“The first annual Blankfest blankets the city of Vancouver on November 10th to help those in need.”
With the success of Blankfests around the world including Canadian cities Montrealand Calgary, it is with great pride to announce the first annual Blankfest Vancouver in aid to raise awareness, clothing and funds for the cities Covenant House, the non-profit shelter that helps Vancouver’s street youth from age 16-24 who have fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, those who have been forced from their homes or those who have aged out of foster care.
In promotion of the event, the bands have come together to offer a FREE download compilation along with band promo videos at the the following links below.
Blank-Fest Vancouver – Comp – Vol 1. – http://blankfest.bandcamp.com/album/blank-fest-vancouver-comp-vol1-its-about-the-homeless-nothing-less-nothing-more
Handsome Distraction – 2012 BlankFest Vancouver Promo Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_eD1Amu9Z8
Open AIR – 2012 BlankFest Vancouver Promo Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeBvStCIK-A
First originating in New York City by founder Kenn Rowell, vocalist/guitarist of punk band The Baghdaddios, the charity event has spread to the West coast of Canada from Calgary and Montreal where the event raised nearly $1,000 and over 200 blankets last year in Calgary and has raised over 2,000 blankets from efforts in Montreal’s Blankfest Quebec.
Taking place from 2pm to 2am, 12 rock and metal bands from across the province of BC will be offering their musical support to help raise awareness, funds and blankets for the homeless.
“We are really looking forward to bringing Blank-Fest to Vancouver this year. It was the natural next step for me as Vancouver is my hometown and I’m very familiar with the homeless situation in the city. I love that so many musicians stepped up for the first year to play the event, and the hardest part was choosing just 12 from the incredible bands that submitted. We are also extremely excited to have Covenant House Vancouver as our beneficiary. The work they do annually with homeless teens is phenomenal and we couldn’t be prouder to be among their supporters.” comments Leanne Harrison, booker for Canadian tour company SIN Agency and organizer of both Blankfest Vancouver and Calgary.
All proceeds from Blankfest Vancouver will be donated to the city’s Covenant House,founded in 1997 the non-profit organization offers a clear exit from life on the street to youth aged 16 – 24. They make this possible through a carefully designed Continuum of Care including a daily drop-in, a 54 bed crisis shelter, transitional housing, relapse prevention and life-skills training.
Each day young people come to them damaged from the abuses of their past, desperately needing love and guidance. Over the next year more than 1,500 homeless young people will come to Covenant House Vancouver and take the first steps in creating a better life for themselves by reaching out and saying, “Can you help me?”… and together they can.
If you would like to help please call (604) 638-GIFT (4438) or visit www.covenanthousebc.org.
100 Words on Covenant House.pdf – http://fburls.com/65-4zO15vwj
Covenant House Overview.pdf – http://fburls.com/35-Cwkrfugw
Covenant House Poster – Love Hope.pdf – http://fburls.com/51-NXBi8dmj
The show details with order of band line up is as follows with genre:
Admission is a Blanket, warm clothing or cash donation of choice
Bands Start @ 2 p.m. End @ 2 a.m.
19+ Event
2012 BANDS AND ARTISTS
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathan-Down/8161126589 – http://youtu.be/wmzOUBbIsSM?hd=1
3:00 PM – Kathy Frank (Blues/ Rock) Coquitlam, BC
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathy-Frank/7335873897
4:00 PM – Mad Young Darlings (Rock/ Alt Rock) Winnipeg MB
https://www.facebook.com/MadYoungDarlings – http://youtu.be/E4de2zTkl-4
5:00 PM – The Deadwax Collective (Rock) Vancouver, BC
https://www.facebook.com/thedeadwaxcollective – http://youtu.be/fZfyIYidWOA
6:00 PM – Handsome Distraction (Pop Rock) Victoria, BC
https://www.facebook.com/handsomedistraction – http://youtu.be/ywvFMnjvHNo
7:00 PM – Cry of Silence (Punk/ Grunge) Vancouver, BC
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cry-of-Silence/7041804347
8:00 PM – TheMightyOne (Rock) Vancouver, BC
https://www.facebook.com/themightyonemusic
9:00 PM – Open Air (Rock) Calgary, AB
https://www.facebook.com/openairrock – http://youtu.be/VeBvStCIK-A – http://youtu.be/9ViQzQNxIbA
10:00 PM – The Coalition (Rock) Vancouver, BC
11:00 PM – Versus the Nothing (Alternative Hard Rock) Vancouver, BC
https://www.facebook.com/versusthenothing
12:00 AM – Thorntyr Vancouver (Metal/ Hard Core) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thorntyr/120583114683688
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Titans-Eve/53568260495
Make sure you check out each of the artists donating their time and show them some support!
