|
Taken from FOX CT (August 16, 2015)
West Haven music fest features Living Colour’s Doug Wimbish
by Mike Krafcik
WEST HAVEN – Doug Wimbish is a familiar face to many music fans.
He’s the bassist of the Grammy award-winning band Living Color, who just toured with Aerosmith.
On Sunday night, he organized the first ever WimBash Beach Festival at West Haven’s Savin Rock Beach.
Wimbish and Coret Glover, the lead vocalist of Living Colour headlined the event, along with Jack White’s band (drummer Daru Jones) and Madonna (guitarist Paul Pesco, Wimbish’s collaborator for decades). Guitar prodigy Desiree Bassett, last seen on the Michael Jackson: Immortal World Tour, among others.
Wimbish, a Hartford resident and Bloomfield native started the Wimbash Music Festival about 15 years ago to raise funds for various youth initiatives.
Admission was free in West Haven, but the festival raised money for public school music programs through raffle sales and donations. Wimbish also donated used or unwanted musical instruments and gear.
“What we’re doing is trying to make sure we’re continuing the tradition that kids have the opportunity to have fun and play music because it changed my life,” said Wimbish.
The goal of the music fest from day one: raise money for public school music programs, because many are faced with declining budgets.
Thousands of dollars was raised from the raffles and donations and t-shirt sales will go to the West Haven School music programs.
“I play percussion and it is one of the most expensive instruments to play,” said Kendall Griffiths, a West Haven High School senior. “As soon as one breaks, it is like 800 bucks.”
The festival featured local talent, included a band called “Tears Fall Down”– a group of local kids from West Haven aged 12-14. Two of the members are the children of John McCarthy, the owner of Rock House School of Music in West Haven.
” You know Wimbash is all about trying to get kids around music, and getting money for the schools,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy owns an instructional music video company in West Haven and first met Wimbish when he made an instructional guitar video for him seven years ago.
McCarthy had worked with West Haven Mayor Ed O’Brien to get the event off the ground.
A number of food trucks as well as a beer garden were at the event. This was the first time beer sales were permitted at a concert in the city of West Haven.
“All of this is done by people rolling up their sleeves and making it happen,” Wimbish said.
|
