Stroke

I've long been a fan of Chris Knox, the Renaissance musician, cartoonist, and music journalist out of New Zealand. Knox burst out of the late 70's Auckland punk scene with legendary band Toy Love, and later formed the prototypical lo-fi high-energy group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate. Knox was one of the driving forces behind the breakthrough New Zealand record label Flying Nun.

On June 11, 2009, Knox suffered a powerful stroke at his home in Grey Lynn, New Zealand. In response, bandmate Bathgate assembled musicians from around the world to compile the benefit album Stroke:Songs for Chris Knox. Contributors include self-proclaimed Knox Fans Yo La Tengo, The Mountain Goats, Will Oldham, The Bats, The Verlaines, The Chills and many more. All proceeds worldwide go toward assisting Chris with his recovery.

Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox is available for download right now from the Merge record label website, and the 2-CD limited-edition release will be available in U.S. stores on February 23. Keep up with Knox's recovery on the Stroke website, right here.