Isaac Hanson performs during a past Hop Jam festival.
Isaac Hanson of the Tulsa-based pop trio Hanson is one of more than 30 artists who will perform live on their social media channels Nov. 28 as part of #GivingTunesday.
In its sixth year, #GivingTunesday is organized in the spirit of Giving Tuesday by Red Dirt Relief Fund, a nonprofit serving Oklahoma music creators in need, as a way of thanking fans and donors for their support.
Kaitlin Butts, a Tulsa native whose song “What Else Can She Do” was ranked among the top 100 songs of 2022 in Rolling Stone magazine, joins artists like Chris Combs, Rigby Summer, Jacob Tovar, Jesse Aycock, Johnny Mullenax and more in performing live online during #GivingTunesday. Cassie Latshaw will host a live stream from Mercury Lounge Tulsa with a rotation of more than 15 singer/songwriters from 6-8 p.m.
Tulsa music creator, rapper and community activist Steph Simon will lead his music students at McLain High School in performing a song as part of TMC Records, a multimedia/record label created for current students at the school.
As a way of thanking music creators for support of the cause, RDRF will also host a Musician Appreciation Party at Mercury Lounge that night from 6-8 p.m. All Oklahoma music creators are invited for a free BBQ dinner, free earplugs through the RDRF SoundCheck program, free insurance enrollment counseling from Cardinal Rule Insurance (open enrollment extends to Dec. 15) and can be entered in a drawing for services like a free eye exam from Dr. Kyle Tate, free dental exam from Tulsa Dental Center, a solo acoustic music video from TaylorTown Productions, $50 giftcard from Guitar House of Tulsa, social media reel production from Cole Yearwood and more.
Said Red Dirt Relief Fund Executive Director Katie Dale, “Giving Tunesday gets to the heart of what RDRF is all about — gratitude! It’s artists giving their music to fans. It’s fans supporting RDRF to make sure there is a safety net for those artists when they need it. It’s RDRF showing gratitude to artists at an appreciation dinner with gifts of professional and wellness services. And we’re giving fans 25% off all purchases at our online merch store on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday with the code GIVING. We’re sharing gratitude for all the ways our music ecosystem gives.”
The merch store and other ways to support the cause can be found at reddirtrelieffund.org.
Since 2012, Red Dirt Relief Fund has delivered over $750,000 in aid to 800+ Oklahoma music creators ranging from worship musicians to hip-hop producers and Red Dirt songwriters to stagehands. Relief grants fund living expenses like rent, utilities and medical bills while these individuals recover from unavoidable emergencies.
Giving Tuesday is the largest international day of giving and was created in 2012 to shine a light on benevolence following traditional shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.