Corporate media may have moved on with its news cycles, but R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe is concerned that the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—not to mention the incompetence and corruption displayed by FEMA in response to the impending and resulting disaster—are still a desperate problem for residents of the Gulf Coast.

            "Things are not fine," the singer stated. "The storm is still impacting people's lives in very real ways and many have been left desperate. I want to remind each of us that as humans, and certainly as Americans, it is our responsibility to help those in need... I had to do something as a public figure. The one thing I can do is sing, and it's probably the best way to get people to pay attention."

            To that end, Stipe is releasing a charity EP featuring six versions of a song originally written by Joseph Arthur called "In the Sun," which is intended to both redraw attention to the plight of Gulf Coast survivors and raise more funds to assist them. All proceeds are being directed to Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian agency, via the In The Sun Foundation.

            The six tracks are currently available for purchase on iTunes.com, and include creative and technical contributions from James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), Chris Martin (Coldplay), Justin Timberlake, and will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas).

            "Everyone who has worked on the 'In The Sun' project, without exception, was happy to contribute their time, talents, and expertise, free of charge," Stipe said. "I realized that so many people wanted to do something, anything, towards helping the Gulf Coast, and this presented them with a way to do just that."

            "Disasters like this require a long-term commitment to recovery," said Mercy Corps' Keny-Guyer, "and Michael is serving a very important need by reminding the public that this reconstruction effort is going to take years, not months."