Kevin Bronson on December 20th, 2011

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Florida-bred, Tucson-based songstress Tracy Shedd has been crafting her sometimes-fuzzy, always-piquant indie-pop for over a decade, releasing four albums (three on Teen Beat Records) and, in 2010, the “EP88” that saw her switch from the guitar to the piano as her weapon of choice. Shedd doesn’t get out much, though – her current U.S. tour is her first in seven years – and remains kind of a cult heroine for fans of the Sarah Records sound. This year she contributed the song “Encourage Me” to “Luz de Vida: A Compilation to Benefit the Victims of the Tucson Tragedy,” an ambitious charity project released in October via Tucson-based Fort Lowell Records. The 12-track vinyl album features the likes of Calexico and Giant Sand, and the digital release is a sprawling 37 songs, with contributors (in addition to the aforementioned) including Robyn Hitchcock, Ozomatli, John Vanderslice, Spoon, Neko Case and DeVotchKa. Proceeds from the album sales go to a fund to assist victims of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that killed six and injured 19, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

||| Download: “Encourage Me”

||| Live: Tracy Shedd performs along with Flora & Fauna and Harriet on Wednesday at the Bootleg Theater.

||| More: After the jump, check out the video for Shedd’s “City at Night,” directed by L.A.’s Emily Wilder (Wet & Reckless/Last in Class):