After two years of various charity work, Shawn Perigon will present Summer Jam 2014, a hip-hop and rock concert July 18 at Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the show starts at 5 p.m.
“I think it is groundbreaking,” said Perigon, a hip-hop musician and organizer of the concert. “Nobody has ever really done that at home. No one has really thought about giving back to the community as a musician in this way.”
General admission is $15 for adults, $10 for high school or college students and $6 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available online at
bctboxoffice.com.
Perigon said he got the inspiration to get involved in charity work and find ways to give back to society with music after having success in his own music career.
“I think musicians can’t make music for fame, recognition and money, but for real passion and the huge possibilities it can bring for other people to make their life better,” Perigon said.
“I met musicians who have made a decent amount of money in the industry, and then I thought about people who don’t have what I have especially during holidays, people with no home, no food, no Christmas trees” Perigon said. “I could no longer find myself happy and satisfied with my life.”
Perigon has a supporting crowd behind the scene.
Half of the performing musicians were talked into playing by social media. However, everyone showed a sense of responsibility and an obligation to give back after they first heard about the good cause.
The concert features a long list of performers, including Jared Bradshaw, the Jesse Lacy Trio, Myah Evans, GLR, The Peacock Effect, Vosie and Roc-A-Bloc, Matty Moe and Boss D, IInd Hand, Straight Davis, Crackalac, and BitterSweet.
Jesse Lacy, a graduate of the IU Jacobs School of Music, is now working on his new album, which is to be released in 2016. He’s thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the community.
“I think musicians can’t make music for fame, recognition and money, but for real passion and the huge possibilities it can bring for other people to make their life better”
Shawn Perigon, hip-hop musician and organizer of Summer Jam 2014
“I’m all about community,” Lacy said. “I want to make people feel at home. I’d like to create an enchanting environment where everyone will want to reside.”
Although the band frequently returns to Bloomington for public performances, it will be the first time the trio will play at a benefit concert.
All the ticket sales will be donated to Becky’s Place in Bedford.
Becky’s Place is an emergency shelter for women and children. It provides meals and supporting services for them as they move towards employment, permanent housing and self-sufficiency. Each resident works with a case manager.
Becky’s Place has served 260 residents, including 100 children, since its opening in 2012. Most women seek help because of addiction, domestic situations and divorces.
“Every woman and child we encounter comes from a different situation,” Becky’s Place Program Director Corrina Hayes said. “One thing that all of them share is that they are in survival mode. What we provide is stability, structure and positive support.”
Perigon met Hayes in December 2013.
“We did a company fundraising event with raffles for Christmas last year, and I met Corrina and learned about Becky’s Place and their needs,” Perigon said.
As for the goal this year, Perigon hopes the concert will spread awareness of homelessness. Perigon is also looking forward to collaborating with two or three organizations every year with three shows each year.
Perigon said he appreciates the openness of the Bloomington community.
“I think the inclusiveness of the concert communicates with the audience in Bloomington,” Perigon said. “We have students and people from around the world attending IU who appreciate various music genres and are open to listening really closely.”
