WTMD Listener Donations to Haiti Rescue Response Fund Exceed $15,000

Thanks to everyone who donated to Doctors Without Borders through our online pledge form and phone lines on Tuesday.

Listener contributions exceeded $15,000 and will make a dramatic difference in the lives of people affected by this devastating natural disaster.

Throughout the drive, we spoke with a few individuals with first-hand experience with the crisis and relief effort. Click on each person's name below to hear the complete interview.

• Alec Bersch, Towson University student volunteering in Haiti as part of Hearts with Haiti  
  

• Bob Little, Baltimore Sun reporter on the USNS Comfort. 
  
  
• John Rivera, Director of Communication, Catholic Relief Services
  
  
• Lowell Melser, WBAL reporter on the USNS Comfort. 
  
  
• Sabri Ben-Achour, WAMU correspondent on the USNS Comfort. 

Franz Nicolay leaves The Hold Steady

Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay has left the band. He announced his departure on his website this morning.

"Five years sounded like a nice round number," he said. "Thanks to everyone that was a part of the experience."


Nicolay's melodic keyboard lines were a key part of The Hold Steady's sound, providing a counterpoint to Tad Kubler's Thin Lizzy-inspired guitar riffs. His energetic stage presence and fantastic mustache were also major elements to the Hold Steady live experience.

It is unknown where The Hold Steady will go from here, but take solice in the fact that they'll probably reunite with Franz for Coachella 2020.

Coachella lineup announced

The 10th annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival will take place on April 16-18 in Indio CA. Jay-Z, Muse and Gorillaz are headlining, along with performances from Them Crooked Vultures, LCD Soundsystem, Faith No More, Tiesto, Pavement, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend, Public Image LTD and Sly and the Family Stone.

Tickets go on sale Friday. Three day passes are $269.

You can see the full lineup here.

Hearts with Haiti Photos

Alec Bersch a Towson University student affiliated with Hearts with Haiti spoke with us today to describe the situation in Port-au-Prince. Bersch also shared some of his photos.

Hearts with Haiti, whose primary mission is to support the vision and ministry of the St. Joseph Family in Haiti, lost one building and suffered severe damage to another.

To help the St. Joseph's Family rebuild, please consider making a donation at http://www.heartswithhaiti.org.


All photos copyright Alex Bersch, 2009.

The remains of a burnt body in Petionville.

A collapsed home in Port-au-Prince.

A neighborhood of people cling together. The sign reads, "We Need Help..."

The exterior of St. Joseph's Arts Center

Rubble strewn across the floor of the Arts Center.

A hole in the exterior wall of the building.

Debris in the Alley.

Of Montreal opens for Of Montreal....kinda

Athens art rockers Of Montreal are playing Rams Head Live later this month with opening act James Husband. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, it's because Husband is the stage name of Of Montreal multi-instrumentalist Jamey Huggens.

This sounds indulgent, but it actually makes a lot of sense and here is why:

• Instant Audience: Instead of having to win over a hostile crowd, Husband gets to play to a crowd of people that already adore him.
• Cost: Having the opener in the headlining band saves a lot of overhead.
• Living out the Rock n' Roll Fantasy: As you can see from this video, Husband wants to be the indie rock Robert Palmer. That's simply irresistable.
  
  

WTMD Asks You to Support Doctors Without Borders

Over the past few days we've seen the untold devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. Americans have responded generously, and today we’d like to ask you to make a contribution to Doctors Without Borders' Haiti Rescue Response Fund.

Doctors Without Borders is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. They recruit and place qualified medical personnel in countries where the need for medical attention is great.

Their teams are working to provide surgery and basic care to as many patients in Haiti as possible, but the need continues to outstrip available resources.

WTMD listeners understand music can change the world; today we need more than music. We need you to support Doctors Without Borders.

Tune in all day Tuesday as we feature music and stories from Haiti and the Caribbean. And learn more about Doctors Without Borders at wtmd.org.

Sincerely,

Stephen Yasko
General Manager