Asheville Musicians Are Trading Guitars for Chainsaws to Clean Up After Hurricane Helene

Normally, Darren Nicholson would have a mandolin in his hands. But on this day, he’s gripping a chainsaw. High up on Utah Mountain in Haywood County, North Carolina — overlooking the Jonathan Creek valley with the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance — Nicholson is cutting through large trees that have toppled onto roadways during the wrath of Hurricane Helene.

“Right now, I’m working on a giant red oak and a locust,” the bluegrass musician tells Rolling Stone. “It’s just two trees, but I’m not a tree service. I’m a one-man show — just a guy with a chainsaw and a truck.”

More than a week out from the catastrophic effects of the storm, first responders and residents remain in rescue mode, traversing extremely remote areas of Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia in search of those cut off from society. That’s on top of the insurmountable cleanup effort and unrelenting infrastructure repairs in Asheville and the surrounding communities stretching along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“Like everybody else, I’m just stunned. It’s hard to comprehend,” Nicholson says. “But we have two choices. We either sit around and dwell on the problem or we can get into the solution.”

With more than 100 fatalities in Western North Carolina alone, there are many more still missing: Words like “apocalyptic” and “horrific” are being used to describe the carnage in this corner of Southern Appalachia. But the rush to help hasn’t abated, with musicians from the region or those who’ve played there all stepping up.

“This is going to change people’s lives forever,” says Ketch Secor, frontman for Old Crow Medicine Show. “It’s going to change these towns for the next 50 or 100 years.”

Secor left his Nashville home with donations raised from around Music City to assist in disaster relief. Heading back to his old stomping grounds of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, where Old Crow itself formed and grew, Secor was able to hand funds directly to locals in need, specifically the Beech Mountain Community Center in Avery County, North Carolina — one of the hardest hit areas of the enormous flood zone.

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“People have died because of these terrible floods,” Secor says. “Everybody who can? Volunteer, bring money, supplies, muscle, determination, and positivity. If you can’t go there, then just send a check. [Help out] in your own way.”

John Zara, marketing and promotion coordinator for the Grey Eagle, a storied rock club in Asheville’s wiped-out River Arts District, has heeded the call even while his own life has been upended. Floodwaters overtook his family’s home on the outskirts of the city in Swannanoa.

“We’re devastated,” Zara says. “My street was completely under water, [with] homes flooded up to the ceiling.”

Zara, his wife and two children, ages 2 and 7, escaped to the roof through a laundry room window to avoid being swept away by fast-moving waters. Stranded for several hours, they were eventually rescued. Despite his house being in ruins — and without flood insurance — Zara remains grateful. His family is safe and recovery is underway for the property and neighborhood. (There’s also a GoFundMe for the Zaras.)

“Cleanup is moving along with lots of help from complete strangers. Houses are going down to the studs in Swannanoa,” Zara says. “We’re hopeful and know that our community is resilient. We can do anything with a little help from our friends.”

Jessica Tomasin, studio manager of Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording, where Charles Wesley Godwin, the War on Drugs, and Turnpike Troubadours have all recorded, has been hard at work connecting resources with local organizations. Most notably, that includes ArtsAVL, who are providing aid to artists and businesses affected, many still without water in the city and around Buncombe County.

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“It weighs heavy on my heart the devastation we’re experiencing right now. It’s a long road ahead,” Tomasin says. “[But] Asheville is a town that rallies to support one another. What makes Asheville is the people who are here.”

Heading north into the ravaged tiny mountain town of Marshall, North Carolina (pop: 796), in neighboring Madison County, Erich Hubner is one of many locals trying to remove accumulated mud and debris. At its peak, the French Broad River hit 27 feet on the flood gauge attached to the Old Marshall Jail in downtown.

“It’s just an endless cleanup,” Hubner says, describing the Sisyphean task at hand. “Ten-foot tall berms of trash and mud that get scraped away and immediately replaced with another pile.”

Hubner is the guitarist for Pleasure Chest, a popular Asheville rock & blues band, as well as the program director for the Madison County Arts Council. Headquartered on Main Street in Marshall, the MCAC building was pulverized by the flood. “The river ran through the front of our building and out the back,” Hubner says. “Whatever could float pushed through the windows.”

But all of the instruments housed in the MCAC building for its Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program, which offers children the chance to learn and play old-time and bluegrass music, were unharmed. “We put the instruments up in the mezzanine on Thursday before the water rose,” Hubner says. “The mezzanine was just two feet away from getting inundated. But it didn’t and we were able to save our kids’ instruments.”

To aid in the recovery, benefit concerts for flood victims are starting to be announced. A massive one spearheaded by Luke Combs and Eric Church, both North Carolina natives, is set for Oct. 26 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Billy Strings and James Taylor are also on the lineup.

“It’s a daily plan here to continue to figure out how to be helpful,” says musician Woody Platt. “There’s a real ‘locals helping locals’ feeling.” The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter hails from Brevard, North Carolina. Originally, Platt was to unveil his latest project at an album release party on Oct. 11 at 185 King Street in Brevard. The showcase has now transitioned into a flood benefit, with proceeds going to Rescue Carolina. (Platt will also livestream the performance so folks can donate from far away.)

Elsewhere, on the arena level, Sturgill Simpson — who was scheduled to play Asheville’s Harrah’s Cherokee Center on Oct. 21 and had to cancel due to the city’s ongoing public-water issues — will host a benefit on the same day at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, North Carolina. Proceeds will go to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.

“It just reminds me of New Orleans with Katrina,” says Warren Haynes, singer, guitarist, and former Allman Brothers Band member. “The rebuilding process is going to be monumental.”

An Asheville native, Haynes was personally affected by the flood. Many of his immediate family still call the city home and are dealing with power outages and lack of clean water. Haynes’ brother, Brian, owns a vinyl record shop in the heavily damaged River Arts District. The business, Records in the RAD, was flooded out.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Haynes says. “Watching CNN and they would show footage of areas I was familiar with.”

Well-known for his charitable contributions — including the long-running Christmas Jam celebration each year in Asheville that partners with local nonprofits — Haynes tells Rolling Stone that plans are already in the works to put on a “big show” to help his hometown. “We’re reaching out to tons of big artists to try and raise as much money as possible,” he says.

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Back in Marshall, Hubner says his “hands are so sore from digging and ripping drywall down” that he hasn’t been able to play guitar. But when a handful of Marshall musicians gathered recently, Hubner was able to pluck some tunes in unison with his community.

“We finally cracked, had some whiskey, and played some music at a friend’s house,” Hubner says. “I can’t believe how much destruction there has been. But it’s been heartening to see all the aid and volunteers coming to help.”