Coming up this Saturday ... Jim Gleason's Little People - Part 2

From WWR

Atuu noted and brought to our attention that Katie Reider passed away earlier this summer. (Kazoo had updated her page originally but I unfortunately missed it at that time.) Her life and story are inspiring. And, to help defray some medical costs and to continue to spread her lovely voice and music, you can contribute $1 and download 9 of her songs. I encourage everyone to participate. (When they talk about it taking 4 days to be able to download if you pay with PayPal, that's only for an echeck and not for a standard PayPal transaction. I was able to download the .zip file immediately.)

More links about Katie and this project:

• 500,000 hits in 365 days
• Main site
• Myspace site
• Her blog
• Timeline
• Interview
• News article
• Wikipedia
• An MP3 podcast I did on Sept. 29th where I talk about Katie and the 500Kin365 effort

She died July 14 in an ambulance that was taking her to a New York City hospital.

As news of her death spread, hits on the website began to rise.

The idea that her songs are finding a new audience after her death is bittersweet, said Robbie Reider, her older brother and fellow musician.

"I'm sad that you'll only have her history. You won't get to see her perform live," Robbie Reider said.

But Reider would have loved the idea that something good came of her death, her friends and family said. She often said the worst part of her illness wasn't the pain or physical deformities, but that she felt like she was no longer an inspiration to people.

She was wrong, Karen Reider said. (source)

Videos

An email you can send

Here is a copy of the email I am sending to my friends. Feel free to copy it verbatim or modify to fit your needs.

Hi friends...

You're reading this because I hand-selected a few friends and family members who I thought might care about this story and wouldn't consider this spam. I'm appealing to each of you to at least visit the website before trashing this email. If you are moved, as I was, then I encourage you to contact just one other person (or many via your blog or performances) and pass the story on and/or spend $1 and get some great music. It's nothing earth-shattering but I found it touching in its simplicity and honesty. Oh, and believe it or not, it has nothing to do with Sarah Palin.

An artist we play here on Whole Wheat Radio, Katie Reider, who lived in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio passed away earlier this summer. To quote from the website: "Two years ago Katie developed a rare tumor in her upper left jaw that progressed into her skull base, took away her sight in one eye and robbed her voice of her voice, but not her will to survive. Katie Reider died on July 14, 2008, at the age of 30. Surviving Katie Reider are her devoted life partner of 10 years, Karen, and their two sons, as well as five siblings and her father."

Now would be a good chance to read the story directly at the website: http://www.500kin365.org/main.htm

During a time when the word "bravery" is bandied about easily, I found Katie, her friends and family, to be an example of real bravery. No uniforms, no weapons, no politics, no threats. Just song. In the face of death, she sang. And kept smiling. You can see it in the photos. And hear it in the song "So Weak".

You may be wondering "Why bother sending me an email when she's already passed away?" The beautifully simple answer is on the Myspace site: "The site's ultimate goal is to introduce 500,000 people to Katie Reider, her story and her music within one year...be one of 500,000 to help keep Katie's voice alive... For every person that visits www.500Kin365.org we ask that you link up ONE more person to help keep Katie singing. Since launching on May 23, 2008 over 65,000 people have helped to keep Katie's Voice alive." http://www.myspace.com/500kin365

That's it. Simply keep her spirit alive through listening to her music and / or passing her story on in whatever way you find appropriate.

If you'd like to hear Katie, you can download 9 of her original songs for just $1 ... less than the cost of a cup of coffee ... it's a simple click, you can pay with PayPal and download immediately. "100% of the proceeds go to Katie Reider’s 365-day web based benefit fund to help support Katie and her family with the expenses that have accumulated over these last 2 years because of Katie’s rare medical condition."

If you choose to download and have any trouble I'll be happy to make sure you get the music ... Katie's music is outstanding and I promise you won't be disappointed ... a quick link is here: http://store.payloadz.com/str-asp-i.135050-n.katie_s_voice_Music_Folk-end-detail.html They're obviously not trying to make a quick buck asking just $1 for 9 songs ... that dollar won't do much but if enough people pass the word on and throw in a buck, then it really helps. This is not a purchase, but an exchange.

This is the way true grassroots efforts work. Thank you for taking the time to be a part of this one that means something to me. Feel free to forward this email along unadulterated or modified in any way that works for you.

Thanks for listening,

Jim

P.S. A page I set up on WWR to help get the word out is here if you need it: http://wholewheatradio.org/wiki/index.php/500kin365