NYC Cable Indie Concert Broadcast Goes Global

Best of New York's Indie and Unsigned Bands Highlighted in Special Internet-Broadcast Tonight on Manhattan-Based MNN Cable Network

The internet can be a great place for indie and unsigned bands, offering a myriad of opportunities that did not exist ten or even five years ago.

Case in point: Tonight, courtesy of the Manhattan, NYC-based MNN Cable network, fans of independent music and unsigned bands the world over get a chance to check out a worthwhile and all-too-short documentary, championing the cause for Blank-Fest - New York's original benefit concert which raises blankets for its City's less fortunate.

For nine years Blank-Fest has steadily grown, from a local, 3 1/2 hour event that netted 40 donations in its first year to a regional, bordering on national (or even international), show, featuring a fine mix of local, up-and-coming talent, regional touring acts with strong followings and artists with major label pedigrees! Last year's Blank-Fest XIII show shattered past donation records by collecting over 650 donations, most of these being blankets which were handed out to those in need on Christmas Eve.

The brainchild of NYC indie band, The Baghdaddios' front man, Kenn Rowell, the event has been nurtured in its originating New York suburban town of Nyack, NY. Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, approximately 20 miles from the City's border, Nyack has long enjoyed a reputation for being a chic, trendy artist community. Over the years real estate prices have spiraled through the roof as such Hollywood luminaries such as Jonathon Demme, Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna, Bill Murray, William Hurt, Al Pacino, U2's drummer, Larry Mullen, Jr. among many others have either settled in or around the cozy Hudson Valley hamlet or have seriously considered pulling up stakes there. Even its local Catholic Parish boasted the first "Rock and Roll Requiem" on the East Coast, in the mid-1970s. It houses one of the oldest War Protest organizations in The Fellowship of Reconciliation, which was founded in the opening oeuvres of World War I and spearheaded much of the Anti-Vietnam War protests, half a century later. The community prides itself on its tradition of progressive thinking and community-based movements.

"I remember a drummer friend of mine describing Nyack as 'Let's say they moved 4 or 5 blocks from the middle of the Village and dropped it right in the middle of the suburbs,'"; remembers Rowell, "and I thought, 'Yeah, that about sums it up.'"

But it wasn't its hip reputation that sold Rowell as the home for his annual pet project. "I was born and raised here," he explains, "I was living in a basement apartment and commuting into the City at the time - and I knew that the community would solidly get behind it. And as it turns out, now that we've been at it for so long I have NO intention of moving it into the City - after all, most people in the 'burbs don't get exposed to the plight of the homeless like we do, living in the middle of everything. From a public-awareness standpoint, I think the show does more good staying where it is." This year, as it has for the past 6 years, Blank-Fest will emanate from the family-owned Bruxelles Restaurant at 173 Main Street in Nyack.

And so what appears to be the perfect fusion of City needs vs. suburban concern is forged each December as Blank-Fest gears up to put on a hearty and ambitious fete (last year: 19 acts in 12 hours!) together for a very appreciative hometown crowd. "Each year I'm amazed at the amount of talent that passes through these doors," muses Bruxelles co-owner Dave McGoldrick, "I always find myself saying 'Where did they GET these bands?' - it just gets bigger every year!"

True, in addition to Rowell's band, which officially MCs the show, other local bands include Cheatin' Soccer Mom, who have been scouted by major label EMI and have headlined festivals in the UK and Joe D'Urso who, along with his group Stone Caravan, has toured Europe and Asia extensively, opening for such familiar names as Huey Lewis and Shawn Colvin. But in addition to the homegrown talent, this benefit has brought on board such heavy hitters as former EMI ingénue Patti Rothberg, whose debut CD "Between the One and the Nine" met with critical acclaim when it burst on the scene in 1996. Three years ago, pioneering classic rock DJ Meg Griffin dazzled the crowd with her alt-country band "Meg Griffin's Train Wreck," featuring pedal steel guitar legend Buddy Cage (New Riders of the Purple Sage, Grateful Dead). Last year's show featured a first-time appearance by former CBS, RCA and Polydor recording artist Joy Ryder. Filling in the spaces in between are some of the best - albeit still mostly unknown - independent and unsigned bands, most from New York's fabled Lower East Side.

This year sees the return of Rothberg and Ryder, as well as locals Cheatin' Soccer Mom - however there have been several strong additions, including regional touring favourite from Cincinnati, Crankbox - as well as several other bands, described by concert chairperson Mary Beth Seacott as "solid, strong rockers with a tremendous fan base." Seacott sincerely concludes, "We really do believe that this year's Blank-Fest will be our best yet!"

With that in mind, one should have their attention drawn to tonight's broadcast on Manhattan cable television's special presentation, at 9:30 P.M. of NYC-based actress Kristina Latour's debut documentary, chronicling last year's Blank-Fest show, along with interviews with many of the show's organizers and some compelling footage of Rowell and his follow volunteers dispensing blankets around the streets of Manhattan. Normally limited to Manhattan residents with cable only, the Manhattan community-based network has upped the ante significantly by making its program available to anyone in the world with internet access.

By merely logging on, people around the world can witness the half-dozen highlighted indie bands and the efforts of Blank-Fest's small but dedicated and loyal core of organizers as they talk about their labour of love, detail how the show has grown (especially in recent years) and even voice their hopes and dreams for the future of the cause. Only running a half-hour in its entirety, the heart-felt treatise leaves the viewer wanting to see more. An encore broadcast is scheduled for next Sunday, November 27, in the same 9:30 P.M. time slot (http://www.mnn.org/stream/ch67.asx).

When posed with the question as to figuring what time to log on overseas and around the world Ms. Seacott didn't even hesitate to suggest the international Time Zone Converter web site which can give potential viewers, anywhere in the world the lowdown as to what time it is in their native land when it is 9:30 P.M. in New York City. "We've sent this link out with our last major emailing and it worked fine for many of our friends over in Europe," enthused Seacott. "We've been receiving real encouraging words from people around the country and as far away as the UK and New Zealand. We expect an even bigger response now that word has gotten around!"

All of this comes as a prelude to this year's Blank-Fest XI show, scheduled for Sunday, December 11, once again at Bruxelles in Nyack. With 22 strong acts all ready to go this year's show promises to fulfill its organizers' promise as the best of the series yet. For more information please contact Ms. Seacott at blankfestnewz@yahoo.com or visit the Blank-Fest website.

Again, the broadcast for tonight's Blank-Fest documentary can be accessed by logging on to http://www.mnn.org/stream/ch56.asx at 9:30, Eastern Standard time.

November 22, 2005 MI2N

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