Hello and Happy Fall 2019!
A quick update on Passenger and the Compass:
Over the summer, Michael McDonald the chairman of MusiCares (The Grammy/Recording Academy’s critical assistance program for musicians and mental health) reached out to us about a partnership. Michael is in recovery, and tour managed the Dave Matthews band for nearly twenty years. As a person who has spent a lifetime on the road, he immediately saw the value in a small org that helps those coming through town with getting the support they need. After a few conversations about our mission, we’re proud to announce that we’re part of MusiCares’ Sober Touring Network. This was a huge honor for me personally, as MusiCares helped me find treatment eight years ago when I’d hit rock bottom. We are humbled to be recognized, and have already had a significant uptick in people reaching out to us while on the road here in Detroit.
To promote this update, we’ve partnered with MusiCares and Third Man Records – Cass Corridor to create travel packs for those coming through on tour. These packs contain picks and plugs, and will eventually expand to include cables, adapters, and other things people generally need on the road. Our goal is to give travelers tools and info in order to reach out during tough times on their journey.
On a final note, Passenger was part of a great story on Spotify for Artists recently that included many orgs with a similar focus on helping musicians in recovery.
We continue to develop the Compass App, and will have some exciting news this winter about meeting updates. As always, we are grateful to all who have helped and contributed!
