Conscious Party: Hurricane Relief

SPINNING FOR A CAUSE: DJ Nex Millen is one of numerous local musicians who will be performing at Salvage Station's Hurricane Relief benefit concert on Nov. 11. Photo by Bill Pence

WHAT: A music festival to benefit Americares’ work with hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, Dominica, the Virgin Islands, Texas and Florida

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 11, noon-midnight

WHERE: Salvage Station, 466 Riverside Drive

WHY: In the constantly moving modern news cycle, it’s easy to forget about significant global events as new ones arise and take over the media spotlight.

Fortunately, people like Jess Toan have remained mindful of their fellow humans affected by the hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico, Dominica, the Virgin Islands, Texas and Florida over the past few months and are committed to assist in their recovery.

An International LEAF Ambassador, Toan has organized a daylong, family-friendly music festival at Salvage Station on Saturday, Nov. 11. One hundred percent of money raised from the event will be given to Americares, a medical aid and health program nonprofit that’s busy expanding its efforts in the areas hit hardest by the storms.

“The catastrophic nature of these events means that these places will be in recovery, dealing with rebuilding and needing supplies for many years to come,” Toan says. “Americares is such an amazing and established organization, and the more we can focus and support the causes individually, the greater impact we can have.”

Doors open at noon and the musical performances start at 1:30 p.m. with a set from Asheville-based gypsy punk band Sirius.B. The eclectic lineup of local acts then rolls on with samba band Zabumba, The Funk Trio (Jake Wolf, Ram Mandelkorn and Jacob Baumann), the Bindaas Bhangra dance crew, roots rockers Devils in Dust, the Liquid Sirens dance crew, DJ Nex Millen and The Saylor Brothers of bluegrass fusion group Brushfire Stankgrass.

“I feel super lucky to be surrounded by such incredible artists, musicians and friends in my community that are in support of this cause,” Toan says.

Additional activities include mountain bike demos on a one wheel pump track, face painters and kids crafts courtesy of the LEAF Easel Rider bus. There will also be a raffle for such prizes as a pair of tickets on the LaZoom Bus, passes from the Salvage Station, massage therapy sessions and local art pieces.

The Hurricane Relief fundraiser takes place noon-midnight on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Salvage Station. $10-20 suggested donation. www.salvagestation.com

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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