Every year, an all-star cast of musicians comes together for the Seattle Musicians for Children’s Hospital (SMooCH) benefit. While this year the artists weren’t able to gather physically, a lineup featuring Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Fred Armisen & Friends, and many more still contributed digital submissions to raise money for the Seattle Children’s Hospital this past weekend.
Ranked one of the best children’s hospitals nationwide by U.S. News and World Report, Seattle Children’s provides quality care to infants, children, teens, and young adults. In response, SMooCH has raised more than $18 million since 2012 to allow Seattle Children’s to continue its mission of providing quality care without compensation.
In addition to a lineup of talented musicians, the hour-long SMooCH stream also featured special collaborations between musicians. These included the Fred Armisen & Friends set that saw the former Saturday Night Live cast member and noted musician play alongside Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr). Together, they debuted a new song Gordon and Mascis wrote called “Abstract Blues” which is a hard-hitting garage rock anthem.
Sponsors and Seattle institutions Sub Pop Records and KEXP were also able to put together another special one-time collaboration that saw Gibbard, Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Isaac Brock and Mark Lanegan (Modest Mouse), Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters), and more take on the Jimmy Webb classic “The Highwayman”. Their cover saw a baton relay of vocal duties as Gibbard, McKagan, Brock, and Lanegan each took a verse on the iconic country tune.
SMooCH wasn’t just collaborations either, as Angel Olsen offered a stirring solo rendition of “Lights Out”. The stream also saw husband-and-wife power couple Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires team up for “If We Were Vampires” in their familiar acoustic configuration.
Watch the full SMooCH benefit stream below and consider donating to help bring healthcare to children in need through the organization’s website.
SMooCH 2020 – A Benefit for Seattle Children’s Hospital
[Video: KEXP]