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In the spirit of Independence Day, nationwide concerts will be hosted by music venues on July 1st, 2010 to benefit those directly impacted by the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.

The organizers have created an ambitious goal: Gather music venues around the country to donate ticket sales on July 1st and create an online giving platform that encourages donations to the relief efforts. The fundraising goal is set to $500,000, which will be directed to the (nonprofit) Gulf Restoration Network, which provides assistance to the people, wildlife and wetlands affected as well as advocacy work throughout the Gulf Coast.

The organizers of the event include: Nic Adler, owner of The Roxy on the Sunset Strip; Megan Jacobs of The Roxy, Casey Phillips, talent buyer for venues including Tipitina’s in New Orleans and Viper Room & The Mint in Los Angeles, and Sloane Berrent, founder of Answer With Action and creator of The Causemopolitan.

Revenues from ticket sales will be donated to help the fishermen and their families along the Gulf Coast cope with this disaster in addition to wildlife and wetlands restoration for the Gulf Coast. Over 25 venues have been confirmed and more are being added every day. Artists performing include national as well as local acts across the US.

“We know through music and the generosity of people that we can help make a difference in the Gulf Coast,” says Nic Adler. “We hope this inspires others to make a donation, attend an event and get involved.”

The wetlands and wildlife are in desperate need of our attention now and can’t wait for BP to take care of those in need. Many of our fellow Americans in the foreseeable future will have no livelihood, are preparing to leave their homes and are now lining up for food handouts. With hurricane season on the horizon, there is reason for great concern and it’s crucial the affected communities be prepared for the worst.

Details on how to make a donation or find an event to attend in your area can be found on this site. Both the online giving platform and an online auction is going to coincide with the benefit concerts.

View the press release on Pitch Engine.

Gulf Future is a collaborative effort to raise awareness and increase public support for the communities along the Gulf coast affected by the BP oil drilling disaster. This campaign is the brainchild of the Gulf Coast Fund and the Gulf Restoration Network. In May, several folks from our two organizations took a tour of the devastation developing in the Gulf of Mexico and along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Outraged and distressed by what we saw, and anticipating what the future might hold for these communities, GRN and GCF realized that nothing short of a nation-wide outcry about this catastrophe was necessary.

Thus the Gulf Future Campaign was formed. Our vision is a to mobilize supporters from across the nation to show their solidarity with the people of the Gulf Coast. It is still unclear what the future looks like for these folks. It could take months and even years for the scope of the environmental and economic effects of this disaster to reveal themselves. In spite of this uncertainty, some things are evident:

• We must hold BP accountable for the full cost of this disaster. This includes cleaning up all the oil still being spewed from the well and restoring the marine and coastal environments;
• We must ensure that coastal and fishing communities have the resources to fight for their future;
• We must prevent future calamities by supporting the use of clean and renewable energy, stopping dangerous deep water drilling, and creating effective regulation of the oil industry.

GulfFuture.org was created to serve as a hub for information regarding this disaster. On this site, you can access the latest news, videos, photos, and blogs about the oil disaster. You can also link to our partner organizations to keep up on how they are involved in this effort.

We are urging people to get involved by making a financial contribution to our effort and in return each person will receive a wristband and a brochure with information about the BP oil disaster and how they can continue their involvement. The wristband will demonstrate solidarity with the people of the Gulf, as well as increase the visibility of this disaster and the work of our partner organizations. The time to get people involved is now when these Gulf communities need our show of support.

Participating Venues

Los Angeles, CA: The Roxy, Viper Room, The Mint, Fais Do Do, The Comedy Store, Three Clubs

Hermosa Beach, CA: Saint Rocke

Santa Barbara, CA: SoHo

San Francisco, CA: Mojito

Monroe, WA: Eddie’s Trackside Bar and Grill

Boulder, CO: Fox Theatre

Aspen, CO: Belly Up

Frostburg, MD: Dante’s Bar

Fort Worth, TX: Lola’s 6th

New Orleans, LA: Tipitina’s

Lafayette, LA: The Shed BBQ & Blues Joints, Blue Moon Saloon

Shreveport, LA: The Rustic Cowboy, Riverside Warehouse

Fayetteville, AR: George’s Majestic

Fort Smith, AR: Neumeier’s Rib Room

Ocean Springs, MS: The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint

Gulfport, MS: The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint

Mobile, AL: The Shed BBQ & Blues Joints

Destin, FL: The Shed BBQ & Blues Joints

Pensacola Beach, FL: Paradise Bar & Grill

Atlanta, GA: Thrasher Park, Norcross, GA (corner of Buchanan Street and Park Drive)

Portsmouth, NH: The Press Room

Montreal, Quebec: Le Divan Orange

Take Action!

Please (http://bit.ly/gulfbenefittoolkit) to access the Toolkit which contains all of the Venue/Promoter materials that you will need to make this a success. Enclosed in the folder you will find the following:

Venue Commitment Agreement (Due Monday June 28th please – either faxed or electronically signed)

Press Release (Blast this to your local Media list ASAP + Attach Logos)

Gulf Coast Benefit high-res Logos, Handbill & Poster templates (Use on your website & any social media sites for your Venue)

How To Help Form (Send this to any other Venues you feel would be interested in joining)

Gulf Restoration Network high-res Logo (Organization where funds are going)

Gulf Coast Benefit’s Social Media Links (Please spread the word by using the messages provided in this form & send your Venue’s Marketing contact info)

Show Settlement (Due July 8th / Contains Gulf Restoration Network’s direct deposit info)

Contact

Contact Casey Phillps (casey@themintla.com) for inquiries about venues and participating artists, and contact Sloane Berrent (sloane@answerwithaction.com) for press inquiries, how to get involved, and how to create your own fundraising campaign.

Gulf Coast Benefit Team Organizers:

Casey Phillips (co-organizer)

Nic Adler & Megan Jacobs (co-organizer / artist outreach)

Sloane Berrent (co-organizer / orchestrator)

Kathryn Thorpe (venue relations)

Nathan Levinson (social media outreach)

Vance Kelly (graphic design / logo)

Taylor Davidson (web design)

Megan Hargroder (administrative)