FORT MYERS, Fla — Julian Sundby has always been deeply connected to sound, but the Southwest Florida singer, musician and producer said the silence he experienced two weeks ago during Hurricane Ian was deafening.
"I was reaching out to all of my friends and one by one I stopped hearing from them," he said.
And in the wake of the storm, as those messages eventually came in so did a sense of survivor's guilt.
"I feel guilty that I made it out as well as I did, but there are a lot of other people that didn't and a lot of my friends are devastated by this," he said.
Sundby told ABC Action News that he lost his job as a gig musician on Fort Myers Beach due to the storm's devastation. But he said friends like Katelyn Gravel lost that and much more.
"My mom's home flooded. She has lost everything," Gravel said, "It has been emotionally and physically heartbreaking."
So to help, Sundby is turning to what he knows best — music.
He's letting local musicians record a few original songs at his studio for free. Then they can share their finished pieces on social media to help them raise money to pay their bills and rebuild their lives.
Sundby has even started a Facebook page called 'SWFL Musicians-Ian Recovery Live' in hopes that sharing their content there can help them find work elsewhere.
"Hopefully they get noticed across the world. The storm got noticed but why shouldn't the musicians get noticed for their talents," he said.
It's an initiative that Gravel said is healing for everyone involved.
"I think music heals a lot of people in a lot of ways," she said.
And it comes at a time when many could use a little hope.
"Keep your voice, keep singing, keep making music. It's gotten me through a lot of dark times in my life. And just don't stop, don't give up," said Sundby.