Like everyone else in the world, I feel overwhelmed by what has happened in Japan and at a loss of how the small donations I can offer can make any kind of difference. However, the salve of good songs by great local bands with money that goes straight to the Red Cross’ efforts to aid Japan help ease the horror and feeling “I could give everything and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Head over to bandcamp, where Grand Hallway and Joshua Morrison both have EPs available for download with all proceeds going to aid Japan.

Here’s what you can expect from the Grand Hallway and Joshua Morrison EP’s:

The songs were compiled last week by Grand Hallway’s Tomo Nakayama and Jeramy Koepping (also of Grand Hallway and Voyager One) and mastered by Trespasser William’s Matt Brown.

Grand Hallway’s EP includes an outtake from their upcoming album Winter Creatures (due out in June), some covers (one featuring Shenandoah Davis), and two live tracks, all previously unreleased. Morrison’s EP also has previously unreleased outtakes from his Builder EP sessions (produced by Koepping). Both EPs also feature “Atmosphere”, a new song on which Nakayama, Morrison, and Koepping all collaborated and recorded last week.

If you’ve got considerably more cash to donate and you’re interested in a rare Fleet Foxes test pressing for the yet to be released Helplessness Blues, head over to eBay — where anything over $2,700 will get you in the bidding. Double bonus: the band will match the final bid for the Global Giving Project’s Japan Tsunami and Earthquake relief fund.

Lastly, while they’re not local, they are Sound on the Sound favorites … The Morning Benders also have a “donate what you can” EP to help benefit Japan at their website.