On Oct. 12, Central Park will rock.
The Festival on the Green, a concert sponsored by Music Only Makes Sense (MOMS) and the Davis High School Blue and White Foundation, features nine bands performing on two stages from 2 to 10 p.m.
The bands include Midi Matilda from San Francisco, Radiation City from Portland, Cherry Royale from Atlanta and Oakland and Be Calm Honcho, a band with two Davis alumni, including vocalist Shannon Harney.
“The bassist and I both went to Davis, so we have an attachment to playing for our friends and community,” Harney said. “It’s always cool to come through and support the local public schools. Everyone in our band participated in art programs when we were kids, so we hope that Davis will come out.”
The concert, which costs $18 in advance and $20 at the door, will benefit two programs that support public schools in Davis. The profits will be split between the sponsors.
The vice president of the DHS Blue and White Foundation, Karen Mattis, said that her organization’s share of the profits will go to their Student Activity Grant Program, which aims to provide grants for students who want to participate in curricular and extracurricular activities.
“It gives financial support to students who otherwise may not receive it,” Mattis said. “They can apply for a grant for any extracurricular. This goes from a student who needs track shoes to somebody wanting to go to engineering camp for four or five days. We try to give anyone who applies something.”
MOMS, who previously organized the Davis Music Festival, will use their share of the profits to support an art grants program for public schools in Davis, according to MOMS president Danny Tomasello.
The collaboration between the Blue and White Foundation and MOMS came up during a previous charity concert.
“A former president of the Black and White Foundation, Marty Morris, brought Danny Tomasello in to help select the bands for a concert we were organizing at Wild Horse Golf Course,” Mattis said. “This year we decided to bring the concert away from the golf course and into downtown.”
Mattis feels as though her partnership with Danny is effective.
“We both have our own niche,” Mattis said. “I can do organizational work and keep things in the background going, while Danny can connect with the bands and give them what they need.”
Tomasello selected bands for the Davis Music Festival that he thought were talented and would receive positive feedback from audiences.
“We really wanted Cherry Royale and Rita Hosking, but they were not available in June, so we booked them for this show,” Tomasello said. “Be Calm Honcho and Extra Classic were really well-received, so we invited them back. We also have Kingfisher and Sea Train to show young talent, and Midi Matilda was a request from Karen, who saw them open at a concert.”
Tomasello said that he hopes people would come out to see the concert in order to see the exciting things Davis is doing.
“As far as students go, they might only think of Davis as the university, but this fundraiser will let those students see what we’re really doing,” Tomasello said. “Also, there is a cool music scene in Davis and this will help people pay attention to that.”
For more information on Festival on the Green, visit davismusicfest.org.
JOHN KESLER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
