Marches can be exhausting. When you need to recover, here’s where to rock out to bands or get down to beats while supporting organizations fighting the good fight.
(flyer courtesy of Daniel Leinweber)
We Support Planned Parenthood
Thursday, February 2 at The Graham, 8 pm to 4 am. $20 suggested donation.
Williamsburg bar and club The Graham kicks off a series of benefit shows with a night dedicated to Planned Parenthood. The party starts at 8 pm and goes all the way into the wee hours of the night, with seven DJs donating their time to keep the tunes bumping non-stop. Expect sets from Jacuzzi Jefferson of Pool Cosby, House of Yes resident DJ David Kiss, Australian DJ and producer Akki, house and techno maven Sophia MA of DJ crew Tribes NY, Will OB going b2b with A-A-RON, and Alex Rose.
There’s a $20 suggested donation at the door, but they’re also donating a whopping 100% of bar proceeds to the Planned Parenthood of NYC Action Fund. So, drink up! And come back next week, as they’re in the works to throw a similar benefit for the ACLU the following Thursday.
(flyer via Facebook)
CAIR Benefit Show
Friday, February 3 at The Gateway, 8 pm. $12-20 sliding scale.
At this benefit show presented by AdHoc, a series of bands and musicians will band (ha) together to raise money for the New York chapter of CAIR, aka the Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR was one of the groups to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the recent “Muslim ban” executive order this week, and has been identified by many as a useful resource now more than ever as tensions rise and Muslims in America become more vulnerable.
The show features some familiar faces, including Ben Hopkins from glittery queer-punk duo PWR BTTM, singer-songwriter Gabrielle Smith’s music project eskimeaux, Jeff Rosenstock, and Cameron Boucher of Sorority Noise and Old Gray. “In solidarity with the Muslim community, we stand against Trump and his cabinet and against racism,” the show’s description states.
(poster by Logan Fitzpatrick, via Facebook)
A PPNYC Action Fund Benefit
Saturday, February 4 at Silent Barn, 8 pm. $8-20 sliding scale.
Spend your Saturday night rocking out for a good cause at the Silent Barn’s jam-packed show, also benefiting the NYC Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The Action Fund is specifically focused on education and advocacy, and “engages in educational and electoral activity, including issue advocacy, voter education, and grassroots organizing to promote the Planned Parenthood mission.”
The show features music by vocoder-soaked pop songstress Emily Reo, lo-fi synth dreamers Algebra II, and New Jersey-based mellow rockers Rhea. But that’s not all, there will also be readings curated by The Le Sigh, an online space showcasing female and non-binary artists and musicians. Readers included Darcie Wilder of MTV News, Gabriella Tully Claymore of Stereogum and the TFW reading series, and Emily Thompson. Rounding out the evening will be a speaker from the PPNYC Action Fund, tarot readings, “donation-based haircuts,” and a DJ set by artist Molly Soda.
(flyer via Amber Schaefer / Facebook)
No Enemies to the Left: An ACLU Benefit Show
Saturday, February 4 at Brooklyn Bazaar, 6:30 pm. $25
Brooklyn Bazaar’s new n’ improved Greenpoint location has been serving up many tasty events lately, from live band-fronted Pop Punk Karaoke to music shows, DJ nights, and even a screening of Spaceballs. This Saturday, they will be throwing a big ol’ benefit for the ACLU with filmmaker Amber Schaefer featuring musicians, comedians, speakers, and a silent auction. So there’s something for everyone. This movement to throw cash at the ACLU is one of many recent initiatives of the sort, from individual to group efforts. In fact, after Trump announced his Muslim ban executive order, it was reported the ACLU accumulated over $24 million in donations just from Saturday to Monday, with two-thirds of donations coming from first-timers. The ACLU went on to be one of the groups to spring into action quickly, challenging the order in court in a widely-publicized and lighting fast battle that resulted in the ban being temporary blocked last Saturday night.
If you choose to spend your Saturday being charitable, here’s what to expect: in the realm of entertainment, there’s bands like Wet and Alex Cameron, DJ sets by KittyCash and Bec Adams, comedy from Jo Firestone, Sam Taggart, Cocoon Central Dance Team, and Sharron Paul. If you want to get fired up and learn some stuff, journalist-activist Sarah Jaffe (author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt) and Ben Wizner (director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project) will be speaking at the event. For the more deep-pocketed, there will also be a silent auction with swag from people n’ places like design studio Aelfie, Jacobin Magazine, artist Ryder Ripps, and even Brooklyn Bazaar itself.
(flyer via Black Flamingo / Facebook)
The Jam ACLU Benefit
Sunday, February 5 at Black Flamingo, 6 pm to midnight. $20 suggested donation.
Supposedly it is something called Super Bowl Sunday on this day. If you’re more into touching down onto the dance floor than in the end zone, Williamsburg club Black Flamingo will be ripe for gettin’ down on Sunday night. Their very own ACLU benefit party hosted by Heather Lang and Al Blackstone includes two floors of music, with beats by Carlos Sanchez upstairs and Kayo, Sal Paradise, and Matty Matt one floor below. Plus, the party ends at midnight, so you can always catch the game later if that’s what you’re into.
(flyer via Sarah Hanson / Facebook)
Party to Protect Your Parts
Wednesday, February 8 at Saint Vitus, 6:30 pm to midnight. $15
This all-out bash at Saint Vitus next Thursday has a lot to appreciate: bands, burlesque, dominatrixes, $2 drinks (from 6:30-7:15 only, but still), and more. Guest hosting the evening will be someone called TheVagilante, described as a “feminist human rights superhero with a prominent mons pubis.” All proceeds from the evening will go to Planned Parenthood NYC Votes, a non-partisan organization aiming to “hold elected officials accountable for their voting records and positions on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues” while supporting those “who are leaders on sexual and reproductive health issues for city and state office.”
And it’s not just a benefit show. Next door, Magic Cobra Tattoo Society will be having their own “Tattoo to Protect Your Parts” event, with $40 black ink flash tattoos (many with a feminist tilt) offered from 2 pm to 7 pm, first come first served. Setting the vibe will be performances by Panama Papers and Mic Raygun. All of those proceeds will be going to Planned Parenthood NYC Votes as well. Get inked and ride those pain-induced endorphins right into partyin’. It’s all for a good cause.
