CD Release and Benefit to End Homelessness for Victims of Domestic Abuse

CD Release and Benefit to End Homelessness for Victims of Domestic Abuse

(w/ special guest Dr. David Crump)

Time 7:00 PM Admission $10 GA/ $5 STUDENTS
Fountain Street Church

 

CD RELEASE 2015

 

Music For Social Change:

Michigan Songwriter Cameron Blake To Celebrate CD Release By Raising Money To Help End Homelessness For Victims Of Domestic Abuse

GRAND RAPIDS, MI.– On Wednesday, February 18 at 7 p.m., singer-songwriter Cameron Blake will be performing a concert at the historic Fountain Street Church to celebrate the release of his new album Alone On The World Stage and to raise money for Safe Haven Ministries, a comprehensive domestic violence organization based in Grand Rapids. Entrance is $10 for general admission and $5 for students at the door. Specifically, proceeds will go toward Safe Haven’s 2015 initiatives to connect the women and children it serves with safe and affordable housing options in Kent County.

Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness for women both locally and nationally and survivors regularly report the lack of affordable housing opportunities as a primary barrier to escaping abuse. The money raised will help Safe Haven begin tackling this complex issue, which will include research, partnership with affordable housing organizations and additional on-site supportive advocacy to help create sustainable outcomes for women and children on their journey of healing.

For Blake, turning his upcoming CD release concert into a benefit for Safe Haven was only natural, as many of the songs on Alone On The World Stage deal with themes of social justice.

“I often write about current events because my deepest desire as an artist is to use my music to bring about social change, particularly in issues relating to class and poverty.”

Many of the songs on the new album elicit a personal, empathetic response to the oppressed, which is why Cameron was inspired to partner with Safe Haven for this CD release event. Instead of bashing the city government for its fiscal problems in the song “Detroit,” Blake sings about the daily life of a broken woman. Instead of making a newspaper headline out of the North Dakota oil boom, he personifies the state, making it cry and sing in “North Dakota Oil.” Though Blake declines the confrontational mode of the protest song, he takes advantage of the direct performance style of the folk era, using nothing but solo voice and guitar or piano throughout the album.

Recorded and produced by Peter Fox at Stone House Recording in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Alone On The World Stage highlights the studio as a third instrument and provides a platform where negative and positive sonic space collaborate. Each song sounds as if it’s recorded in a different room and could stand alone, but the artful mastering of Grammy Award-winning engineer Bill Wolf pulls the twelve tracks into a cohesive whole that plays beautifully from start to finish.

Alone On The World Stage follows the release of three other acclaimed studio releases and one live album since Blake hit the indie folk scene running in 2009. His nuanced vocals and soulful lyrics have garnered praise from The Washington Times, Baltimore City Paper, Revue Magazine and WYPR (Maryland’s NPR station) where his songs have been described as “refreshingly poetic,” “evocative” and “profound.” Looking back, Blake recalls the changes that have taken place since his debut. Then, he was single, living in Baltimore, Maryland, playing with a large band of Peabody Conservatory graduates and Baltimore Symphony members. Today, he’s married and a new father, living in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has recently found inspiration as a lone troubadour.

“I worked on these songs every other night from 9:30 to 1 a.m. after making sure the baby was asleep. There was a huge learning curve playing solo and writing songs that can carry without added instrumentation, but I had a mantra I would repeat to myself: You have everything you need to write a great song- a brain, a heart and a pencil.”

 ###

CONTACT:

Cameron Blake: cameron@cameronblakemusic.com

 

© 2022 Cameron Blake Music. All Rights Reserved.