Antonio Banderas and Delonte West have done plenty to bring guitar cases fame for holding things other than musical instruments (if you aren’t familiar with Delonte’s situation, we highly recommend you Google it), and now Concord’s own Blake Patria and Darrell Cook are getting in on the action. Their weapon of choice, though, is charity.
The pair masterminded the Busking For A Cause movement that is aiding Concord causes one melodious evening at a time, as musicians pitch in to help the local community.
Busking may sound like one of those words you win a board game by sarcastically defining, but it’s actually quite simple – it’s the act of performing in public for voluntary donations, which are usually tossed into a guitar case or basket. You’ve no doubt seen buskers on the streets of Concord over the last several years; all Patria and Cook did was move them inside and give them a target audience.
They came up with the idea of holding busking performances to raise money for various local causes, beginning with the Friendly Kitchen. That one went well enough that it sparked another to raise money for a headstone for Gianna Mitchell, an infant who died of SIDS – a goal they achieved – and last weekend another such event was unveiled to help Friends of Forgotten Children.
What began as a small brainstorm has evolved into a project the pair hopes to carry out at least once a month for a different community cause.
“It’s got a lot of momentum. It’s snowballing pretty well,” Patria said. “It’s kind of surreal. You stand there and see something amazing happen and you have to kind of do a double take at it to make sure you’re seeing what you’re seeing. It just gets bigger and grows faster and we get better at doing it. As this whole Busking for a Cause thing grew, I think we grew with it.”
Patria and Cook dreamed up the idea and received the thumbs up to host the first event at Tandy’s, raising about $300 – or enough money for the Friendly Kitchen to feed people for a day. They held the second event for Mitchell at Tandy’s and came up with enough for the headstone – a project that will officially come to fruition with its installation when the ground thaws this spring – and added the recent benefit at the same location for Friends of Forgotten Children as momentum continues to build.
Patria and Cook were already plugged into the Concord music scene, and they’ve managed to put together eclectic lineups of local talent including Rachel Vogelzang, Tristan Omand, Mike Gallant and Brad Myrick, to name a few. Admission to the shows is free, and the musicians play behind an open guitar case, where patrons toss whatever donations they like.
Cook approached businesses to obtain things like gift certificates for a raffle at each event, as well.
“It’s putting a guitar case down in front of the mic. That’s the beauty of it – you get a full-length show, but it’s free admission,” Patria said. “People show up, they like the music, and they’re like, I’m going to throw some money in here. They see the raffles and throw some money in there, maybe win something. Everyone has a great time.”
Including the musicians, who are gaining exposure while helping the community they live in. It has proven such a successful venture that Patria and Cook are considering expanding it beyond Concord, perhaps to Penacook, Boscawen or Manchester. Patria said they’d even consider shifting to Boston for a few shows if they could pull it off logistically.
Right now the focus remains local, though, and things are rocking and rolling better than Patria or Cook ever thought they would.
“It’s the sort of thing where everybody wins,” Patria said. “The cause wins, the musicians win, the venue wins, and the people that you entertain win, too, because it’s always a good show.”
To keep up with Busking for a Cause and to find future shows, visit facebook.com/buskingforacause.
