Artist Denise Clayton-Leonard

It is almost unbelievable that yesterday was the 'official' five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While governmental officials made speeches, much of the devastation that swept through the region has yet to be addressed. Still, there were signs of hope, and recovery. Then, on April 20th of this year, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and effectively destroyed one of the few industries still flourishing in the Delta region: Fishing. Michelle Mangione is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has been working as a professional musician since she was a teenager. She answered her phone one day and on the other end was her friend, Grace Slick, best known as the lead singer for the Jefferson Airplane. She was upset by the suffering of Gulf Coast residents, and had written lyrics about their plight. Thus began the adventure known as "The Edge of Madness." In this audio podcast interview, Michelle speaks about how she reached out to a diverse group of professional musicians, including Bill Medley (Righteous Brothers), Tom Dumont (No Doubt), Billy Zoom (X), Martha Davis (The Motels), Kid Ramos (The Fabulous Thunderbirds), Larry Hanson (Alabama), Terri Nunn (Berlin), and Steven Hodges (Tom Waits, Smashing Pumpkins). Together, they produced what ultimately became a high energy 'fun-raiser' for Gulf Coast fishermen, and musicians. The track is available for download from the GRAMMY Museum's website. A portion of the $1.49 purchase price will be donated directly to the The Greater New Orleans Foundation's Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund that offers aid to fishermen and their families, and to the MusicCares Foundation®, which provides emergency financial assistance to members of the music community across the U.S., and continues to offer support to music people and their families in Louisiana. Michelle will be hosting her monthly First Fridays artist showcase on September 3rd at the Mirage Mediterranean Grill, located at 539 East Bixby Road but on this particular Friday she'll be hosting a remote Q&A with Grace Slick. Admission is $6.