beckwith’s comedy film, Togetherish. In 2012, Helms and Mike Falbo co-founded the production company Pacific Electric Picture Co., which currently has several TV projects in the works at various networks including Netflix, Fx, and Apple, and previously produced Helms’ Comedy Central special, “The Fake News with Ted Nelms,” which was honored with the Writers Guild of America Award for the Best Comedy/Variety Special. Among his diverse list of credits, Helms is best known for his tenure on NBC’s award-winning comedy series, The Office, and the box office smash hit film trilogy, The Hangover.
More About BGS:
The Bluegrass Situation is the world’s largest community for American roots music, culture, and lifestyle. What began as a blog for like-minded Los Angelenos pining for bluegrass in Southern California has morphed and grown over the greater part of a decade to become a national and international standard-bearer for all of the things we love about bluegrass within every branch and offshoot of the roots music family tree—from vibey pop-folk to ravishing alt-country; plus blues, singer/songwriter, Americana, old-time, and everything else above, below, and in between. The Bluegrass Situation proudly represents a unique gathering place that supports the rich and varied history of these musics, while looking ahead for ways to transform traditions into a carefully curated, 21st-century lifestyle.
More About the Americana Music Association:
The Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade organization whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. The Association produces events throughout the year; including AMERICANAFEST and the critically acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards program.
