WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:02.640
<v Speaker 1>Right now, I want to shine a light on some

2
00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:07.040
<v Speaker 1>people making a powerful difference after the January wildfires. We're

3
00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.720
<v Speaker 1>turning up the volume, so to speak, on a story

4
00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.160
<v Speaker 1>that has hit all the right notes. Man, I love

5
00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:15.119
<v Speaker 1>a good pun. We're joined by Brandon j the founder

6
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:19.079
<v Speaker 1>of Altadena Musicians and the Instrumental Giving app. It's a

7
00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:22.839
<v Speaker 1>grassroots organization that not only amplifies local talent, but is

8
00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.239
<v Speaker 1>putting real instruments back into the hands of people who

9
00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:31.160
<v Speaker 1>lost them during the January wildfires. Brandon, tell me how

10
00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:31.960
<v Speaker 1>did this all begin?

11
00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:35.520
<v Speaker 2>So, my wife and I are music composition names Gwendolyn Sandford.

12
00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:38.920
<v Speaker 2>Most notably we scored Orange is a New Black, and

13
00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:43.119
<v Speaker 2>we lived in Dana for thirteen years and our home

14
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:46.960
<v Speaker 2>and studio burned in the fire. About a week afterwards,

15
00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:50.439
<v Speaker 2>we were both playing a show and people came and

16
00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:53.920
<v Speaker 2>started bringing us instruments and did a lot of them

17
00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:56.000
<v Speaker 2>were exact names that we lost in the fire, which

18
00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:57.880
<v Speaker 2>gave me the idea to like, just do that on

19
00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:01.520
<v Speaker 2>a big scale and ask people that had extra instruments

20
00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:05.239
<v Speaker 2>to connect with people that lost theirs. And the special

21
00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:10.480
<v Speaker 2>thing about instruments are the stories behind them and how

22
00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.120
<v Speaker 2>they're passed down from generation to generation, or they're used

23
00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:17.040
<v Speaker 2>on particular recordings, or someone saved that bought a guitar

24
00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:21.000
<v Speaker 2>when they were young, and so I've found it it's

25
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.599
<v Speaker 2>really healing in the process for the people that are

26
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:27.359
<v Speaker 2>donating to meet the musicians that lost stuff. So that's

27
00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:31.519
<v Speaker 2>the legacy of the instrument is carried on with the

28
00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:35.000
<v Speaker 2>person getting it, and the person that lost something gets

29
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:38.439
<v Speaker 2>the story behind what they're getting, so they can mourn

30
00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:43.040
<v Speaker 2>what they lost, but it's replaced by something that already

31
00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:45.560
<v Speaker 2>has a story to it and you can continue that.

32
00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.359
<v Speaker 1>And what has the response been like from the community.

33
00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:52.799
<v Speaker 2>It's extraordinary. The you know, I grew up in Los

34
00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.000
<v Speaker 2>Angeles and so I've been playing music since i was nine.

35
00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:58.719
<v Speaker 2>Both my parents are musicians, so I've been in the

36
00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:01.799
<v Speaker 2>Los Angeles music scene for most of my life. And

37
00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.640
<v Speaker 2>incredible tight knit community and far reaching and the devastation

38
00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.719
<v Speaker 2>of these particular wildfires is so broad because so many

39
00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:15.039
<v Speaker 2>people are affected and all walks of life have you know,

40
00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:20.719
<v Speaker 2>it's just incredible the connections that people have made with

41
00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:25.120
<v Speaker 2>each other in the community when they reach out and

42
00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:31.240
<v Speaker 2>like help each other, and it's been it's been incredible.

43
00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:34.039
<v Speaker 1>How many instruments have you had donated and then how

44
00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:35.599
<v Speaker 1>many have you passed out so far?

45
00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:39.280
<v Speaker 2>It's hard to tell because the numbers are they're like

46
00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:45.800
<v Speaker 2>skyrocketing every day, but well over four hundred and counting.

