The Forefront will be performing a benefit concert at the University of South Florida on Monday, October 13th at 8:00pm. The proceeds will go to benefit the Sweet Home New Orleans Renew Our Music fund, and the Association for Jazz Education at the University of South Florida.

Where: Driving directions and USF Map
Located in Fine Arts - FAH 101
When: Monday, October 13th at 8:00pm
How much: Free, Donations Encouraged!

Sweet Home New Orleans Mission:
To perpetuate New Orleans’ culture by providing direct services to the individuals and institutions that will carry them forward.

What they do:
Sweet Home New Orleans is a non-profit agency that provides services to the city’s musicians, Mardi Gras Indians, and Social Aid & Pleasure Club members in the following areas:
– Case Management to help clients develop a plan for post-Katrina stability.
– Housing Assistance in the form of Relocation, Rent/Mortgage subsidies, and grants for Renovations.
– Advocacy for cash grants from partnering agencies, and other services such as pro-bono legal advice and financial literacy workshops.

Additionally, the Renew Our Music Program offers:
– Financial Assistance with bills, instrument repair, transportation, and other immediate need.
– Performance Subsidies including cultural education programs, second line parades, and gigs that stimulate local businesses and help artists get back to work.

New Orleans music, the root of the city’s identity and a driving force behind its economy, is an expression of a unique American culture perpetuated by approximately 4,500 men and women. These tradition bearers practice a functional art that unites and strengthens communities. For generations, they have transmitted this culture to family and neighbors. Since Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flood, however, thousands in this community still struggle to access public assistance and lack the resources to rebuild their neighborhoods and their lives in a post-Katrina economy. The future of this culture depends on their return.

Fourteen service organizations from around the city and the country formed Sweet Home to help these artists become self-sufficient again, and in so doing, to secure the cultural continuity of New Orleans. Renew Our Music, founded as New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund just days after the storm, has provided direct aid to over 1,700 tradition bearers, including nearly $400,000 in three months following the flood. Now, as a program of Sweet Home New Orleans, Renew Our Music works toward long-term economic development for our clients.

Sweet Home New Orleans operates in the Treme neighborhood, steps from Congo Square, considered by many the birthplace of American music. These streets are the source of New Orleans’ characteristic rhythms, which drove the development of jazz and R&B. We are proud to support these indigenous traditions, and we invite you to join us as we expand our reach to ensure New Orleans’ unique culture continues to revive the city.

So dig this…