Homeless Benefit Sun 4/26 Gainesville FL

[Brian Krashpad]

I know there are a few FLA people here, just in case any will be in or near Gainesville Sunday evening, pardon all the PR bs:

CRASH PAD is back, kids! And what better excuse to get onstage than to help the great local charity the HOMEvan? Note early show time, FIVE PM. We know most of you have work or school to go to on Monday morning. Have some rock for dinner-- and help the homeless in our community. Don't forget to bring white socks and/or peanut butter for the HOMEvan people to distribute, and some cash with which to buy the new HOME Van local band compilation CD (the second edition of "HOMEvan: A Gainesville Music Benefit for the Homeless"), featuring 24 of Gainesville’s finest bands, including many never-before-released tracks. One of those new songs is Crash Pad’s “Labor Day,” a rare foray into angry political ranting— but of course a melodic one that you can pogo to.

Sunday’s all-star early-bird lineup at Common Grounds is: Grabass Charlestons (featuring former Crash Pad bassist PJ!), Liquid Limbs, Spanish Gamble (f.k.a. Dirty Money), and CRASH PAD.

With the mounting economic crisis, the most needy of our community have come upon particularly hard times. Homelessness is at an all-time high in Gainesville, as more people than ever before are finding themselves forced to live on the streets. In the past two years, the number of men, women and children without housing in our community has jumped 70%, to more than 1,600.

Gainesville musicians, recognizing our community’s growing hardships, have come together to present a compilation of Gainesville’s best and brightest bands to raise awareness for a local organization’s efforts to alleviate the growing plight.

HOMEvan, founded in 2002 by Arupa and Bob Freeman and other community activists, is a grassroots, volunteer-run outreach group providing a variety of services for the homeless, poor, and disenfranchised of Gainesville. Twice each week, rain or shine, HOMEvan's volunteers bring a nutritious bagged meal, soup, clothes, hygiene products, and (what many need most of all) an un-judging and compassionate ear.

The show will feature raffle prizes from local merchants and information from a variety of grassroots groups. Organizers are requesting attendees bring donations of peanut butter and/or white socks to the shows for distribution by the HOMEvan.

For interviews about the compilation or accompanying events, please call Dan Fitzpatrick at 352-682-3413 or Erica Carlsson at 727-244-7133. For more information on homelessness in Gainesville, contact Jon DeCarmine at the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless & Hungry, 352-494-3955. Wanna read more about HOMEVan, the new album, and the benefit shows? Check this article in the Alligator:

http://www.alligator.org/articles/20...16_homevan.txt

HOMEvan Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/homevancompilation