47
00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:51.240
<v Speaker 2>We just about a week ago mister Holland's Opus Foundation,

48
00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:56.159
<v Speaker 2>the wonderful organization that provides instruments to schools when they

49
00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:59.360
<v Speaker 2>need and they like buy them like new instruments and

50
00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.080
<v Speaker 2>you know, get them sorted out. They took care of

51
00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:07.039
<v Speaker 2>like all the schools that were ready for them, because

52
00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.439
<v Speaker 2>there's about six schools that burned and just in Altadena,

53
00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:13.319
<v Speaker 2>and so they were taking care of them. They also

54
00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.800
<v Speaker 2>did an instrument drive and were collecting instruments from other

55
00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.240
<v Speaker 2>people that were supposed to go to fire victims, and

56
00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:22.680
<v Speaker 2>they had to give up their extra storage space where

57
00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:27.000
<v Speaker 2>everything was, and so we got in contact with them

58
00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:28.680
<v Speaker 2>and we said we'll take everything because we have the

59
00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.080
<v Speaker 2>infrastructure to get it to individuals. So just about three

60
00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:36.680
<v Speaker 2>days ago we took We're just cataloging everything to see

61
00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:39.199
<v Speaker 2>how much it is, because it was so much. It

62
00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:42.080
<v Speaker 2>was like over eighty five guitars and like a whole

63
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:44.599
<v Speaker 2>room full of classical instruments. Somewhere in the neighborhood of

64
00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:46.759
<v Speaker 2>like like six hundred instruments.

65
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:47.159
<v Speaker 1>Wow.

66
00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:50.400
<v Speaker 2>So right now we're like cleaning them with We have

67
00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:54.840
<v Speaker 2>about forty volunteers that are just coming from people that

68
00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.199
<v Speaker 2>we got instruments too, and they're like running over there

69
00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:01.960
<v Speaker 2>like testing out clarinets and clean things off. And we

70
00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:06.680
<v Speaker 2>also connected with Bertrans Music in Pasadena very early on

71
00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:11.159
<v Speaker 2>because it's important for people to know that, like there's

72
00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:14.039
<v Speaker 2>instruments that need servicing if they've been sitting around for

73
00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.319
<v Speaker 2>a long time, and we don't want to put instruments

74
00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.160
<v Speaker 2>in people's hands that need work.

75
00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:20.720
<v Speaker 1>I think that's great. I mean it sounds like people

76
00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:24.040
<v Speaker 1>are This is something that people are truly passionate about

77
00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:25.600
<v Speaker 1>and they really want to help. You know, when it

78
00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.079
<v Speaker 1>comes to your instruments. You know, my daughter plays the trombone,

79
00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:31.240
<v Speaker 1>and I know she loves it and she enjoys it,

80
00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:32.959
<v Speaker 1>and it's very special to her because it's the first

81
00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.360
<v Speaker 1>instrument she really learned how to play. And I know

82
00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:39.079
<v Speaker 1>that even in some you know, even if it seems

83
00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:41.879
<v Speaker 1>like such a small thing to give someone an instrument

84
00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:45.279
<v Speaker 1>to start over, in that way, it means so much

85
00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:48.279
<v Speaker 1>to the person who's playing because music is therapy and

86
00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.439
<v Speaker 1>it can be very healing in many ways. So I

87
00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:54.040
<v Speaker 1>think it's wonderful what you're doing. Can you tell everybody

88
00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.639
<v Speaker 1>how they can help? If you still need instruments, are

89
00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.480
<v Speaker 1>you still taking them? How can people help and support

90
00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:00.199
<v Speaker 1>what you're doing?

91
00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:04.079
<v Speaker 2>So either going to Altadena Musicians dot org, make a donation,

92
00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:07.959
<v Speaker 2>can read about us, come to upcoming events, or download

93
00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:09.439
<v Speaker 2>our app Instrumental Giving.

94
00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:14.399
<v Speaker 1>That's such a great addition to the instruments and a

95
00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:17.360
<v Speaker 1>way to help also make money for your organization and

96
00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:19.720
<v Speaker 1>that sort of thing. So Brandon, thank you so much

97
00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:22.439
<v Speaker 1>for your time. You can check out Instrumental Giving or

98
00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.160
<v Speaker 1>Altadena Musicians to find out how you can help bring

99
00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:30.920
<v Speaker 1>music back to Alta. Dina, I'm Heatherbrooker, thanks so much

100
00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.879
<v Speaker 1>for listening. You can listen to any of our shows

101
00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:36.639
<v Speaker 1>from KFI on the iHeartRadio app.