Memphis Loves Kevin-house fire fund
Donation protected
On the night of January 25th, tragedy struck at the heart of Memphis, TN. One of our own, one Memphis’s most prized and beloved men, Kevin Carpenter lost his home, all his belongings and his life’s work in a fire. To those of you who do not know Kevin, he is without a doubt, one of the kindest, gentlest and most beautiful spirits that Memphis has ever had the privilege to know. To those of us who do know Kevin, we can all attest to Kevin’s passion to life, and his legendary devotion to his first love: music.
On Jan. 25th, a slow smoldering electrical fire devastated Kevin’s home. The damage from the heat, smoke and water was extensive. There was nothing left untouched. But the deepest tragedy comes in the fact that Kevin’s home was not just his home. Since moving here from New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, Kevin worked his way up from a self-taught home studio engineer to the full-time technician of the legendary Ardent studios in only a few years. All the while Kevin has worked tirelessly to convert his humble home into a professional recording studio that was nothing short of incredible. His home had become a living and working museum of music. He had single handedly restored and rebuilt vintage equipment and instruments that other technicians had given up on, all in the pursuit of his deepest passion: to create a space where he and others could create awe-inspiring music.
Kevin Carpenter is one of the last of his kind. He sits at the very heart of our city’s music, championing for and working tirelessly to preserve our city’s musical heritage. There is no way for Kevin to replace the work that was lost in this tragic fire, and there is no way for him to restore the irreplaceable pieces of his art and passion that were taken from him. He has nothing now. The fire took everything. Everything but the clothes on his back and the spirit that he lives by.
However, he does have one more thing. Kevin has us. He has his city, he has Memphis, he has his brothers and sisters, he has our mother’s and fathers, he has the love of all of us. Kevin may not know it yet, but he has our hearts with him, he has the spirit of all the people who hear his story and hurt for him, and through their hurt, share in his life. We are here with you Kevin, you are never alone. We have made a place for you, where we can show you our love, where we can all come together to help you start over, to help you start new. We know it’s only money, and that it can’t replace the art and the work and the love that you lost, but it will get you started. You have a long walk ahead of you Kevin, you’ll be walking a road that so few will ever see. How does someone start all over before they even feel like they’ve begun? How do you build something again from nothing? You do it with love. The love of an entire city. We love you Kevin. We love you so much.
Kevin’s losses for his home and recording equipment will be in the tens of thousands of dollars, but along with money, he is going to need a lot of things to rebuild his life. From shoes to dishes to sofas and lamps, he’ll be starting all over. If you can’t give money, but would like to show your love through gifts or donations of house hold items, or if you know any musicians or recording engineers who have any gear they’d like to donate to help Kevin get back on his feet, please send an email to
[email redacted]
Kevin's clothing sizes:
Shoes: (Kevin only wears vans) size 12
Shirts: Medium T-shirts or small slim button ups
Pants 32-33 Waist, 32-34 Length
and we’ll come get it from you. Thank you so much for your support.
UPDATE 1-31-16: As of today, Kevin's home owner's insurance is trying to deny him any coverage for any of his belongings. The are blaming it on some ridiculous technicality in the contract language. Kevin is meeting with a skilled attorney in hopes of fighting this injustice. All donations will go to help him in his fight to reclaim his life. Thank you so much.
On Jan. 25th, a slow smoldering electrical fire devastated Kevin’s home. The damage from the heat, smoke and water was extensive. There was nothing left untouched. But the deepest tragedy comes in the fact that Kevin’s home was not just his home. Since moving here from New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, Kevin worked his way up from a self-taught home studio engineer to the full-time technician of the legendary Ardent studios in only a few years. All the while Kevin has worked tirelessly to convert his humble home into a professional recording studio that was nothing short of incredible. His home had become a living and working museum of music. He had single handedly restored and rebuilt vintage equipment and instruments that other technicians had given up on, all in the pursuit of his deepest passion: to create a space where he and others could create awe-inspiring music.
Kevin Carpenter is one of the last of his kind. He sits at the very heart of our city’s music, championing for and working tirelessly to preserve our city’s musical heritage. There is no way for Kevin to replace the work that was lost in this tragic fire, and there is no way for him to restore the irreplaceable pieces of his art and passion that were taken from him. He has nothing now. The fire took everything. Everything but the clothes on his back and the spirit that he lives by.
However, he does have one more thing. Kevin has us. He has his city, he has Memphis, he has his brothers and sisters, he has our mother’s and fathers, he has the love of all of us. Kevin may not know it yet, but he has our hearts with him, he has the spirit of all the people who hear his story and hurt for him, and through their hurt, share in his life. We are here with you Kevin, you are never alone. We have made a place for you, where we can show you our love, where we can all come together to help you start over, to help you start new. We know it’s only money, and that it can’t replace the art and the work and the love that you lost, but it will get you started. You have a long walk ahead of you Kevin, you’ll be walking a road that so few will ever see. How does someone start all over before they even feel like they’ve begun? How do you build something again from nothing? You do it with love. The love of an entire city. We love you Kevin. We love you so much.
Kevin’s losses for his home and recording equipment will be in the tens of thousands of dollars, but along with money, he is going to need a lot of things to rebuild his life. From shoes to dishes to sofas and lamps, he’ll be starting all over. If you can’t give money, but would like to show your love through gifts or donations of house hold items, or if you know any musicians or recording engineers who have any gear they’d like to donate to help Kevin get back on his feet, please send an email to
[email redacted]
Kevin's clothing sizes:
Shoes: (Kevin only wears vans) size 12
Shirts: Medium T-shirts or small slim button ups
Pants 32-33 Waist, 32-34 Length
and we’ll come get it from you. Thank you so much for your support.
UPDATE 1-31-16: As of today, Kevin's home owner's insurance is trying to deny him any coverage for any of his belongings. The are blaming it on some ridiculous technicality in the contract language. Kevin is meeting with a skilled attorney in hopes of fighting this injustice. All donations will go to help him in his fight to reclaim his life. Thank you so much.
Organizer and beneficiary
Matt White
Organizer
Memphis, TN
Kevin Carpenter
Beneficiary