Green Day rocker Billy Joe Armstrong has put music to one side to join forces with a New Orleans charity helping people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

The singer has been volunteering in the Louisiana city, rebuilding houses destroyed by the August 2005 storm.

In a message posted there this week (12Apr07) he explains the work he has been doing, "Today we worked on the upper 9th ward. I had to do some upside down hammering technique but we managed to get the job done. We felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished."

Hurricane Katrina is a cause close to Green Day's hearts - the band teamed up with U2 to record charity track The Saints Are Coming.

(WENN)