Black Fret Grant Nominees, Founders and VIPs to walk red carpet at 5:15 p.m. sharp before this special evening where the 2016 Black Fret grant recipients will be revealed.
WHO: Austin nonprofit Black Fret will host its third annual Black Ball gala.
WHAT: Red carpet photo and interview opportunities with 2016 Black Fret Grant Nominees who will also be performing at the inaugural Black Ball gala later that evening and VIP guests.
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 10:
4:30 p.m. Media check in
4:45 p.m. Media setup
5:15 p.m. Red carpet arrivals begin (Black Fret nominees arrive promptly at 5:15 p.m.)
6:00 p.m. Black Fret VIP guests arrive
6:30 p.m. Media are invited to sit in special designated area of the Paramount Theatre
7:00 p.m. Show to begin
WHERE: The Paramount Theatre
713 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701
HOW: The event will feature performances by many of the 2016 Black Fret Nominees including Bee Caves, Calliope Musicals, Carson Mahone, Dana Falconberry, Daniel Eyes and the Vibes, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Harvest Thieves, Leopold and his Fiction, Magna Carda, Ray Prim, Suzanna Choffel, Swimming With Bears, The Peterson Brothers and Wendy Colonna.
RSVP: Please RSVP for the red carpet no later than Friday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. at heather@juiceconsulting.com or amber@juiceconsulting.com.
Event talking points:
-Austin nonprofit Black Fret is gearing up for the third annual Black Ball gala at The Paramount Theatre taking place on Saturday, Dec. 10, where its 2016 grant recipients will be announced. Red carpet arrivals begin at 5:15 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m. The show will begin at 7 p.m. with performances by fourteen Black Fret 2016 Nominees
-The 2016 Black Ball’s title sponsor is Dell Inc. with additional sponsorship by Deloitte Consulting, SunPower Inc., GSD&M, NY Life and Personify. Media sponsors include KUTX Music 98.9, Austin Monthly, The Austin Chronicle, CultureMap and Do512. Anyone wishing to attend the Black Ball may become a member of Black Fret by signing up at www.blackfret.org/join. All Black Fret memberships are annual and provide entry for the member and a guest to monthly Black Fret events. For more info on Black Fret, go to www.blackfret.org.
-Black Fret’s 20 Nominees for 2016 include: Bee Caves, Brownout, Calliope Musicals, Carson McHone, Dan Dyer, Dana Falconberry & Medicine Bow, Daniel Eyes & The Vibes, Name Sayers, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Harvest Thieves, Leopold and His Fiction, Magna Carda, Nakia, Peterson Brothers Band, Ray Prim, Suzanna Choffel, Sweet Spirit, Swimming With Bears, Walker Lukens and Wendy Colonna.
-Since 2014, Black Fret has awarded over $280,000 in grant dollars to local Austin artists. They expect to reach a half a million dollars at this Black Ball. To date, these grants have been used to create and perform music and to provide community service including 142 new songs written, 110 studio recordings, 56 new songs and videos released, 214 U.S. performances, 28 international performances and 58 community service performances for other local charities.
-In addition to their grants, all Black Fret Nominees have continued access to mentoring from Black Fret’s Advisory Board, which consists of 37 of Austin’s top music industry leaders. Newly added advisors include Codey Allen, Evan Blanc, Jen Dalton, Danny Gillespie, Layne Lauritzen, Michael Ramos, Dick Reeves, Chris “Frenchi” Smith and Graham Williams. Existing advisors are Mark Addison, Heather Alden, Roggie Baer, Pat Cassidy, Reenie Collins, Mike Crowley, Wofford Denius, CJ Eiriksson, Jim Eno, Nigel Finley, Will Hoffman, Jennifer Houlihan, Terrany Johnson, Terry Lickona, Weston McGowen, Davis McLarty, Marsha Milam, Matt Noveskey, Tim Palmer, George Reiff, Peter Schwarz, Carlos Sosa, Joe Stallone, Stuart Sullivan, Heather Wagner Reed, Kevin Wommack, Tom Vale and Rusty Zagst. For more information, please see: www.blackfret.org/advisors.
-At last year’s Black Ball, Black Fret gave out $150,000 in grants to local Austin musicians. Ten $12,000 major grants and ten $3,000 minor grants were distributed to 20 nominees over the evening.
In its first season, Black Fret awarded $130,000 in grants to local Austin musicians.
-Black Fret receives ongoing support from generous sponsors such as ALL ATX, Dell Inc., Deloitte Consulting, SunPower Inc., Gibson Brands, The City of Austin Economic Development Department – Music & Entertainment Division, GSD&M, Personify, Whole Foods, DeMaris Entertainment, Juice Consulting, Nomad Sound, Miscellaneous Rentals, KUTX, Austin Monthly, The Austin Chronicle, the Austinot, the Paramount Theatre, Biggs Electric, Enterprising People, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Jameson’s, Ben E. Keith Distributors, County Line BBQ, Shady Grove and Frank.
About Black Fret:
Founded in 2013, Black Fret is a public charity headquartered in Austin whose mission is to empower musicians to create and perform great new music. The organization is an innovative evolution of the age-old symphony patronage model that is focused on supporting popular local music. Together, Black Fret’s limited membership will build an endowed institution capable of sustaining more than a million dollars a year in grants to Austin’s artists. Annual Black Fret member dues are $1,500, breaking down to about $100 a month after taxes. Many members have access to a corporate charitable giving match program (such as offered by Dell, Apple and other major employers) that can reduce the monthly cost to less than $50 a month.
In return for annual dues, members will be rewarded with unprecedented personal access to the city’s top artists through a broad range of private events including monthly shows in intimate venues and an incredible annual gala event named The Black Ball. Grant recipients are selected annually through a yearlong process where members, advisors and prior grant recipients nominate, lobby for, see performances by and finally vote on their favorite artists. Those who wish to become a member of Black Fret can www.blackfret.org/join. All memberships provide entry for the member and a guest to all upcoming 2017 Black Fret events, including the Black Ball. For inquiries, please email sustain@blackfret.org and for more info see www.blackfret.org.
Media Note:
For press inquiries, coverage requests or to RSVP for the Black Ball, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
Heather Wagner Reed Amber LaFrance
713 208 3891 469 877 1533
heather@juiceconsulting.com amber@juiceconsulting.com