©TBF
News flash!
Letters From the Ghost Chief, November 12, 2009:Are all non-profits from the future loud-mouthed braggarts?
Posted: 12:00 AM, Thu, Nov 12 2009
Q: Are all non-profits from the future loud-mouthed braggarts?
A: Just me, baby. Just me.
WHAT'S UP, KIDDIES!?!?! Everyone looks great! Some of you still have a little Halloween makeup behind your ears and in different places, but all in all, you look pretty ridiculously great.
Here's what's up. Quick and nasty.
Contents:
1) Halloween medals of honor
2) Marquee Magazine and hinting at the future of The Basics Fund
3) One of our artists went and done got a album made....and it's badass!
4) Upcoming Highlights.
(a) Re:Diculousity!
(b) Bus to Yo..ga..??...
(c) NYE. Let the madness begin.
Here's what's up. Slow and goopy.
1) Halloween was totally sweet. Thanks to everyone who rode with us...especially all you crazies who went with us across the Rockies for Phish Festival8. For those of you who stayed in town and rode to any of the Denver shows...please know that Charlie and his rowdy band of misfits including Tawny, Chris, Matt, Jeff, Ben, and Dine were doing the back-breaking work of prepping and digging buses out of 2 feet of snow in our back yard for hours before showing up all bright-eyed and ready to party at your pick-up spot. So please, please, give them as much love as you have to spare any time you see them on the street or in church or class or at the bar. And if you're short on love, slip them a 5 spot or buy them a beer, cuz they're good people and they deserve it.
2) Marquee Magazine. We love you. This slipped through the cracks temporarily, but thank you, sincerely, for your support. In June of this year, Brian F. Johnson, Editor-in-Chief of Marquee, used his editorial column to write a very heart-felt goodbye to Jay Bennett of Wilco who passed away, in part, as a result of not being able to afford medical care due to lack of health insurance. In the column, Johnson points out that this is a situation that happens all too often and thoughtfully mentions The Basics Fund's work towards remedying this problem. More than anything, this serves as a wake up call to me, because I know that there is a lot of work to be done on the front of turning this from a great concept into a reality that actually helps large numbers of artists. And I also know that providing sober transportation has taken over the majority of what The Basics Fund does. Sober transportation is great. But it's not health insurance for artists. And conversely, health insurance for artists is great, but it's not sober transportation. The problem is that we can't do either one as well as we could when we're doing both, but we have to do both in order do do either one....if that makes sense. So...........
I just spent the last 45 minutes detailing and deleting our plan for giving everyone the best of both worlds, but in the end, I decided that it's not quite time. More action is needed before talking is even worth the time. That'll be my Christmas present for all y'all. But in the meantime, if you care to help speed things along, and there is goodness in your heart out of which you are able to write hefty checks, please do so, and indicate in the memo whether you'd like your donation to be allocated toward the sober transportation or the health insurance for artists side of our operation...or, if you believe in the whole, "teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry again," thing, then donate toward our website redesign. Every little bit helps. You'd be surprised how far we could go with an extra hundred grand. Even 50 grand would be nice. Seriously though, if you've done something horrible in your life and feel you need to compensate for it, get in touch and I'll let you know where to send the check.
As for the Marquee, if y'all don't never done heard, Marquee Magazine is pretty much the best source of music journalism anyone could ever ask for. They do consistently insightful, in-depth features on upcoming shows, as well as album reviews. Additionally, they have--easily--the most thorough monthly music calendar in print, which lists shows in dive bars and stadiums alike. Marquee is available in hard copy pretty much everywhere, or online at www.marqueemag.com.
To take a look at the column that mentions us, here:
http://marqueemag.com/from
(3) Great Success! One of our sponsored artists has hit the big-time. Jonny Woodrose and the Broken-Hearted Woodpeckers are fresh off A Killer CD Release Party, which took place at Larimer Lounge on November 7th.
Leading up to that, the album, Live from the Garage, was reviewed and Front-Man Jonson Kuhn was interviewed by Writer, Tom Murphy, as a feature in The Westword. If you missed it in print, read it here: http://blogs.westword.com/
And to listen to, Live from the Garage, download the album from noisetrade.com. it's free if you put in 5 emails, or pay-what-you-want if you don't. paste this in your browser, and call me in the morning: http://static.noisetrade.c
Seriously. Please. Check em out, and let me know what you think. I feel that they are the wittiest, most insightful, and as the Westword article puts it, most "musically expressive," rock outfit to come around in a long time.
(4) Upcoming Highlights:
(A) On 11/13 & 11/14 at Cervantes/Quixotes, Euphonic Conceptions is mixing and matching with 2 nights of re:diculosity, called, Re:Convergence, featuring Two Fresh (you may remember these guys from when they played the party we through at The Root, back in May...as well as some bus-top throw down at The Mish after Re:Creation this summer), BoomBox, Bluetech, Ana Sia, Evol Intent Live, Brainfeeder feat. SamIam & Lorn.
This is a Conscious Alliance Food Drive, so brings me me spinach, Olive. 10 cans gets you a poster....oh, yeah, and feeds the hungry, lest we forget. Bring em on the bus.
And check out the Busparties to this one. Tawny's bringing the heat by sponsoring a bus with a set by CrowdRock on Friday night, and another with a set by Jansten on Saturday. Call to 720.204.0408 reserve.
Friday CrowdRock Bus
http://www.facebook.com/ev
Saturday Jansten Bus
http://www.facebook.com/ev
(b) Bus to Yo..ga. And now for something completely different. On 11/13, 11/14, & 11/15, we're offering a bus from Boulder to each day of the three day Contemplative Aromatherapy Retreat lead by David Crow, L.Ac of Floracopeia, and author of In Search of the Medicine Buddha. The sessions will be held at Old Town Yoga in Fort Collins. Whether you're bussing it or not, please attend if you can, as it will be out in time to catch the majority of Re:Convergence at Cervantes/Quixotes.
This retreat focuses on using the essential oils distilled from certain plants to aid in meditation, and also examines the healing effects that these oils can have on the human body as well as on the immune systems of other plants. For more information, please check out the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/ev
(C) New Year's. It's time to start booking. That's all I'm saying.
(5) Alright...that's about all of the time I feel justified in taking right now. Please check in with the facebook group page, under the Info tab and Recent News section for our full events calendar. http://www.facebook.com/gr
Don't forget to Call 720.204.0408 to reserve, or ask questions, or if you don't see an event you're interested in.
Lovin' massive holes through all of ya with every chamber of this quadruple barreled shotgun of a heart,
Dustin Huth
Ghost Chief/Bus Driver
The Basics Fund, Inc.
720.204.0408