Gina Chavez "Siete-D" Music Video Premiere

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Austin musician Gina Chavez premiered the music video of her hit song "Siete-D" Saturday night at the Stateside Theatre in downtown Austin. With an amazing lineup of some of Austin's finest musicians including Mother Falcon, Elizabeth McQueen,  Riders Against the Storm and Gina Chavez herself. It was another great night of music in the live music capitol of the world bringing together an all star lineup benefiting the Ninas Arriba College Fund. 

The benefit celebrated the official Video Premiere for her song “Siete-D,” a rock-cumbia-rap mix that explores the delights and dangers of El Salvador from a window on the 7-D bus she rode as a volunteer there in 2010. The Spanish-language song won the Grand Prize in the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest (JLSC) and features Chavez’s first rap. The official video – filmed last October in El Salvador – follows Chavez on an exciting cross-country journey to reunite with a group of young women she considers her Salvadoran sisters, four of whom are able to attend college on Niñas Arriba scholarships.

Niñas Arriba is a campaign to change the world, one girl at a time. Donations directly fund high-quality, low-cost college education for young women in a gang-dominated suburb in El Salvador where founders Gina Chavez and Jodi Granado taught English for eight months. The campaign currently supports full scholarships for three students - Xiomara, Marta and Vanessa - to attend Don Bosco University, a private, Catholic college in Soyapango, San Salvador. Each scholarship covers monthly tuition, academic fees and supplies, food and transportation, and funds are sent directly to the university in the students' names. All donations are accepted through the fund's fiscal sponsor, Stone Room Concerts, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations are tax-deductible. For further information, please visitninarriba.wordpress.com.

 

 To learn more about the Ninas Arriba College Fund visit: https://ninasarriba.wordpress.com                                                               For Inquiries: Gina Chavez - http://ginachavez.com / Mother Falcon - http://www.motherfalcon.com /                                      Elizabeth McQueen - http://elizabeth-mcqueen.com / Riders Against The Storm - http://rashiphop.com                                                Photography by: Nick Kwasny - http://nicholaskwasnyphotography.com                                                                                                  

Black Fret Black Ball

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Inaugural Black Ball at the Paramount Theater 

Black Fret a new non-profit organization here in Austin, was founded by Matt Ott and Colin Kendrick from the Austin Music Foundation. They held the first annual Black Ball at the Paramount Theater on November 8th. Black Fret is a new organization that focuses on local musicians and supporting them to flourish in the music industry by raising money through its membership program. Since working on the foundation as of 2013, both Matt and Colin have been able to recruit close to 100 members and raise $100,000 for the nominees, which were disbursed to ten bands that were awarded $10,000 each at the Black Ball. The nominees were comprised of 20 bands from the Austin area all competing for a $10,000 grant.

Hosting the event at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin, 16 of the 20 members performed in honor of the Black Ball. Everyone put on a killer performance; and it brought local artists together and the patrons who enjoy their music which is what makes Black Fret such a special organization for the Austin Community. Each of the musicians playing from the Jitterbug Vipers to Graham Wilkinson definitely has a unique sound of their own, showing the complexity of the Austin music scene.

Black fret’s mission is: ” focused solely on funding the creation and performance of new music by the fine musicians who play the clubs and coffee shops of our amazing city.” 

That is exactly what Black Fret has done. They have created an organization to help musicians in an age that is very hard to make it in the music industry. To become a member it’s roughly around $100 a month or $1500.00 a year. In joining the Black Fret membership program, you are able to help in the voting process of who will be the coming year’s nominees. During that year there are several private parties leading up to the Black Ball. Were the nominees’ holds a private concert in an intimate setting for the members, to see them live before the grants are given away at the end of the year.

Although all of the nominees were fantastic, the Winners of this year’s Black Ball included: Amy Cook, Elizabeth McQueen, Erin Ivey, Gina Chavez, Graham Wilkinson, Lincoln Durham, Mother Falcon, Quiet Company, The Rocketboys, and Wild Child.

To find out more about how you can join Black Fret or any of the nominees for 2014 please visit the links below.

 For Inquiries on Black Fret and the nominees and winners: http://www.blackfret.org                                                                       Written by: Kathryn Leffingwell                                                                                                                                                        Photography by: Chisum Pierce - http://www.getchisumed.com