Giving Back
Holiday HAAM Jam returns with tunes to help Austin musicians
It’s hard to argue with the success of a happy accident like last year’s inaugural Holiday HAAM Jam CD, a compilation of some of Austin’s best musical talent that raised more than $8,500 for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians low-cost insurance program. What started out as a jam session in the office of Austin dentist and music enthusiast Shane Matt grew into a whole lot more as the talent, many of whom are Matt’s patients, piled up in a matter of days and the whole event was moved to Aerie Recording Studio to be documented on CD.
For the second installment, which went on sale this week, Matt and HAAM officials were able to tackle the project in a more orderly fashion.
“This year we had a lot more time to plan it out, we’ve optioned some cover songs that are going to be on there, and we’re hoping to raise even more money this time around,” Matt said of the 18-track collection that features Clint Black, Guy Forsyth, Paula Nelson, Asleep At The Wheel, Jimmy La Fave, White Ghost Shivers and more.
“HAAM is so important to a cultural center like Austin, because I see patients who broke a tooth on a microphone at a show, or some who had to stop singing altogether because of problems with their teeth.”
A donation from Fiat of Austin helped cover all production costs for this year’s Holiday HAAM Jam CD and Matt hopes the reception matches that of the first release, which was among the best holiday sellers at Waterloo Records and was recognized at the Austin Music Awards.
“My whole team is excited about this one and we’re happy to put out something that can give back to our musicians,” he said.
---
Holiday HAAM Jam is available at Waterloo Records, Wild About Music (both in-store and at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar), Austin Rocks, Antone’s Record Shop and Rocket Electrics as well as online via iTunes, Amazon and haamjam.com.