On Twitter? Please RT and Hashtag #BlankFestYVR
About Blankfest:
BlankFest Documentary 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_nZr7wZhjc
Blankfest Documentary II – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtUy2Oms2Cw
BlankFest Documentary III – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QNKJIPP21Y
Blank-Fest is an annual benefit concert, usually held one-to-two weeks beforeChristmas, which raises blankets for the homeless. It was founded in 1997 in Nyack, NY(a suburb approximately 20 miles outside of New York City) by Kenn Rowell who is the frontman for the NYC-based band, The Baghdaddios.
Over the years Blank-Fest has collected over 5,900 total donations for the homeless. With the exception of one year (2001) donations in every year has increased. Much of this growth can be attributed to increased exposure through local radio, the internet and the press, including featured articles in the New York Daily News and mentions in the New York Post.[1] In addition there have been satellite shows that have been formed in other states, cities and countries. So numerous have donations been in recent years that volunteers have had to split the distribution/delivery of blankets to the less fortunate on multiple nights, starting on Christmas Eve. Often excess donations are distributed to homeless shelters as well.
Efforts to duplicate the successes of the early Nyack shows proved elusive at best untilNew Jersey-based independent artist activist, Richard Kubicz read about Blank-Fest’s efforts in the Daily News and proposed a “sister show” at a local club in Garwood, NJ. The first Blank-Fest-NJ, promoted extensively through Kubicz’s D.I.Y. music website Let’s Rock America [1] was a resounding success, netting 200 blankets which were donated directly to a neighboring homeless shelter in Cranford and garnered notice in the Bergen County press in 2006. Last year’s second annual Jersey show produced similar results. Similarly, Blank-Fest UK [2] was founded in Nottingham, England after a local recording studio owner heard an interview with The Baghdaddios on the British Armed Forces Radio Network, BFBS Radio One during the group’s Summer 2007 tour of England. Upon hearing about both the American and UK efforts Ontario-based photographer Gaynor Fletcher approached Rowell regarding the formation of a Blank-Fest Canada show. Also, debuting in 2007, in Guelph, ON, the inauguaral Canadian event featured popular Canadian folk artist James Gordon and was covered extensively by the Canadian media [2], raising well over 100 blankets.
In addition to these shows former Baghdaddios bassist, John Sidoti joined forces with local internet radio personality Ron Purtee to develop the first-ever Blank-Fest Wisconsin, [3], also in 2007, in the Milwaukee-area suburb of Racine.
Currently, there are 8 Blank-Fest shows serving 7 major metropolitan areas in three countries. In addition to those mentioned previously, 2008 has seen the addition of three additional shows: Blank-Fest Florida, which is hosted in Northern Florida (Lake City, near Gainesville, FL) and Blank-Fest VA, which is hosted in Richmond, VA (see links below).
In addition, promoters in Bridgeport, CT as well as Ottawa, Canada have begun work for premiere Blank-Fest shows in December 2009. The first Blank-Fest Quebec (which was also the first “post-Holiday Season” Blank-Fest show) which took place on Saturday evening, February 21, 2009, garnered approximately 503 total donations [4].
Currently plans are in development to expand Blank-Fest even further. There has been talk of shows in Texas, Northeast Pennsylvania, Ohio and Atlanta, GA. Several additional popular artists have been approached regarding future such shows. Quoted in a newspaper interview in 2000, Rowell maintained that “as long as there is the issue of homelessness we will continue to have a Blank-Fest”, further adding that he wishes “we didn’t have to hold these shows” but that, until the situation dramatically improves, everyone involved understands that they really have no other choice.
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