About The Project:

On the night of September 27, 2024, winds and rain roared through Western North Carolina as Hurricane Helene arrived with unforeseen force. Marshall, NC - an artists’ haven in the mountains watched as the early swells quickly grew into a relentless surge until the town was swallowed by the murky waves, which left it encased in toxic mud. Through it all, The Old Marshall Jail stood strong. The flood gauge mounted to the side of the building kept a watchful eye as the water surged from floor to ceiling—27 feet—higher than ever recorded. 

Produced by local musician Clay White and film director Aaron Stone , The Resonance Sessions was captured live, over a span of 4 days in early October, in the recently cleaned out stairwell of the Old Marshall Jail Hotel. The project filmed and recorded 35 performances from local Western North Carolina artists. These sessions hold a heartfelt intimacy as each artist, deeply rooted in the community, brings forth a raw, local perspective on resilience. The performances resonate with emotional intensity, the audio reverberating hauntingly through the space. Room mics capture the jail’s natural acoustics as well as the ambient sounds of tractors and passing military convoys, layering a heavy sense of place into each track.

The Resonance Sessions will be released as a triple vinyl album, a digital album, and a beautiful series of live performance videos.

Net proceeds from the sale of the vinyl and digital tracks will go to The Madison County Arts Council to assist in rebuilding the county’s musical community, and to the nonprofit Rare Bird Cultural Arts for a grant program to offer direct assistance to affected musicians.