ROCK GOOD

LOCAL BAND HEY GUY LAUNCHES PHILANTHROPIC EFFORT WITH ROCK-4-GOOD BENEFIT CONCERT FOR HOUSE OF PRECIOUS + 200 ORPHANAGES WORLDWIDE.ORG

New York rock band Hey Guy, and their indie label Naughty Brains Records, are launching philanthropy projects through ROCK GOOD in New York City on Thursday, September 15, 2011. The initial benefit concert features Shinobi Ninja + Hey Guy at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn.
The concert will raise money for 200 Orphanages Worldwide to directly support construction and of the House of Precious orphanage for HIV/AIDS children in Cameroon. Peculiar Gentlemen, Against the Wall, Exes of Evil, and Ill Pastel will also be performing.

ROCK GOOD is the vision of Leo Pelekh, co-founder of Naughty Brains and bassist for Hey Guy, flanking his brother lead singer/songwriter Boris. “I heard about the House of Precious from a friend of a friend, and was immediately struck by the fact that we could use our talent to make a direct difference for the HIV/AIDS orphan kids in Cameroon,” Pelekh said. “A concert to raise funds made sense cause musicians have big hearts.” To help rally the NY music scene for the cause, Pelekh reached out to fellow large-hearts Shinobi Ninja, kings of BK party rock, and Manager Steve Sternschein, who agreed to help organize the event.

Former NYC resident Monique Aiken was moved by the House of Precious fundraising effort and adopted the project. She and seven of her friends will be travel to Cameroon to help begin the construction of the orphanage this Fall. Inspired by the mission of The Angel of Mercy project, Aiken was moved to action and sought to collaborate with 200 Orphanages Worldwide, the organization that raises funds for orphanages.

Aiken mobilized her friends to host a fundraiser in her current home town of Houston and reached out to her NYC connections for the cause, through whom she met Pelekh. Aiken has also rallied 7 professional friends to fund their own way and take a month off work to join her in the building project in Cameroon.
“The project in Cameroon will cost about $50,000 and with help from Monique Aiken and others who’ve adopted the House of Precious efforts, they’ve raised more than half of the funds,” explains Jan Hanson, Executive Director of 200 Orphanages Worldwide. Unlike many aid projects, 100% of funds donated will go directly to materials and furnishings for the House of Precious. In addition to projects like this one in Cameroon, “our mission is ultimately to raise funds for 200 orphanages or more worldwide and we have about 6 orphanages we’ve helped since we started in 2008,” explains Hanson. Among other things, 200 Orphanages Worldwide has raised funds for security fences around orphanages in Rwanda, Haiti and Uganda. House of Precious is a specific orphanage project to aid in the building of wells and more permanent housing for orphans and others afflicted with HIV/AIDS; it will be overseen by Aiken and Angels of Mercy in collaboration with 200 Orphanages Worldwide.
Quite perfectly, the chance meeting between Pelekh and Aiken proved to be the ideal intersection of Pelekh’s personal interests and professional ambitions. As the heart of Hey Guy, Russian-born Boris and Leo, aka The Brothers Pelekh, advocate fiercely for pre-fame philanthropy. The Pelekhs see the unfortunate pattern of musicians waiting till after the peak of fame, hedonism, and wealth before giving back, if they give back at all. Alternatively, Hey Guy sees an abundant need for mentoring and/or monetizing charitable causes, and is committed to getting involved now, as their career is growing, rather than later. These philosophies planted the seed for ROCK GOOD, which now has its roots and a mission to “rally local musicians to participate in charitable concerts and activities that aim for global impact”;
more lingo @ www.ROCKGOOD.org
Advanced tickets $10 / Door $12 / ROCK GOOD V.I.P. packages $50, including open bar, swag bag, and additional perks, ALL ON SALE @ rockgood.eventbrite.com.