‘Tis the season to open your hearts, your time, and your wallets to help others and indulge in the spirit of giving. What better way to contribute than to do so through a musically inclined way. Below we’ve compiled a list of cool charity concerts, worthy online music campaign, non-profits, and badass benefit albums that you may want to consider seeing, donating to and supporting. Read on!
Thee Oh Sees and Panache Booking Present Holiday Homeless Charity Event — The volume is about to get cranked the f*** up, and all for a good cause! SF/LA thrash masters Thee Oh Sees are throwing a special holiday homeless charity event at Teragram Ballroom on Dec. 16 & 17 (Get Tickets!), with proceeds benefiting L.A. Kitchen. L.A. Kitchen’s mission statement is to reclaim food, that would otherwise go to waste, and use it to empower, nourish and engage the community. They are focused on reducing food waste, providing healthy food products for social service agencies, as well as tackling unemployment by providing culinary training programs. Supporting acts include face melting psych-rock trio FUZZ, Wand and Permanent Records DJs.
Girlpool: Holiday Canned Good Drive w/ Special Guest French Vanilla & More — Los Angeles lo-fi folk punk darlings Girlpool are on a mission to make this holiday season a cozy one for those in need. The band is throwing a canned good drive holiday concert at The Echoplex on Dec. 18 along with special guests French Vanilla, Wizard Apprentice and Mark Hoppus (DJ Set) (Get Tickets!). Don your ugliest Christmas sweater, pop over with canned goods and join in on spreading some holiday cheer!
“A Positive Spin” Holiday Concert Benefiting Inner-City Arts — AM Only music booking agency, Goldenvoice and The Roxy have joined forces to present “A Positive Spin” holiday concert at The Roxy on Dec. 20 (Get Tickets!). The show will feature performances by electronic heavyweights 12th Planet, Justin Jay, Kastle, Killagraham, Kittens, Nymz, Posso, Team Supreme All-Stars and secret special guests. The proceeds go towards Inner-City Arts, an L.A. non-profit that provides elementary through high school age students, from the city’s poorest neighborhoods, with opportunities to access the arts and tap into their creativity in a safe and encouraging environment. Bonus, if you bring two canned goods or a toy, you will be entered in a raffle which includes a variety of prizes, from two Skybox tickets for Tiesto in Vegas to DJ/scratch lessons from Craze and A-Trak to ACS custom earplugs and Evoke in-ear monitors, and more. Raffle donations will benefit The L.A. Food Bank and Toys for Tots.
The Two Tens Pledge Music Campaign — Not only are local garage-punk duo The Two Tens cranking out infectious, pogo-poppin’ tunes but they are some of the friendliest, fun peeps in the Los Angeles music scene. You can get The Two Tens debut full-length “Volume” ($10) on pre-release when you donate to their Pledge Music Campaign and it’s just the beginning of awesome rewards available if you can spare a few bucks this holiday season for a hardworking local band. Additional rewards include everything from A Dedication to You at a Live Show ($20) to an Acoustic Recording of Your Favorite Two Tens Song ($75) to the band taking you out for pizza ($100) to drummer Rikki’s Denim Jumpsuit ($150).
Lil BUB’s Debut LP Science & Magic — Right behind Grumpy Cat in the feline internet celeb world there’s the tongue out originator and master of cool Lil BUB, who just released her debut album Science & Magic: A Soundtrack to the Universe, featuring the synth odyssey wonder “Gravity.” The album is out now via Joyful Noise Recordings and 25% of all net sales will be donated to Lil BUB’s Big FUND for the ASPCA, which will help homeless pets with special needs. Lil BUB counts Andrew W.K., Kimya Dawson, Aesop Rock, and Run the Jewels, just to name a few, amongst her musical friends, fans and collaborators. Enjoy a little Science & Magic and do a little good for animals in need at the same time (plus this makes the perfect stocking stuffer)!
Some Kind of Fix Charity Compilation — The holiday season isn’t an easy and joyful time for everyone and it’s important to keep in mind that some people are struggling and may rely on your support and sensitivity. England’s Close to Home Records and Get Into It Recs have teamed up with Los Angeles label SideOneDummy Records to address some of those issues through music and have just released Some Kind of Fix charity compilation album whose aim is to bring about awareness to mental health issues and donate all proceeds to MIND, an online mental health resource site. The 45-track download kicks off with “Safe In Your Skin” by Title Fight, whom we’ve seen taking fans for a thrill ride live before. Be kind, understanding and rock out this December!
Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles — What better way to nurture the future of rock n’ roll than to empower girls through music education? That’s what Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles is set out to do and we applaud their efforts! They will also be hosting Karaoke Underground on Dec. 10 at The Lost Knight in Echo Park which will feature an 1,000+ punk and indie song list including tracks from the likes of Bikini Kill, Pavement, X, etc. Sing your heart out and raise funds for this worthy non-profit at the same time!
Chicas Rockeras — In a similar fashion to Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls, Chicas Rockeras South East Los Angeles provides accessible Summer Camp sessions for chicas and mujeres, where they get to explore and express themselves through a variety of workshops. These workshops include everything from learning an instrument, writing songs (from hip-hop to banda to punk, these chicas are creating it!), and performing, to learning how to silk-screen, self-defense and discussing important issues such as gender identity and body image. Alice Bag and Exene Cervenka of X have participated as guest mentors as well. While Summer is a ways away it’s never to early to donate or sign up to volunteer for upcoming sessions for this amazing non-profit. Chicas Rockeras are also currently running a GoFundMe through Dec. 30 to help cover the cost of campers’ lunches for 2016 and any amount helps!
Words: Emily Saex
RELATED CONTENT:
Recommended: Stream Thee Oh Sees’ New Album “Mutilator Defeated At Last”
Watch Girlpool’s New Video For “Pretty”
With All But Just Two People, The Two Tens Get A Perfect Ten At The Satellite
