Tag Archives: fundraisers

Bonerama tells you what you missed Monday night

The benefit concert for Dear New Orleans Monday night at the Black Cat was fantastically fun.

New Orleans legends Bonerama played house band and they’ve posted a summary of the night on their blog. Joining them onstage: Jean Cook (Beauty Pill), Jenny Toomey (Tsunami) Tim Quirk (Too Much Joy/Wonderlick), Alex Maiolo, Mike Mills (REM), Damian Kulash (OK Go), Rebecca Gates (Spinanes), Erin McKeown, Hank Shocklee (Bomb Squad/Public Enemy), Timothy Bracy, Jonny 5 (Flowbots), and Jill Sobule.

You can buy the Dear New Orleans disk at the DearNo.La site, on Amazon and on itunes.

The background noise makes it a little bit of a labor of love to listen to, but this short interview with the always-groovy Tim Quirk explains how this show came about. (If you give it a view & just embrace the background noise, you’ll experience what it was like to be in my head when I woke up the morning after the show).


About Dear New Orleans

Air Traffic Control has been co-hosting artist activism retreats in New Orleans for the last four years. To mark the 5 year anniversary of the storm and floods we thought it appropriate to produce a benefit album. We started by asking the 60 alumni artists who participated in the retreats if they’d be interested in donating a track for a benefit album – we had no idea over half of them would send us music.

We are grateful they did.

Some of the songs that appear on this album are specifically about the city, or the disaster. Others pay a more oblique tribute, and still others are songs that the artist played at the concert we close each retreat with.

Dear New Orleans is a letter of gratitude and promise to the city and her people — to never forget what happened and to continue to rebuild.

For more on Air Traffic Control visit www.atctower.net

Dear New Orleans Beneficiary Organizations

Proceeds from the sale of this album will be granted to New Orleans based nonprofits working to support and sustain the region’s unique musical and cultural traditions, and to protect and restore vital environmental and community resources for future generations, such as:

Sweet Home New Orleans
Gulf Restoration Network

The concert was produced by Air Traffic Control and the Future of Music Coalition in conjunction with the Future of Music Coalition’s 10th Anniversary Policy Summit.

Rock Show! Policy Summit!


FMC Policy Summit 2010

It’s time for the 10th Anniversary Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit.

TENTH? This event is 10 years old? No way. I was still in Grad School when this event started and that was just…nevermind. Let’s move on.

Musicians can still apply for scholarships to the Summit and anyone who wants to engage or learn more about public policy, music technology, and technology can still buy a ticket.

Come on, get your music & tech policy fix where all the cool kids hang out! The event starts Sunday (the 3rd) and runs through Tuesday (the 5th) – check the website for programming details and panelist bios.

Monday night, there’s a rock show. And not just any rock show, this is a benefit for Dear New Orleans presented by Air Traffic Control and the Future of Music Coalition.

The show is at the Black Cat and tickets (regular and VIP packages) are still available. Check out this partial line-up:

Bonerama with
Damian Kulash of OK Go
Jenny Toomey and Franklin Bruno
Hank Shocklee (of The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy)
Jonny 5 of Flobots
Wonderlick (and half of Too Much Joy!)
Rebecca Gates
Crossover Clarinetist Mariam Adam
plus special guests!

And, of course, I’ll be there (in the audience). How can you possibly resist?

Still need a push? Don’t know who Bonerama are? Here’s video I found (on their website) of them covering “War Pigs” last year in San Francisco.

I tried harder to find video of them covering “When the Levee Breaks” on youtube because that’s more appropriate but all the videos I found sucked so you get this instead. (I did find video from last year’s FMC rockshow but the quality was not so high – a hazzard of recording trombones with a portable cam and then compounding the loss of low-frequency content by playing it back on computer speaker. You can watch it anyway if you want).

I bet you could see them cover it live if you bought a ticket and showed up at the Black Cat Monday night.

"Sound Bites"

If you want to hear great DJs at the 9:30 Club and eat lots of tasty food at a benefit for the DC Central Kitchen, you’re in luck because “Sound Bites” is exactly that, and it’s happening this Sunday (the 23rd).

Benefiting the D.C. Central Kitchen, a community kitchen focused on solving the interconnected problems of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, SoundBites is a half-outdoor feast, half-indoor concert full of tasty eats and hot jams. Starting the event is a tented food bazaar outside of 9:30 Club, chock-full of free samples from lots of the area’s finest cuisine-purveyors.

After getting your nosh on, we’ll open the Club’s doors, where you can work off all of that deliciousness by grooving with five of the scene’s best DJs and bands.

This May, help a D.C. establishment that truly deserves it, while having some of the best food-fueled fun of your life. With free samples from area restaurants including: BGR the Burger Joint • Busboys and Poets • ChurchKey • CommonWealth Gastropub • Cork EatBar • Fresh Start Catering • Harry’s Tap Room • Indique • Jaleo • Maddy’s Bar & Grill • Marvin • Masa 14 • Mie N Yu • Radius Pizza • Sâuçá • Taylor Gourmet • Zola Kitchen and Wine Bar

DC Central Kitchen is a worthy organization, and I’m not just saying that because their Chief Development Officer is one of our cool neighbors. You can buy tickets here

Art Enables turns 8

Art Enables is an amazing art studio program and gallery for emerging artists with developmental and/or mental disabilities. They’re celebrating their 8th birthday with a party today. There’s lots of impressive outsider art for sale and also a raffle with creative prizes that include having a former VP from the World Bank come to your house and cook you crabcakes. (Really. I’m not making that up).


Eight is great! … and Art Enables is celebrating with a double dip!

1. A fabulous birthday party & exhibit – with DJ Uncle Eric.

2. A random raffle (very eclectic items and only $1 a ticket) and (the silent) auction of a single gorgeous painting on canvas to help us generate some extra funds to upgrade our security after a break-in and theft in January.

The party will help Art Enables after they were recently burglarized and lost all of the computers and electronic devices necessary for them to reach their community.

ART ENABLES PARTY DETAILS!!:

SATURDAY, February 27, 2010, 2 – 5 pm @ Art Enables
411 New York Avenue, NE — Washington, DC 20002

My friends Stephanie and Beth work at Art Enables so while you’re at the party today say hi to them. (ahem. You will be at the party today, right? Right.)