Blankfest-Calgary Returns For Third Annual Music Benefit For The Homeless; Band Line-Up Announced
‘It’s About The Homeless, Nothing More, Nothing Less’
Blankfest Calgary, the music charity fundraiser is proud to announce its return for its third annual event in support of the city’s homeless shelter The Mustard Seed. Over the last two years, the full-to-capacity event has raised nearly $2,000 and over 400 blankets including winter clothing items for the homeless whom live in one of Canada’s coldest cities.
Leanne Harrison, event organizer and founder of artist management and booking SIN Agency comments:
“Going into our third year doing Blank-Fest events, I’m very excited to say I have two full time volunteers working with me this year and it’s going to be better than ever in both Calgary and our second year in Vancouver. The bands are strong and the support is growing in each city, and the team is a dedicated and amazing group of people that I’m grateful for every day.”
This year’s event will see nine local Calgary bands and two Red Deer bands ranging in various genres of rock n’ roll, metal and hip hop, performing between 6:30pm to 2am at Studio 37 to share their tunes, raise awareness, funds and clothing for the city’s homeless.
As the event slogan goes, ‘It’s About The Homeless, Nothing More, Nothing Less.’.
Blankfest Calgary is just one of many events across North America inspired by founder Kenn Rowell, who has been organizing Blankfest in New York City since 1997 and has encouraged others to hold Blankfests in various parts of the USA, Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver) and Europe to help the homeless with the support from their music communities. (full Blankfest background info below.)
Event Details:
Same Monkey (Calgary) – Rock – https://www.facebook.com/samemonkeymusic
Wellington Folk (Calgary) – Folk/ Rock – https://www.facebook.com/thewellingtonfolk
Mammoth Grove (Calgary) – Groove Rock – https://www.facebook.com/mammothgrove
Mike Ferraro (Calgary) – Acoustic – https://www.facebook.com/candeloramusic
King Dylan (Calgary) – Hip Hop/Rap – https://www.facebook.com/TheRealKingDyl
Atacama Republic (Calgary) – Rock – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atacama-Republic/103289433057261
Matt Blais (Calgary) – Blues Rock – https://www.facebook.com/mattblaismusic
The Heartwicks (Calgary) – Rock – https://www.facebook.com/theheartwicks
Dusty Tucker (Red Deer) – Hard Rock – https://www.facebook.com/DustyTuckerBand
Leave the Living (Red Deer) – Metal – https://www.facebook.com/leavetheliving
Before the Storm (Calgary) – Metal – https://www.facebook.com/BTSMUSIC
For more info, please visit the following link:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlankFest.Calgary
About Blankfest:
BlankFest Documentary I – 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 before Christmas, 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.
Rowell, in previous interviews detailed how he had always wanted to do “something charitable” on Christmas Eve. Among the many things he considered were keeping the disabled father of an old neighborhood friend company, singing in the children’s ward of a hospital and collecting blankets from friends to dispense amongst New York City’s homeless on Christmas Eve. Doing just that, for the first time in 1996, he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to do the same thing again, next year. It was at that time that his friends told him that they had no more blankets to donate saying that Rowell had “cleaned them out” from the previous year.
Since inception, over 15 years ago, Rowell estimates that Blank-Fest has collected over 10,000 total donations for the homeless. For the original flagship show out of Nyack, 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 Newsand 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.
MCed by Rowell’s long-time band, The Baghdaddios, the first Blank-Fest only featured a handful of local, Hudson Valley area-based groups including international touring act Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan, The Wheel and future Bruxelles part-owner Debruyn who performed as a solo artist. While always priding itself on featuring local independent, or “homegrown” music acts, in addition the benefit has attracted likewise talented songwiters and bands which boast an impressive list of major recording label ties and a solid reputation for touring and recording including EMI artist Patti Rothberg, pedal steel guitar greatBuddy Cage, former Misfits guitarist and founder of The Undead, Bobby Steele, Soulfly lead guitarist Marc Rizzo, Sirius Radio personality Meg Griffin, international jazz oomposer Mike McGinnis and the founder of the Anti-folk school of music, Lach.
Efforts to duplicate the successes of the early Nyack shows proved elusive at best until New 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 inaugural 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 theMilwaukee-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 Calgary and 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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