Hiss Golden Messenger to perform as part of Bloomington not-for-profit fundraiser

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — On Wednesday, MC Taylor, known to many music lovers as Hiss Golden Messenger, will perform one of his most well-known albums in full at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Bloomington.

But for this particular show, a local not-for-profit organization will receive the proceeds.

Each year, Amethyst House, a Bloomington-based not-for-profit United Way agency, hosts a fundraiser concert to raise funds for its residential and outpatient services for individuals with drug and alcohol addiction.

This year’s concert, featuring Hiss Golden Messenger playing his 2010 “Bad Debt” album in its entirety, along with Hannah Frances, will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets are still available for the fundraiser.

According to the organization’s website , Amethyst House was founded in August 1980, providing individuals throughout the state a “foundation for recovery,” offering residential and outpatient treatment services as well as guidance for healthy living. The organization also offers outpatient services in Evansville through Counseling for Change.

“Our vision is to promote a world where recovery services are accessible to all, the stigma of addiction is eliminated, and life-long recovery is a reality,” the organization’s website states.

Mark DeLong, the executive director of Amethyst House, said this is the 11th show the organization hosted as a fundraiser. The not-for-profit has previously featured artists including Jason Isbell, Kevin Morby, Justin Townes Earle and Amanda Shires.

“So, one of the things being a not-for-profit in the substance use disorder field is like, there’s a lot of for-profit programs out there and we are a not-for-profit in Bloomington,” he said. “We’ve been here for 44 years and it’s just always hard to make ends meet… “Basically, it’s an opportunity for us to get our name out and (bring) awareness about addiction treatment, but also get some good music into town.”

DeLong said that the fundraiser helps offset costs for the organizations, helping pay for things like food and utilities. Since the fundraisers have been hosted, DeLong said that he has seen the conversation surrounding addictions impacted in Bloomington, as well as in places like Indianapolis.

“I think a lot of people are giving more information about harm reduction programs, different ways to engage folks into recovery and how recovery can look different for a lot of different people,” he said. “I think the stigma has been reduced to some degree… I think Bloomington and Indianapolis are the areas that I think are the most knowledgeable about recovery.”

For more information, and to purchase tickets, click here .

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