Each year, through the universal language of music, the PANGAEA PROJECT BENEFIT celebrates global awareness, culture, and youth leadership by activating music fans, artists, and progressive thinkers throughout the Northwest for a weekend of improvisational fun.
This year’s two-night all-star event features the improvisational mastery of The Everyone Orchestra conducted by Matt Butler with special guest performers Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, The String Cheese Incident’s Michael Kang, drummers extraordinaire Jeff Sipe of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Stanton Moore of Galactic, members of the March Fourth Marching Band - the M4 Singers, Strings For Industry bandmates Darol Anger, Scott Law, and Tye North, and many others. The Stanton Moore Trio will open the show on Friday, May 16th. Peak Experience’s Johnny Dwork will provide a special spoken word segment on both nights. Additional guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
What makes Everyone Orchestra performances stand out from other superjams is the conducting. Butler, along with several others, facilitates the jams using giant cue cards which direct the musicians and audience alike in a massive celebratory coming together. The directions include anything from key and time changes to mood swings and audience actions such as massive sing-a-longs, shouts, jumps, dances, song title suggestions and more.
The last annual benefit concert raised almost $20,000 for The Pangaea Project which engages teenagers from underserved neighborhoods in local and international service-learning projects by promoting the development of leadership skills, increasing global awareness, and fostering a commitment to work towards social change. Proceeds from ticket sales, raffles, and other donations will be contributed directly to The Pangaea Project .
Previous Pangaea Project benefits have been enlivened by guest speakers, politician Dennis Kucinich and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill. Ms. Butterfly Hill reflects on the Everyone Orchestra, “I was blown away by the talent, humor, love, and brilliantly orchestrated improvisation coming together in what truly can be described as magic.”
Tickets on sale Friday, April 11th at 10am PDT via the Crystal Ballroom Box Office, 503.224.4400, or online at pangaeabenefit.org
The PANGAEA PROJECT BENEFIT is produced by Slipknot Productions and MAST Projects. |
