Local artists from all over the state are facing the dilemma of working around Covid-19 and the current social distancing guidelines. However, some artists are finding alternative methods through social media to help push through. On August 31st, five local bands from across the state gathered on Facebook to participate in a battle of the bands called, “Songs for Hope”. This benefit was hosted by the Kansas chapter of the American Cancer Society with the goal of raising fund through online performances to help benefit victims of cancer.
The entertainment featured a variety of different local artists across the state, including Dangerously Biased, Davy Vans, Kujo, The Atomic ‘50s, Falling Walrus, and Ellyria. Each one bringing their own unique sound. The performances were pre-recorded, then uploaded to the American Cancer Society Facebook page the final weekend of August with donations remaining open for several days following each post. When the final numbers were tallied up, local Hays natives Dangerously Biased ended up taking home the win.
How did this event come about? Turns out Dangerously Biased Bass player and Singer, Matt Isley, played a big part in helping bring things together. According to Matt, who has worked with numerous Relay for Live events and networked with members of the American Cancer Society, “When the COVID pandemic struck, in-person fundraisers were unable to take place, so there has been a huge hit in funding for organizations like the ACS. My friends in the Ellis County Relay for Life contacted me about helping organize a virtual event, and I was excited to get some artists together!”
Their efforts were met with much support as the bands were able to raise over $1,300 which will go towards helping cancer victims.
So, how did the performers feel knowing their music was able to make such a positive impact on someone’s life? Fellow member of Dangerously Biased, Sophie Thompson (drums/vocals) said, “It’s really awesome! I’ve never really had the opportunity to do something like this, so it felt really rewarding to help someone in need while doing something I love.”
For James Herrera of the bands Falling Walrus and Ellyria,“It’s an incredible feeling that I think unfortunately gets taken for granted from time to time, but events like this really bring you back down to earth! It warms the heart to hear that it makes such a positive impact!”
“I was excited to see how people responded to the event, and it’s nice to see such support for the cause. It feels good to make a difference. The Family/Friends/Fans who made the generous donations made the real difference.” – Matt Isley
“It’s great to see how people have adapted to social media and how artists are still excited to share their work in much the same way of performing live.”- Matt Isley
Each bands performance can be found by visiting the Kansas American Cancer Society Facebook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/ACSKansas
Follow the artists pages below to stay updated with new content and upcoming events:
Dangerously Biased (Hays)- https://www.facebook.com/dangerouslybiased
Davy Vans (Hays)- https://www.facebook.com/thedaveyvans
Falling Walrus (Salina)- https://www.facebook.com/FallinWalrus
Ellyria (Salina)- https://www.facebook.com/Ellyriaks
Kujo (Manhattan)- https://www.facebook.com/kujoplease
The Atomic ‘50s (Kansas City)- https://www.facebook.com/theAtomic50s
Good lede with good information. The wording can be tightened up a bit to get rid of some extra words, but it served as a nice set up for the story.
Good use of links
Quote set up doesn’t need to be in first person, you can usually set it up with paraphrased info from the interviewee or background information. Especially if it is a long quote, you can pull the best part of the quote for the direct quote and use the rest as background. For example
Matt Isley of Dangerously Biased said previous events such as Relay for Life and his connections with members of the American Cancer Society helped bring Songs for Hope to fruition.
“When the COVID pandemic struck, in-person fundraisers were unable to take place, so there has been a huge hit in funding for organizations like the ACS,” Isley said. “My friends in the Ellis County Relay For Life contacted me about helping organize a virtual event (Songs For Hope: Battle Of The Bands), and I was excited to get some artists together.”
This introduces Matt, sets up how he knows what is going on while also shortening the quote paragraph.
You also can do this with the quotes from the other musicians to avoid doing quote lists.
Fellow member of Dangerously Biased, Sophie Thompson (drums/vocals) said it was nice to be a part of something bigger than music.
“Quote from Sophie”
And the same with the others. That way the story flows without turning into a list
Then you do a good job of leaving all the info on the bands at the end, well done there and good use of links once again
You have a great start here on your style, structure, and technique. Keep up the good work and I look forward to more good work from you.
Thank you for the helpful pointers!
I went back and made some edits to my post, so I hope everything rolls a bit smoother now!
Also, I’m waiting to hear back from the ACS to see if I can include anymore information/quotes before the end of tomorrow.
Story Record:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qHsvCQmt7JiA8_IPfHmhQ-kOWzxU1gWn/view?usp=sharing