Back in 2007, while still working his "meaningless" but successful job as a retail merchandising specialist, Scott Herold got the bad news that would change his life and the Twin Cities music scene for the better. Herold's adopted daughter, Jade, learned that her Minneapolis charter high school, Watershed, faced possible closing. So the diehard music lover recruited the Alarmists and White Light Riot for a benefit that raised about $15,000. The event helped keep the school open and gave the musicians some good exposure and launched the creation of Rock the Cause.
One of several nonprofits operating full-time in the local music scene (see also: Vega Productions, DEMO, Twin Cities Music Community Trust), Rock the Cause raised about $250,000 for local charities last year -- and turned a lot of young rock and hip-hop fans into volunteers for other community groups. The organization's biggest event, Glitter Ball, takes place again Friday with an especially loud do-gooder call to arms.
"There's a lot of talk of how to pass the so-called philanthropy torch to the millennials and the next generation of givers," Herold said. "I don't know if there's a better way of doing it than through music."
He laughed (and complained a bit) about a recent fashion event at Envy nightclub that co-opted the Glitter Ball name. The organizer brushed aside concerns of confusing audiences with a snide remark, something about how everybody at Rock the Cause's Glitter Ball would be middle-aged and up. "As if a charitable music event wasn't cool for anybody under the age of 30," said Herold, who's 43 but targets the under-30 crowd.
Friday's Glitter Ball certainly sounds cool enough to cut across rock generations. Fellow arts org ArtSpace is lending a warehouse in the Grain Belt Brewery Bottling House, which Rock the Cause is turning into a re-creation of Andy Warhol's Factory.
Look for Warhol-inspired music, artwork and actors playing the roles of Andy's minions. Alicia Wiley and her band will pay tribute to the Velvet Underground (she's actually way overqualified to sing Nico's parts), the Arms Akimbo has an all-Kinks set lined up, Joey Ryan & the Inks will plug in as Bob Dylan, and Pictures of Then will cover David Bowie.
All of these bands, by the way, get a paycheck for Glitter Ball, as is the case at all Rock the Cause events. Said Herold, "The bands work so hard at these things, they deserve to still make their livings."
Pictures of Then frontman Casey Call recently got his first taste of Rock the Cause's impact when his band performed at St. Paul's High School for Recording Arts, an alternative school where most students are into R&B and hip-hop. Afterward, the band members worked with students on planning their own charity events.
