Photo Courtesy of The Fruits.
While Arts, Beats & Eats will be looking dramatically different this year, the beat goes on for local musicians as the festival is determined to showcase talented acts.
More than 400 bands across 15 genres will perform virtual concerts starting tomorrow, August 27 through Thursday, September 3. The goal is to raise over $500,000 for local musicians to help them while they can’t tour or perform live shows. All donations collected through the Arts, Beats & Eats Foundation will be distributed to local musicians that derive 50% or more of their income from music.
Each virtual concert will serve as a fundraiser for that band and the band will keep their own funds raised. You can make a donation to all bands on the Arts, Beats & Eats fundraiser page throughout the week.
One of the bands performing will be The Fruits tomorrow, August 27 at 7 p.m. This will be The Fruits third year performing at Arts, Beats & Eats and they’re excited to be performing virtually among so many talented Detroit musicians.
“It’s such an exciting weekend with a ton of talented Detroit area musicians. Obviously we’re disappointed that it couldn’t be in person but completely understand. We’re grateful they were able to put something together and include us in it,” Sean Mallare, drummer for The Fruits, said. Preparing for a virtual concert is something that many bands haven’t done, but old school rockers The Beggars are looking forward to it. The group will hit the ‘stage’ on Tuesday, September 1 at 8:30 p.m. and lead singer Steven Tuthill said that they are excited to be actually performing for an audience for the first time in months. “It’s like riding a bike after a harsh winter. Tune up the bike, grease the chain, air in the tires and hit the road,” Tuthill said. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly made many local artists adapt to different technologies to stay connected to their fans. Ash Harris, who goes by Acoustic Ash on stage, said that it’s humbling to have people tune in to her performances and that to perform at a prominent Detroit festival isn’t lost on her. “Arts, Beats and Eats isn’t just a show, festival or event; it is the pulse and heartbeat of the local music/art scene coming together to breathe life into the community,” Harris said. You can find information on all of the acts and when they perform on the Arts, Beats & Eats virtual concert page. More information on how you can donate and support local musicians can be found on the Arts, Beats & Eats’ GoFundMe page.
