St. Andrew's-Ann Arbor hosts benefit for breakfast program
Our sister congregation will host the following event, “BREAKFEST 2010” CONCERT
TO HELP FEED THE HUNGRY IN ANN ARBOR
All-acoustic show at The Ark to span American and Scots-Irish traditions
• Celebrated Scots Fiddler Bonnie Rideout Returns to Ann Arbor on Eve of Landmark CD Release.
• Jazz Fingerstyle Guitarist Duck Baker to Explore the ‘Roots and Branches’ of American Music in His First Local Appearance.
• Detroit’s Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. Will Bring ‘Holy Blues’ and Original Songs to the stage.
• Bill Bynum & Co. Return to The Ark with their Unique Country- and Bluegrass-
Influenced Sound.
Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 9, 2009 – An acclaimed group of artists will explore the rich
musical traditions of America, Ireland and Scotland to raise money to feed the hungry at
“BreakFest 2010”, which will be held at The Ark on Feb. 26, 2010 at 7 p.m.
BreakFest 2010, which is being presented by the UAW “Keeping the Dream Alive”
organization, is a benefit for the Breakfast at St. Andrew’s. Every day without fail for
27 years, this all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has served breakfast to
anyone who wants one from the parish hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on
Division St. in Ann Arbor.
“The Breakfast was created three decades ago to respond to an economic crisis,” said
Svea Gray, who leads the program. “Today, the need is greater than ever and we are
serving 100 meals or more every morning. For many of the city’s growing population of
poor, homeless and disadvantaged people, the program has become an important
source of nutrition and fellowship.”
All of the musicians performing at BreakFest 2010 are donating their time and talent and
the concert is being produced and promoted entirely by volunteers.
In addition to the UAW “Keeping the Dream Alive” organization, a growing number of
local and regional businesses are supporting the concert as sponsors, including:
Brighton-based Excelda Manufacturing; Whole Foods Market; Edward Surovell Realtors;
United Bank & Trust; the Bank of Ann Arbor; Troy-based The Quell Group, Zingerman’s
Community of Businesses; Meijer’s; Big Sky Recording; Portage-based Kingslight
Guitars and Kat Foley Photo.
“The generosity of the artists and the community, especially when everyone is facing so
many challenges because of the economy, is deeply appreciated by all of the volunteers
and guests of the Breakfast,” Gray said. “Everyone’s contributions will help us continue
serving breakfast for as long as there’s a need.”
The artists performing at BreakFest 2010 are all standouts in their genres:
• Bonnie Rideout (Alexandria, Va.), the acclaimed Scots fiddler, is a native of
Saline, Mich. She has charmed audiences on stages around the globe, ranging
from Scotland’s Edinburgh International Festival to America’s Kennedy Center.
A two-time Grammy nominee, Rideout has released 13 solo albums, appeared
as a guest artist on dozens of CDs, and authored seven music books for Mel Bay
Publishing. She is the first woman to hold the U.S. National Scottish fiddle title
and the youngest to have garnered the championship, winning it for three
consecutive years before age 21. She is presently working on a new recording
project featuring the art of fiddle piobaireachd (pibroch) in conjunction with the
National Piping Centre in Glasgow. Volume one will be released on April 30,
2010. Pre-release copies will be available at BreakFest 2010.
• Duck Baker (Reading, England) is one of the most highly-regarded fingerstyle
guitarists of his generation. He is unique among jazz guitarists in that his
repertoire spans the entire history of the music, including ragtime and swing,
modern masters like Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols, and free
improvisation. Baker’s devotion to American music also encompasses more
traditional forms like blues, gospel, and Appalachian music and its Scots-Irish
ancestry. An accomplished teacher, writer and recording artist, Baker released
four new CDs in 2009, including the “The Waltz Lesson” and “The Roots and
Branches of American Music.”
• Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. (Detroit), pastor of the Sweet Kingdom Missionary
Baptist Church in Detroit, has been a champion of American roots music for more
than 25 years. As a performer, radio host on WDET-FM (Detroit) and educator,
he has introduced new audiences around the country to the music Rev. Gary
Davis, Blind Willie Johnson, Rev. Dan Smith, Joshua White, Blind Connie
Williams and Rev. Robert Wilkins, as well as his original compilations. In
October 2010, Rev. Jones will teach a workshop on the music of Rev. Gary
Davis at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in Pomeroy, Ohio.
• Bill Bynum & Co. (Trenton, Mich.). Award-winning songwriter Bill Bynum and
his band’s core of guitar, Dobro, fiddle, bass and harmony vocals can lean into
bluegrass, veer toward country, or take listeners on a unique journey through
Bill’s original songs. Bynum has earned the attention and admiration of Pete
Goble, one of the most respected bluegrass songwriters, who wrote, “Bill is an
excellent songwriter. He’s got a delivery of a song that makes you feel the song’s
telling you something which is unique. I think the world about him.
Dependable…true blue and on time!”
Breakfast 2010 will be presented on Fri., Feb. 26, 2010 at The Ark, 316. S. Main St., Ann
Arbor. Showtime is 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $30.
Advance tickets go on sale Nov. 14 and will be available from Whole Foods Market at
990 W. Eisenhower Parkway and 3135 Washtenaw Ave; The Ark box office; by phone
from the Michigan Union Ticket Office, (734) 763-8587; at Herb David Guitar Studios,
302 E. Liberty; and at www.ticketmaster.com.
For more information on the Breakfast at St. Andrew’s or to make a donation, please
visit www.standrewsaa.org.
