Somehow, music sounds that much sweeter when a listener knows its made for a good cause. Music for Good, Volume 2 is set for this Friday, as bands come together to support the National Alliance on Mental Illness Dane County.
NAMI Dane County, the founding chapter in the national organization. seeks to serve people impacted by mental illness in Dane County with support, education, and other opportunities.
The Whiskey Farm, a Madison-based Americana and folk-rock band, is headlining the performance, with bands such as Shuffleplay and the N’Achos set to join them in entertaining the night’s crowd for a good cause.
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Jason Horowitz, lead vocalist of The Whiskey Farm, noted that the band’s awareness to social problems is nothing new.
“As a band, we’ve always been focused on social consciousness and writing songs about social change,” Horowitz said.
The group penned “I See You” specifically to relate to the same issues of mental health addressed by NAMI. The song is currently exclusively available on a GoFundMe page, where anyone who donates can receive the download.
For the band, many of the members’ backgrounds made NAMI a good partner, as their professions hold mental health central to their missions.
“Two of us are psychologists and two of us are educators,” Horowitz said. “The issues of mental health and mental health stigma are things that we work with every day professionally.”
The Whiskey Farm and the other acts performing are donating their time and talents to the show, so 100 percent of ticket sales go directly to NAMI Dane County.
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Horowitz hopes The Whiskey Farm will continue to collaborate with various organizations to raise awareness and funds for various causes. Previously, The Whiskey Farm has partnered with the ACLU, among others, to play for a cause.
“We hope that this is just the next what we hope will be a long line of events that we collaborate with organizations on,” Horowitz said.
Music for Good, Volume 2 opens at 6:00 p.m. at High Noon Saloon. A donation of $10 to support NAMI Dane County is suggested.