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Bobby Bradford and William Roper Fire Relief

ep1str0phy

By ep1str0phy
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ep1str0phy

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Hello, all-

(Apologies in advance if this thread seems inappropriate for the artists subforum)

Long story short, Bobby Bradford and William Roper - two LA creative musicians whom you may be familiar with - recently lost their homes in the 2025 LA wildfires. About half of Altadena was destroyed, and countless musicians were affected. Bobby actually lost his horns, escaping only with the clothes on his back. 
 
We have started two (official) fundraisers to help the aforementioned gentlemen get back on their feet. Contributions are of course extremely welcome, but any help spreading the word, etc., would be hugely appreciated. 
 
ep1str0phy Explorer

ep1str0phy

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Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, kind words, and consideration! Lest it go unsaid, I'm happy for others to post any and all fundraisers for other musicians.

It's an extremely chaotic situation. To those not attuned to the situation, Altadena was a musicians' haven of sorts. According to my understanding, about half of the area was burned down. The personal loss is immense, and we also lost a tremendous amount of history. Bobby's home alone was a storehouse for a lot of things that the jazz and creative music worlds will sorely miss. 

Any and all help is appreciated. As far as I can tell, basically all of the fundraisers have been run by friends and other musicians. Only hands can wash hands, etc. 

If you're in or near LA right now, please stay safe. And much love to everyone. 

ep1str0phy Explorer

ep1str0phy

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3 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Looks like Madlib also lost it all in one of the fires. Terrible.

On top of the personal loss, the destruction of all that vinyl is devastating. 

On a brighter note, the sheer volume of people who have reached out with offers of aid is truly humbling. Music people take care of music people. It's a truly beautiful thing. 

clifford_thornton Mentor

clifford_thornton

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17 hours ago, ep1str0phy said:

On top of the personal loss, the destruction of all that vinyl is devastating. 

 

yeah. Master tapes, all kinds of stuff. Really heartbreaking (and I know that's the case for Bradford, probably others too).

Adam Apprentice

Adam

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I was coming top post about this.  I live in Pasadena and had to evacuate from 1:30 am to last Tuesday, returning home yesterday.  Still waitingb to see if winds return tonight.  Home is ok but rife with the smell of smoke.  Multiple people we know lost their homes. Altadena was also an amazing mixed neighborhood with a large African-American artist community within it, and the majority of it is wiped out., including almost the entire business district.

Adam Apprentice

Adam

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Here is the full posting on William Roper's facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/william.roper.522

A hearty and well-deserved THANK YOU to everyone who donated to Bobby Bradford and William Roper's Gofundmes in the past few days. The response has been, quite literally, overwhelming.
Anyone who knows Bobby and Roper will understand that they can speak for themselves. I only wish to say that, in light of the sheer magnitude of the LA fires and the devastation in Altadena, the donations that we've collected are much needed and tremendously helpful. We can't replace the history that has been lost, but we *can* help the people who have to survive this crisis.
In case you haven't seen them, here are our fundraisers:
And here is a master list of similar fundraisers, resources, etc.: https://docs.google.com/.../1jyJ-NM2qP.../htmlview... (Caution: it's not for the faint of heart. The scope of this situation is unbelievable.)
McCoy Tyner wasn't joking when he said that this music is "as serious as your life." It's a thing I live by. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to live among and play with the giants of this music, and I think you'll agree when I say that giving back to this art is one of the few consolations I can imagine at this time in history.
ep1str0phy Explorer

ep1str0phy

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Adam, that was my post! I'm so glad it's making the rounds.

I hope you and your home stay safe. In the past few days, I've had countless conversations about the state of things in LA. There are demographic, cultural, and optical factors at play that are just depressing. But the outpouring of support in the midst of this crisis has been truly astounding. 

Adam Apprentice

Adam

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Ah, it is.  So that is your Facebook account!  Good to know.  We should connect on FB too, although I think about ending my FB account given Zuckerberg's latest actions.  But since I run Los Angeles Filmforum, I need it to help promote shows to some people.

Today the winds shifted.  More marine layer, better for fire fighting, but also more smoke smell, as the wind is coming inland from the ocean rather than southerly from the Great Basin through the passes.  

I know multiple people who lost homes in Altadena,  It is very evident that white, well-connected artists have an easier time reaching their "Go Fund Me" requests on average than African-American and Latino-American families.  I also infer that a lot of people under-insured their houses in terms of covering the costs of full replacement, which means that people will need to raise a lot more money or will sell to gentrifying developers.  The cultural loss is tremendous, on top of the enormous economic losses and tragic loss of lives.

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ep1str0phy

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On 1/17/2025 at 9:56 AM, Adam said:

Ah, it is.  So that is your Facebook account!  Good to know.  We should connect on FB too, although I think about ending my FB account given Zuckerberg's latest actions.  But since I run Los Angeles Filmforum, I need it to help promote shows to some people.

Today the winds shifted.  More marine layer, better for fire fighting, but also more smoke smell, as the wind is coming inland from the ocean rather than southerly from the Great Basin through the passes.  

I know multiple people who lost homes in Altadena,  It is very evident that white, well-connected artists have an easier time reaching their "Go Fund Me" requests on average than African-American and Latino-American families.  I also infer that a lot of people under-insured their houses in terms of covering the costs of full replacement, which means that people will need to raise a lot more money or will sell to gentrifying developers.  The cultural loss is tremendous, on top of the enormous economic losses and tragic loss of lives.

Hi, Adam - sorry I missed this! Quite anxious about the coming week, but I'm hoping that the heightened state of preparedness means that the worst stretch of danger is over. Let's absolutely connect on FB (if you need help finding me, just DM me).

There is a story to be told about everything that has transpired in the past few weeks, but I take some heart in knowing that the music community has done a tremendous job of taking care of its own. Bobby and Roper will land on their feet - I think it's just a matter of triage right now, on top of the incalculable personal loss. 

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