The Playwright bar and restaurant in downtown New Haven will host a benefit concert on April 26 to raise money for the small village of Bawa in western Africa. Based in Wallingford, the Bawa Health Initiative is a non-profit organization that works to improve the health and education of the people in Bawa, Cameroon.
Three acts will perform at the concert which begins at 8:30 p.m., with all money and proceeds going to the BHI and its humanitarian programs.
One Night Stand and Kieran Hobler, both from Quinnipiac, are scheduled to open for headliner Cold Duck Complex.
After winning the 2006 WQAQ Battle of the Bands and opening up for Say Anything in this year’s Spring Concert, One Night Stand is excited about their next gig.
“The Bawa Health Initiative is a great cause and we jumped at the opportunity to help out as best we could,” said senior Dan Altano. “Playing in New Haven for only the second time is also really cool, because it gives us more exposure in front of crowds that aren’t used to seeing us.”
The band’s unique sound which blends everything from funk to classic rock has made them a local favorite. One Night Stand often play shows at Side Street Grille in Hamden.
“I think when we play there’s something for everyone whether you’re into hip hop, rock, or reggae,” Altano said. “We aren’t a studio band that records all the time and barely performs, we live for the stage.”
Quinnipiac’s other act, Kieran Hobler, a senior from Yonkers, N.Y., plays acoustic guitar and will bookend One Night Stand’s performance with two half-hour long sets.
The guitarist, who writes and performs his own material, likens his eclectic sound to Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, and John Mayer.
The headliner of the show, Cold Duck Complex, is a group from Amherst, Mass., who combine hip-hop lyrics with a rock and funk sound. Known mostly in New England and New York, the quartet has performed with various artists like 50 Cent, Rahzel, and Reel Big Fish, and was even showcased on MTVU. They released their first full-length album “Figureheads” in 2003, and went on to win the Valley Advocate’s Best Hip-Hop award in 2004.
All bands are donating their time and talent for the BHI, and tickets are only $5 for everyone 21 and up.
In just one year the organization has developed water filtration systems to protect the Bawa village from water-borne diseases like malaria, and chemicals such as arsenic. It has also brought in physicians to reduce infectious diseases and provide health care to this developing village. The goal of the BHI is to develop and sustain a clinic maintained by it’s villagers, and ultimately spread the project to help other villages.
All students are encouraged to come out and support the local music for a worthwhile organization.
“I’m excited to hear Cold Duck Complex, who I’m actually a big fan of,” Altano said. “Playing for a great cause and opening for a band you’re a fan of. Who could ask for more?”
For more information on Bawa and the Bawa Health Initiative, go to www.bawahealth.org.
