Replacing a Lefty's Lost Instruments in LA Fire

Hi friends, family, and extended music family—my name is Elena Loper. I’m a musician who lives between Los Angeles and Seattle and me and my family nearly lost our lives in the LA Palisades fire.

I feel really uncomfortable being this vulnerable, but I could use some community support. I’ve started a GoFundMe to get back on my feet, and particularly to replace my musical instruments and be able to get back to playing music.

I haven’t known how to put what has happened into words, but here goes.

A bit of my story: As some of you know, in 2024, I moved back in with my family in LA temporarily to have a major surgery (which went well ), and I started graduate school on January 6.

On January 7, my birthday, the LA fires started a few blocks from the house I grew up in. The fire was so close to us we had no evacuation warning, and in minutes there was almost a 360-degree wall of flames around our house. My dad and I were able to grab our bird and cat, but that was about it if we wanted to get out alive. We were able to leave our street, but then were trapped on a street blocked off by fire in multiple directions for over three hours with 60 mph winds carrying flames and embers that kept sparking new fires.

A friend we ran into suggested a small back street that led to a major highway. The fire completely burned all the places we were trapped in minutes and hours later, along with most of my hometown.

I am so grateful to be alive, and that my family, our pets, and our community members are alive and safe.

(My cat and bird haphazardly thrown into the car.)

What’s come after has been challenging in a different way. Everything that was in our home, even though it’s not completely burned down, is now toxic. ☠️☣️ Everything that burned has been declared toxic from air to soil, including everything in our home. And will be for years to come.

What is unique about this fire is the size of it, and how fast and far it spread, but also how toxic everything that burned is, and this kind of exposure can lead to critical lung, heart, and brain damage. I’m so worried about the long-term health effects for everyone, especially my parents who are in their 70s.

I also lost my music gear - my guitars, banjo, guitar amp, Christmas caroling dress, tablet for music, and more. I haven’t even been able to think about that because there’s just been so much to do to help my family and find a way through all this.

Even though we’ve lost everything, I’m only fundraising for my musical instruments here, because there’s just too much to ask for. Any extra will go towards graduate school tuition.

I am unbelievably grateful for friends, family, community members, and kind strangers who have given us clothes, electronics, toiletries, etc. Everything I’m wearing and using has been gifted.I feel like a mosaic of other people’s compassion. I’ve been bopping around staying with friends who have been generous enough to house me.

Friends have offered to let me borrow their gear, but I’ve got a unique situation because I’m left-handed. I learned to play that way vs. on regular right-handed instruments that might be easier to come by.

I would really love the opportunity to play instruments again. I even have an opportunity to open for an artist I really admire, Deb Talan of the Weepies on April 6th in Seattle that I’m hoping to play. I deeply miss the guitar I wrote my first songs on, recorded with, toured with, and made music with people I love so much.

Thank you for reading. Also, I started graduate school- an MA in Library and Information Science- and I’ve been hunkered down focusing on that. My degree will be my main focus for a while, along with assisting my family and working multiple day jobs. So I can offer no guarantee of music “deliverables” or “content” in the near future. I can only offer my gratitude because I love creating, sharing, and making music with others. Thank you!

It’s taken me months to be vulnerable enough to ask this, and I’m still uncomfortable but from “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers: “Please swallow your pride if I have things you need to borrow For no one can fill those of your needs that you don’t let show.”

Thank you!!

~ Martin Guitar (Lefty) $699

~ Banjo (Lefty) $299

~ Classical acoustic-electric guitar (lefty) $649

~ Fishman guitar and vocal mic amp $399

~ Victorian Christmas Caroling Dress Fabric $350, Custom Design $400

~ Samsung Tablet for caroling and shows $269

~ Logic Pro Recording Software $199

~ DI pickup and tuner $329

~ Vocal mic ($99)

Total: $3,692

Transparency for GoFundMe:

1. I am Elena Loper

2. I am from a neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA

3. Parties I am raising funds for: self

4. How the funds will be spent (on music gear, see above)

5. Additional funds will be put towards graduate school tuition

Link to music:

https://linktr.ee/Elenalopermusic