Her latest album Stairwells debuted at #139 on the Billboard 200, #5 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart, #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and #18 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. She is also a member of the lineup for the 2010 Lilith Fair.

She continues to use her music to support charitable organizations like Sister-to-Sister and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2009 – Today The Fender Music Foundation and music discovery website thesixtyone.com announce the release of the benefit album Band Together 2. All proceeds from sale of the album, which is available through top electronic stores like iTunes and Amazon.com, will support music education programs through the Foundation.

“We are excited these artists have chosen to use their music to make a difference,” shares Moriah Harris-Rodger, the Executive Director of the The Fender Music Foundation. “Each five albums sold will put a guitar in a classroom; for every 50 sold, we will be able to outfit a program with an entire keyboard lab.”

The final product is the result of a month-long contest through thesixtyone.com, which offered its online platform for free. After members of the site voted and narrowed the field to fifty finalists, a judging panel chose the final tracklist. That panel was composed of Kina Grannis, a singer/songwriter signed to Interscope Records and a 2007 Band Together contributor; Terra Naomi, a singer/songwriter that won the inaugural YouTube Music Award for her video “Say It’s Possible;” and Dave Appelbaum and Nick Block, co-founders of the music service SponsorSync.

“This was a natural fit for our website,” explains James Miao, co-founder of thesixtyone.com. “thesixtyone is a great place to listen to, rate and discover new musicians within a fun and interactive system. This album demonstrates the quality and variety of the artists that our community members discover each day.”

To listen to and purchase the album, visit iTunes, Amazon.com or other top online music retailers and search for “Band Together 2.”

Note that this album was available for one year after its launch.

In late 2007, Morgan got together with some friends to make a record, called “Band Together: To Fight Measles.” Reaching out to unsigned bands and musicians in southern California, he put together the benefit album and posted it on iTunes. Profits from the album support the Measles Initiative, a partnership led by the American Red Cross and its partners that is committed to reducing measles deaths worldwide.

“The University of Southern California has so many talented artists; some are working to launch music careers and a great deal of them just enjoy writing and performing for their friends. I thought it would be fun to create a benefit album that showcased the best artists I heard on campus,” Morgan says.

Morgan is donating the profits from each album sale – $7 after costs – to the Measles Initiative. It costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against measles – so each record sold can provide seven more vaccinations. Morgan’s goal is to sell enough albums to vaccinate 10,000 children.

Already the CD has gotten great reviews and plenty of media attention. The CD struck gold when the up-and-coming musician Kina Grannis agreed to do a song. Kina’s song “Message From your Heart” was the winner of the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest during this year’s Super Bowl, and she has now landed a record deal with Interscope Records.

An Early Start

Morgan already has had a long relationship with the Red Cross, having joined his local chapter after receiving the Congressional Award (U.S. Congress’ highest award for youth).

“The local Red Cross volunteer coordinator was the nicest person I called, and she also had interesting projects to offer,” Morgan remembers. At the American Red Cross of Ventura Country in California, Morgan worked with two fellow high-school students to launch a Red Cross youth group that is now 500 members strong.

“After a year, I was hooked on the Red Cross for life,” Morgan says fondly.

Morgan went on to the University of Southern California (USC) bringing his commitment and dedication with him. As a freshman, Morgan founded the USC Red Cross club, where he created a reference CD with California State Service Council that provides ideas for other youth groups throughout California. Most recently, Morgan has taken on a leadership position with the Red Cross National Youth Council, serving as its vice chair. He has also started the Red Cross youth blog.

Inspiring Others

Mat continues his involvement with the Red Cross and hopes that other college students will take action on their campuses.

“If you have a unique idea outside of the normal scope of Red Cross activities, and you think you have the resources to make it happen, contact your local Red Cross and pitch the idea. Be persistent, enthusiastic and optimistic, and reach out to other people to work with you. It will be a great experience and you’ll have a great chance of success,” Morgan recommends.

Fortunately for them, Mat Morgan has proven to be an outstanding teacher.

Morgan also hopes that his album will reach even more ears, while helping to protect more and more children against measles. To hear or purchase “Band Together: To Fight Measles,” go to iTunes.

Reposted from www.measlesinitiative.org. Note that this album was available for one year after its launch.