ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Simeon “Sim” Hickman and his wife, musician Louly Peacock, are the faces of Peacock Planet, a music collective based in Asheville, N.C.
The duo are patrons of the local music scene. They regularly host acoustic concerts, “Louly and Sim’s Sunday Songwriter Series, out of their home, Peacock Palace, which pulls overtime as a recording studio for local acoustic acts.
Dozens of musicians turn out for the Sunday Songwriter events, playing their songs to the Palace while others jam at an outside fire pit. It was around one of those fires, surrounded by musicians strumming acoustic guitars, that Peacock had the idea for the “Acoustic Fire” benefit album.
“Many connections occurred around the fire pit. After the hurricane, it also felt safe to be there. The idea is to recreate that warm, fuzzy feeling with the tunes on the ‘Acoustic Fire’ album, all for hurricane relief,” Hickman read from a statement Peacock had prepared.
Hickman and Peacock are no strangers to charity work. Over the last three years, their events have raised over $20,000 for charities like RiverLink, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Our Voice, Helpmate, River Arts District Artists Foundation and BeLoved Asheville.
The proceeds from “Acoustic Fire” will go to BeLoved Asheville and Just Play WNC in support of survivors of Hurricane Helene.
Hickman is hard at work collecting the tracks that will make up “Acoustic Fire.” So far, he has over 40 submissions from songwriter friends and bigger, national names. He plans to take a hands-on approach with several others.
“A lot of these are gonna be ones we record,” Hickman said.
The songs for “Acoustic Fire” don’t have to be about Helene, but it’s encouraged.
“One of the motivators, carrots we put out there is if you don’t have the song recorded, we’ll do it,” Hickman said. “We’re not just going to record any song. You see what I mean? You all can do that, but if you want to record a new song about Helene or if you’re just completely broke, you know. We’ve asked a few people we know that need helping.”
Hickman and Peacock already plan to record new songs for eight people in their home studio, which is outfitted for acoustic music.
Hickman wants artists to know that this album is for them as much as for the community. Musicians, he said, can have a hard time talking about their feelings in conversation. Instead, they turn to music to safely express those emotions. It may be a necessary balm after the devastation Helene caused.
“Music, you can say anything you want and you don’t actually have to talk to people,” Hickman laughed. “You just get to say it and it’s not awkward because you’re behind a mic and you’re onstage and you can communicate. It’s a tool of communication.”
The deadline for “Acoustic Fire” submissions is Nov. 30. Interested musicians can submit their tracks as a .wav file to acousticfire828@gmail.com.
The “Acoustic Fire” album will be available on Bandcamp Dec. 14 for $10, all of which will be donated to BeLoved and Just Play.
