Showing posts with label fundraiser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fundraiser. Show all posts

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Family Crest plays "Note & Words," a fundraiser for The Oakland Children's Hospital with a 100 person secret choir

Matt, Ravenna, John, Owen, Liam & Lucas
Photos by Matt Washburn (to see more click here )

Last Friday night I had the pleasure to help organize and be part of a 100 person SECRET CHOIR for the Family Crest at Notes & Words, a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland in the beautiful Fox Theater in downtown Oakland. It was a little bit of a bummer because they put us way up in the top of the balcony where no one else really knew we were there, but it was really fun event, and it was awesome to get some my friends out to sing with and experience my new favorite band.

Other performers were musicians HYIM and Megan Slankard ("Notes"). Authors Michael Lewis, Kelly Corrigan and Beth Lisick ("Words") told hysterical stories about being children and their own children. Michael Lewis' story (author of The Blind Side) definitely including peeing in the pool...

Sarah, Owen, Lucas, Liam, Ravenna & Laura

This is also the first time The Family Crest has gotten to play in a large space like the Fox Theater, and they totally filled it up, sonically and visually. Even from the third row from the back, I could tell how much fun they were having up there. And even though I'm not a huge fan of the sound at the Fox, they sounded pretty darn good to me.

We sang on a couple songs, but most notably, a new song called “As We Move Forward." Check out some of these dynamic photos by Matthew Washburn and video. You can actually hear our singing at the end a little bit. There were about 90 of us up there in the balcony and I think there were more folks scattered around singing as well.

In the video below the other entertainers of the evening join the Family Crest on stage.



Thanks to everyone that came out! Hope you had fun.

Lucas and Matt. Lucas is wearing his cello harness, so cool.

Photos by Matt Washburn (to see more click here )


Liam and Owen

Friday, March 25, 2011

Kickstarter.com and Bay Area band projects

One of the prizes for donating cash is an organizing session with lead singer/songwriter Ziva Hader

You might have already heard about a little website called Kickstarter.com: a “new way to fund and follow creativity.” I’ve always been happy to help out friends and family who were raising money to run in marathons and walk for breast cancer but now I am also happy to help friends create. And depending on how much I donate, I get something in return like a CD, a signed LP or even a massage.

Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every month, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects around the world and give them the opportunity to come to life. If you are an artist seeking a way to fund a creative project in music, film, art, technology, design, food, or any other creative field - Kickstarter may be the way to do it.

Here is a small list of the some of the current Local Bay Area bands that are using Kickstarter.com to help fund their musical endeavors. Help support them!

  • Ziva is raising funds for her official band demo CD.
  • Felsen needs help funding their 3rd album (one day left)!
  • LoCura is seeking to finish their 2nd album.
  • The Hypnotist Collectors want to press and print their CDs and make a music video.
READ MORE OF THE STORY HERE...

Friday, February 25, 2011

The one where I interview The Family Crest with a cat on my lap

Liam lets out a mighty sound at the Family Crest CD release

Last Friday I got to interview Liam and John of The Family Crest in my living room. They are opening for Megan Slankard at the Bottom of the Hill in a week (March 5) and Hear it Local has two tickets to give away for the show.

To enter to win in this contest, leave a comment on the Hear it Local SF facebook page or post this link on your own wall and make sure to "@Hear it Local SF" so we know you did it.

In the interview I ask Liam and John about how they have harnessed the power of their community fan base to raise money and include them in their music making.

My cat Ella makes an appearance; she's black, we're wearing black. It's pretty funny, all you see are EYES.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Lia Rose of Built for the Sea looking for your help to fund her solo album

It's a brilliant concept: pay for Lia Rose's album now and get it hot off the press when it's done! That's the idea behind many of Kickstarter.com's projects. Many of us donate to non-profits, why not help unsigned musicians pay for a new project? The music industry is changing so rapidly, it's impossible to see where it's going. Record labels used to be the only way to make a record, but now you can do it from your bedroom. Unfortunately, it still takes money to make a record.

Fund the project here!

Lia Rose is the ethereal voice in front of the dream anthem pop band Built for the Sea. Their sound is big and warm. Rose's voice is sweet and hypnotic. I started listening to Built for the Sea recently and it was hard to take the CD out of my car stereo. Now Rose is hitting the studio on her own to create something all her own, perhaps something a little more delicate. It'll be exciting to see what comes out of this new project.

There are many different levels of funding, each with their own sized "reward" from a signed CD to a handmade art piece by Rose herself. As of Thursday afternoon, Rose is 78% of the way to her goal with 93 backers. She has 14 days to go. Can she raise the money to get cracking? Will you help?

