Well, i'm a slacker, you all know that... i finally
updated the "add bands" section (i know there's a lot
more still to do, but i'm getting to it). Other stuff has
been happening as well. I finished my second interview
regarding gbdc this year, I'm MCing the AM/FM music
showcase this sunday, I've been invited to speak at the
Music Law Confrence, and I'm getting excited about the
Roller Rebels season - I'm still doing the announcing for
them. As all that picks up, i've had to give up a few
other things - like stepping down from the Board of
Directors for the kickstand.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about some stuff. The main
reason I put together this website was for the shows
page, and it gets used... a lot. While that part of the
site flourishes, the forums have lost some of the heated
banter and moved more towards a helpful sales/find-a-
bandmate forum (which i think is awesome!)
I'm not sure of the future of gbdc, but if it's anything
like the past, it will live on long after your band plays
your 5th "last show". I'll still be in the ville, and
the site will still look the way it always has- on text
phones, on smartphones, on the web, in RSS and XML feeds
and in print in many lazy print publications that still
dont acknowledge where they get their weekly music
calendar.
but i digress... i wanted to talk about the music
comunity and what has formed in the past year. Bands
that have been steadaly building a following outside the
anthem punk that gainesville will probably always be
known for. I'm finding enjoyment in the pop-punk, slick
indie and downright "mainstreamy" things that have
surfaced since the fall. And these little droplets have
formed into pools of influence in Gainesville.
Talking with others, conversations move through what the
music scene was, is it dead now and is there a future for
gainesville in the spotlight? I always bring upp the ebb
and flow of gainesville, trends of music, and how, for
some amazing reason, this town tends not to fixate on the
trends of other cities, or even the push of the music
industry. Gainesville is Gainesville, and i love it for
that.
I guess that's all i needed to ramble about. There. you
got a news post this month.
We are proud to present the release of the second edition of "HOMEvan: A Gainesville Music Benefit for the Homeless". With the mounting economic crisis, the most needy of our community have come upon particularly hard times. Homelessness is at an all-time high in Gainesville, as more people than ever before are finding themselves forced to live on the streets. In the past two years, the number of men, women and children without housing in our community has jumped 70%, to more than 1,600.
Gainesville musicians, recognizing our community’s growing hardships, have come together to present a compilation of Gainesville’s best and brightest bands to raise awareness for a local organization’s efforts to alleviate the growing plight.
HOMEvan, founded in 2002 by Arupa and Bob Freeman and other community activists, is a grassroots, volunteer-run outreach group providing a variety of services for the homeless, poor, and disenfranchised of Gainesville. Twice each week, rain or shine, HOMEvan's volunteers bring a nutritious bagged meal, soup, clothes, hygiene products, and (what many need most of all) an un-judging and compassionate ear.
A series of CD release benefit concerts will accompany the release of the compilation in order that they may raise awareness and funds. The line-up is as follows:
Sunday April 5th Common Grounds: The Duppies, Chupaskabra, The Damn Wrights, Battle!, Lars Din
Sunday April 26th Common Grounds: Grabass Charlestons, Liquid Limbs, Spanish Gamble (f.k.a. Dirty Money), Crash Pad.
Saturday May 23rd Atlantic: Averkiou, CYNE, Scum of the Earth, Cassette, and No More.
Saturday, June 20th: Bands TBA
The shows will feature raffle prizes from local merchants and information from a variety of grassroots groups. Organizers are requesting attendees bring donations of peanut butter and/or white socks to the shows for distribution by the HOMEvan.
For interviews about the compilation or accompanying events, please call Dan Fitzpatrick at 352-682-3413 or Erica Carlsson at 727-244-7133. For more information on homelessness in Gainesville, contact Jon DeCarmine at the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless & Hungry, 352-494-3955.
The first homevan comp was amazing and a really good representation of the music community. I'm sure this one wont disappoint.
and props to Dan for getting this whole thing together!
I'm really not sure how this will ultimately be used, but i'm up for suggestions. I know that i'd hate to do this manually every day, but i think a quick show listing or at least a place where people can tweet questions to gbdc could be useful.
