NEW YORK (www.blankfest.com) - Blank-Fest VIII continues its campaign to help keep New York City's homeless warm. The 8th installment of this annual event will be held on Sunday, December 12th, 2004 at its "home" at Bruxelle's Restaurant in Nyack, NY. A quaint Hudson Valley riverfront community, located approximately 20 miles from New York City, Nyack has provided a scenic backdrop to the event since the benefit's beginning.
Founded in 1997, Blank-Fest takes a more practical approach to the issue of NYC's homelessness by collecting blankets instead of money. The benefit brings together an eclectic mix of musicians from a variety of musical genres, featured in one single marathon day of performances. Concert organizers ask musicians at varying levels of local, regional, and national exposure to perform for free with the cost of admission being one blanket in any condition. Kenn Rowell, the concert's founder and co-organizer, along with other volunteers, personally distributes these blankets directly to New York's less fortunate on Christmas Eve. Rowell's NYC-based indie band, The Baghdaddios, have hosted the event since its inception.
Among the standout acts previously featured at Blank-Fest, have been former EMI recording artist Patti Rothberg, pioneering female DJ Meg Griffin (who's alt-country band, Meg Griffin's
Train Wreck, featured pedal-steel guitar legend
Buddy Cage) and blued-eyed soul diva Joy Ryder who has recorded for CBS, RCA, Polydor and Phonogram. Other stand out acts include Hudson Valley-based indie artists Joe D'Urso And Stone Caravan (who have performed at every show) and alt-rockers Cheatin' Soccer Mom. Both acts have toured internationally and are highly regarded in the underground rock community.
Ironically, last year's Blank-Fest was held during a treacherous snow and ice storm. "We made it through, but about half of the bands scheduled to play couldn't make it to the show. The roads everywhere were just too icy," notes benefit co-organizer and Bruxelle's co-owner Chuck DeBruyn. To which Rowell adds, "I had to tell Joy Ryder AND Patti Rothberg: 'Don't bother trying to make it up here'... I mean, Blank-Fest is supposed to SAVE lives, not put them in peril!" Regardless of the weather, there were plenty of talented musicians on hand. Some of the scheduled artists, including Cheatin' Soccer Mom and NYC standouts Pretty Suicide, performed extended sets, while other local talent offered to fill in where ever necessary. Singer-songwriter Meghan Carey even cut short a shopping trip to a local mall to help out by turning in an impromtu performance. "With so many of the NYC bands unable to make it to the show, we couldn't believe that not only did Pretty Suicide make it up here, but they were here early and played 5 encores! They were expecting that many others wouldn't be there and wanted to help out," exclaimed ecstatic concert chairperson Josephine Brown.
Despite last year's inclement weather, benefit organizers announced a record breaking 406 donations was collected during the show and in the week and a half following it. This total shattered the previous year's high mark by just under 200 blankets. Rowell, grateful at the generosity of the few who braved the harrowing conditions, acknowledged, "After doing this for seven years, ONE blizzard in all that time is not a case of 'bad luck' as much as it is the odds just playing themselves out." While Brown had this to say, "Seeing all the people who came out yesterday to contribute to this benefit - musicians and spectators alike - despite the bad weather is enough to restore my faith in mankind."
Already this year's show has confirmed the honey-and-whiskey voiced Joy Ryder, glam-rockers Temptress, and the always-dependable Joe D'Urso. Other acts, many returning from last year and before, will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Bruxelle's Restaurant is located at 173 Main Street, Nyack NY. Phone: 845-353-0732. As always, admission for the full day is one blanket of any kind in any condition.
For more information on Blank-Fest, please see
www.blankfest.com. To inquire about performing in or otherwise volunteering for this event contact Blank-Fest chairperson, Josephine Brown at
[email protected].
