School of Music students at Hocking College organize three-day benefit for The Gathering Place and Stuart’s Opera House
The fourth-annual Benefest is ready to rock starting this Thursday in uptown Athens.
This three-day benefit show, organized by music students at Hocking College, will showcase a variety of local bands. Thursday will feature Weird Science, Megawave, Summoners, Waivada and The Gatherers at Casa Nueva, 6 W State St.
On Friday at The Overhang, 63 N Court St., Dead Hand of Man, Dweeb, Unmonumental and Wholehearted Halfwits will play.
Blond, Nuddhist Monks, Hex Net, and Adam Remnant will close the event Saturday at The Smiling Skull, 108 W Union St. Doors open each night at 9 p.m. with performances beginning at 10.
The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W Union St., was the original venue for the performances on Dec. 5 and 6. However, relocation was necessary due to the Union Street fire on Nov. 16.
“I’m really excited to see all of our lineups at the Skull and at the Overhang. Although I’m really going to miss the Union, I think these new locations are going to be just as good,” said Mackenzie Ellis, a sophomore studying music management at Hocking College and one of the organizers of the event.
All proceeds will go to The Gathering Place and the Stuart’s Opera House’s Afterschool Music Program. The Gathering Place supports adults recovering from mental illness, and Stuart’s Opera House’s After School Music Program partners with the Hocking College School of Music to teach students to play instruments and write songs.
“We chose those places because they are so relevant to our community at the school as well as a huge influence on the community in Athens,” Ellis said.
Weird Science, a regular Benefest performer, is set to kick off the eventful three days.
“The Gathering Place and Stuart’s Opera House are two places that I strongly support in this community. Without the university, Athens is really small, and having places like that are unique and important and it’s really cool that we can contribute to that,” said Zach Fuller, lead vocalist and guitarist for Weird Science.
Admission is free, but suggested donations are $3 to $5. The show at The Overhang on Friday is 21-and-over, according to the Benefest Facebook event.
The shows also feature raffle prizes from Haffa’s Records, Whit’s Frozen Custard, Blue Eagle Music, O’Betty’s Red Hot! Dogs and Sausages, Habibi’s and Insomnia Cookies for the first fifty donors at the door on Friday.
“It’s so nice to walk into a show where everyone is there for the same reasons: to have fun and to help each other out,” Ellis said.
@katekevvv
kk940213@ohio.edu
