One injury can end a tour. Stolen gear can wipe out months of income. A medical emergency can bury someone already living gig to gig.
Like many people who follow an artistic path, musicians don’t have stable healthcare, savings, or any real safety net. Even successful artists often live with far less security than people assume.
The bulk of Hope’s story came from thinking about how quickly creative lives can unravel when disaster hits at the wrong moment.
Luckily, organizations like MusiCares exist to help music professionals facing medical emergencies, mental health struggles, addiction recovery, disaster relief, and basic financial crises during moments when many artists have nowhere else to turn.
During the pandemic, MusiCares distributed millions in emergency assistance to people across the music industry whose livelihoods disappeared almost overnight. They continue doing life-changing work every day for artists and crews who need help staying afloat.
If you’d like to support MusiCares or learn more about what they do:
Donate to MusiCares
Music gives people comfort, identity, escape, connection, and memory.
The people creating it deserve care too.
TIMELESS
Prologue – Present Day
“So,areyouandMom getting back together?” I recline in the passenger seat of my dad’s new tricked-out Audi RS Q8 as we zoom down I-5 at 100 mph. He went all out. A custom matte paint job with stainless-steel accents. Black-leather seats with hand-sewn red thread stitching. A high-def dashboard display.
In other words, my dad’s sensible car isn’t all that sensible.
Then again, he’s never been known for his sensibility. He’s Carter-fucking-Pope. Founder of Limelight, the legendary 90’s band. He was Seattle’s most famous guitar player.
Until me.
My band, Less Than Zero, has been topping the charts for many years now.
Guitar Magazinejust named me as the most influential guitar player of my generation.
Meh.
Since he ignored me the first time, I decide to needle my dad some more. “Are you going to answer? Are you getting back together with Mom?”
Carter— yes, I mostly call my dad by his first name— shoots me a look. “Don’t be a fucking asshole.”
My beautiful, sweet mother is the renowned prima ballerina Lianne Rocks. She started her career at Pacific Northwest Ballet here in Seattle. She and my dad were together until we moved to Denver—away from Carter— when I was six. Her career as a dancer continued at the Colorado Ballet until she retired and moved into the artistic director role she holds now.
“Um, Carter? It’s Christmas Eve. Twenty minutes ago, we were eating dinner at Ty’s house, celebrating his engagement to Zoey. You shocked the shit out of me when you told me we were leaving to pick up mymom.”
My dad turns off 1-5 to the airport exit. “So fucking sue me if I thought it would be nice for her to spend Christmas with us instead of alone.”
Call me baffled. The situation is fucking bizarre, Jesus.
Is there really something going on with them? I was just joking for fuck’s sake.
Nah.
No fucking way.
The whole thing is weirding me out. I mean, no one likes to picture their parents fucking, but in my case it’sliterallyimpossible for me to imagine. It’s a complete mystery how my mom and dad ever got together in the first place all those years ago. Let alone made me.
With all the craziness going on in my life right now, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by adding one more thing to the list. Like mom spending Christmas with us this year.
And staying at Carter’s house.