Click here to hear a couple demo's off the upcoming album

Lia Rose on myspace

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Support singer/songwriters Pam Shaffer and Lia Rose make their studio albums,

In the past week, two singer/songwriters, Lia Rose and Pamela Shaffer, have reached out to their fans asking for help paying for the making of their studio albums. Kickstarter is an awesome site where artists can appeal to their fans (and find new ones) and fans can directly support artists they like. There is no middle man.

The awesome thing about the concept behind Kickstarter, is that if you donate money to Pamela or Lia's projects you are really just pre-paying for the album you would have bought anyway. So it's really more of an investment in the music that you like. And it's just another way to donate to the arts.

Pamela says,
"I love donating to the arts whether it's by purchasing a friend's album, being a member of LACMA or dropping cash in a tip jar for a musician on 3rd street."
If you take a look at the Kickstarter site, it has allowed Pamela and Lia to award various amount donations with different prizes: house shows, signed CDs, pre-release downloading and handmade cover art.

I'm going to donate some cash right after I finish this post. Every dollar helps them get that much closer to a finished product, and studio recordings ain't cheap to make. (Update: you can sign in through facebook and then pay through Amazon, so you don't have to open another account or give your credit card out to yet another site. Easy-peezy)

Check out the widgets below and their music. Please think about supporting these ladies on Kickstarter to make their studio recordings.

Los Angeles musician Pamela Shaffer needs help finishing her album

Bay Area musician Lia Rose (of Built by the Sea) needs support making a solo album




Bay Area talent gives back to the diabetic community with "Sugar Rush" (or my first paid PR gig!)


When Ziva of WomenRock contacted me with a paid PR gig for this fundraiser for The American Diabetes Association, I couldn't say 'no.' No time to learn how to write a press release like the present. Turns out, it's not that complicated! And it's for a good cause.

So if you're in the Bay Area next Thursday the 15th of April and want to hear some local music (all of these artists will be new to me, so I'm certainly excited) come out and support the fight against Diabetes.

Oh, and there will be some silly vaudevillian style sexy dancers too (they're called the Cheesepuffs)!

READ MORE ABOUT THE EVENT HERE

Friday, December 4, 2009

By Area Girls Rock Camp Silent Auction round up

Poison Apple Pie: Emmalee, Torrey and Jasmine

Just wanted to report that the fundraiser was a success! I don't know how much money was raised, but there were over 65 pieces of art donated and most of them were bid on. Everything I donated was sold which is very excited for me! Thanks again Jen, Lauren, Jemal, Jessica, Diana and Erin .

Poison Apple Pie played a fabulous set including "Superman" by R.E.M., "21 Guns" by Green day, "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey (complete with the intro that Torrey and I worked on last week), and originals "I Need a Chainsaw," "Flying Swines of Doom" and my favorite, "I Don't Want to Hug You." The last one sounds like a 1960s garage band tune. They've just been getting better and better and better. I can't believe they are all only 12.

I sold two lessons, one to someone I know and one to someone I don't know. Should be interesting!

Anyway, everyone did a fabulous job and I am very happy to have been part of it.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Local Bay Area artists featured in silent auction: Proceeds go to Bay Area Girls Rock Camp

Print by Jen Oaks


Artists and musicians are cut from the same cloth, but how often do the two communities get to directly support each other? Dozens of Bay Area artists have donated handmade items to raise money for the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp in a silent auction occurring this coming Friday, December 4th 7-10pm at Local 123 in Berkeley.

Just in time for the holidays, there will be everything from handmade earrings and jam to paintings, prints and sculptures. Check out the slideshow for a sneak peak. Homemade items can be special holiday gifts! Many items will start bidding at $10.

I'm auctioning off 4 music lessons starting at $20 each. Been meaning to pick up that guitar? Want to learn some piano? Always wanted to learn about African music? Bollywood? I can probably teach you about it.

These are some of the pieces that my friends Jessica, Erin, Diana, Jemal, Jen and Lauren donated. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS! I am so grateful that you are helping to support Girls Rock Camp, an organization that I have put so much of my own time and energy into.

Click here to read the article on examiner.com and check out the slideshow of some of the other art that will be there (I think my friends donated the best stuff, but I'm biased).

Also, "my" girls, Poison Apple Pie will be performing at the event. It's been so much fun to see Emalee, Jasmine and Torrey progress as a band. Can't wait to see what they're going to play.

Homemade Peach and Strawberry jam by Diana Kowalsky (I made the labels)


earrings by Jessica Hilberman


Painting by Erin Wapple



Doodles by Jemal Diamond