Fall News  2015, Key Notes Issue #787

In This Issue

Highlights of Recent Shows


Children at Saint Vincent's Home in Oakland dance to The Hipwaders.

"The Bread & Roses Presents program provides support to us that we could not afford otherwise. I have always looked at music as a calming force. Our children have been exposed to a lot of trauma and violence, it is nice to provide such a positive healing experience. The children look forward to the different performers." 


Residents at St. Anthony's Father Alfred Center in San Francisco thank The Lady Crooners after the show. 

"The performances have helped to lift spirits and remind those in treatment that music can be a powerful agent in their change. It helps remind all of us of the therapeutic and necessary healing that only music can provide to the soul and spirit."  


Marla Fibish & Bruce Victor of  Noctambule show their instruments to the audience at The Tamalpais in Greanbrae after the show. 

"All the residents realize the hard work and practice that must go into each show. You really focus on one of our key goals of Little Sisters of the Poor: Making the Residents Happy! The power of music keeps our residents emotionally connected to the world around them."

St. Anne's Home, San Francisco

Photos by Peter Merts.

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Performers are needed for over 600 annual shows for diverse audiences of youth, adults and seniors in eight counties around the Bay Area. Musicians and
performing artists are especially wanted for programs for children and teens in a variety of settings.
Volunteer hosts are also needed on an ongoing basis to help emcee the shows. We look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your referrals.

Holiday Chorus

Bread & Roses Holiday Chorus will sing holiday songs for some of our facility audiences in December. Mark your calendars! You can sing at one show or more. It is recommended that you attend the one rehearsal at The Redwoods in Mill Valley 
on Tues. Dec. 1 at 7 pm, which will also be an open sing for the residents.

SHOW #1 Friday Dec. 11 at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm 
for their annual holiday party for approximately 500 people. We will share the bill with other performers including Bud E. Luv! 

SHOW #2 Sat. Dec. 12 for the Vision Impaired of Marin at Whistlestop in San Rafael at 12:45 pm. 

SHOW #3 Thurs. Dec.17 at Walden House, a rehab for men in San Francisco at 7 pm. 

To RSVP and for more info, contact Lisa Starbird at lstarbird@breadandroses.org 

 
Keb' Mo' To Perform at Sweetwater 
Benefit Nov. 2: Roger McNamee Opens 

Bread & Roses performer Keb' Mo' in 2001. 
Photo by Ken Friedman.
Tickets are going fast for Bread & Roses Presents' special benefit concert with master contemporary blues artist Keb' Mo' at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley on Monday, November 2 at 8 pm. 
 
"We are thrilled to have Keb' Mo' back to play a benefit for Bread & Roses following his recent success performing in "A Celebration of American Creativity" at The White House.  We are grateful to have his help in bringing the gift of music to those in the Bay Area who need it most," said Bread & Roses Executive Director Dave Perron. 
 
Roger McNamee will open and NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott will emcee. VIP tickets are $145. They include admission at 6 pm, a meet-and-greet and photos with Keb' Mo,' complimentary hors d'oeuvres & wine. General admission tickets are $75 for this all ages show with door at 7:30 pm. Space permitting, tickets will be sold on-site. Advance ticket purchase is recommended at www.breadandroses.org. Read more 
Bread & Roses Presents with KFOG: An Exclusive Offer with Matt Nathanson   


This exclusive VIP package includes one ticket to see Matt Nathanson for a one-of-a-kind KFOG private performance and meet & greet on October 28 at 12:00 noon at Capital One Cafe Lounge in SF before his sold-out show at the Great American Music HallIt also includes one ticket to the SOLD-OUT October 28 concert at Great American Music Hall. For ticket info, visit our website.
Steve Earle Thrills Bread & Roses New Supporters at Fantasy Studios

Steve Earle captivated his audience of new Bread & Roses supporters in a special intimate concert at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley on Thursday, October 1. New friends came to learn more about our work and enjoy the special ambiance of a unique concert in Studio D thanks to our hosts at Wareham Development who sponsored this benefit on our behalf.
 
Steve's heartfelt testimonial about the impact of our mission set the tone for a stirring evening of his authentic music. "Bread & Roses does important work that deserves to be supported," he said.  "Music has the capacity to change the world." Click Here to see a slideshow from the event.
(L-R) David Harris, Dave Perron, Steve Earle and Rich Robbins.
Photo by Bill Nichols.
Volunteer Hosts Needed: Bob Rose Reports From the Field

Volunteers host over fifty percent of our daily institutional shows for Bread & Roses Presents. They expand our outreach throughout the Bay Area every month. We simply couldn't do 600 shows a year without our host program. More volunteer hosts are always needed, particularly for isolated audiences at some of our outlying locations including the East Bay, on the Peninsula and in San Francisco.

Hosts are part of the mainstay of our program, acting as our ambassadors in the field and interacting with the performers, institutional staff and audiences. They set up sound as needed, take care of logistics ahead of time and make sure the staff has the audience in place by the time of each show. They emcee the shows, report on the benefits our audiences receive and track the statistics we need for fundraising.

We have a training program for all new volunteer hosts and an online application on our website. Referrals from our community continue to be an important source of new volunteers. We appreciate your help!

Bob Rose began volunteering as a host in January. Since then, he has hosted 18 shows. A volunteer for many nonprofit organizations, he is a veteran public relations professional with a background in public speaking. Here's a report Bob submitted recently about one of the shows he hosted telling why volunteering for Bread & Roses is so rewarding. 
Read more
Performers at Dreamforce Bring High Visibility to Bread & Roses 

Long-time volunteer performer Garrin Benfield at Dreamforce.
Bread & Roses Presents had a very large presence at 
Dreamforce 2015, the annual technology conference sponsored by Salesforce and attended by 150,000 people from all over the world. We presented music on the main stage in DreamPark at  Moscone Center in San Francisco on Tues. Sept. 15 from 10am to 2pm featuring Bread & Roses performers Garrin BenfieldMatt Jaffe & The DistractionsHot Buttered Rum and Mark Hummel & His Blues SurvivorsTeja Gerken also played guitar for the wellness center.

With a warm sun and blue sky overhead, conference attendees in-between sessions appreciated the chance to hear some really great local music, the same music enjoyed by Bread & Roses isolated Bay Area audiences throughout the year. Read more
Congratulations to the "Oh Say, Can You Sing?" Contest Winners

Laura Benward sings the national anthem for the SF Giants. 
Photo by Bill Nichols.

Bread & Roses Presents received high visibility as a result of the "Oh Say, Can You Sing" contests for both the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants. Congratulations to our volunteer performers who were the winners - Damond Moodie for the Oakland A's and Laura Benward for the Giants. Second-place winners Chris Bryden and John Nash each won five hours of recording time at Fantasy Studios. A number of our volunteers participated in the contest and nearly $12,000 was raised. A special thanks to our friends at the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants for sponsoring our contest for the first time this year. Read more
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