Katrina relief concert tonight in Oxford

12/9/2005 4:35:11 AM Daily Journal Oxford Bureau

BY JENNIFER FARISH

OXFORD - A host of musicians will join an Oxford business in raising money for the Mississippi Gulf Coast through a benefit concert tonight at Two Stick Sushi Bar.

The "When the Levee Breaks" concert was first put on in Memphis in October. Its success there contributed to the decision to stage an Oxford version of the show featuring Mississippi and Memphis musicians.

The concert is being sponsored by FNC Inc., a software company specializing in the mortgage industry. Proceeds will go to the company's Rebuild the Coast fund for Mississippi Gulf Coast hurricane relief.

Michael Graber, director of marketing at FNC Inc., said the goal is to remind people of the long-term needs on the Coast and to raise money for relief efforts in an entertaining way.

He said the concert is just one of several projects the company has initiated to provide relief to people on the Coast.

Performers

The concert will feature musicians who have performed in recent movies such as "Walk the Line," "Hustle & Flow" and "Black Snake Moan". Jimbo Mathus's Knockdown South will headline the show, along with Olga the Blues Babe, The Bluff City Backsliders, Amy & the Tramps, Tate Moore, Duff Dorrough, New Orleans singer Lynn Drury, Ken Hart and "several very special mystery guests," according to the press release from FNC Inc.

Graber, who also plays mandolin for The Bluff City Backsliders, said it is important for people to commit to the long-term process of rebuilding the Coast.

"We want to generate long-range interest for the effort and make it a fun experience," he said. CDs and DVDs of the concerts are expected to be released late spring next year, and organizers hope to have another concert at that time, Graber added.

Contact Jennifer Farish at 281-1069 or jennifer.farish@djournal.com

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 12/9/2005 8:00:00 AM, section A , page 2