A different kind of care package: Concertgoers ‘Blanket the Homeless’
When Ken Newman plays a concert, his merch table looks quite different from that of other musicians.
Whether he’s playing solo acoustic gigs or amps-cranked-to-the-max shows with his trio, Berkeley Bronx, the San Francisco-based frontman sets out the same unusual set of goods. His display consists of bags stuffed with emergency blankets, socks, gloves, nutrition bars, antiseptic creams, and contraceptives.
The bundles are free. But they’re not intended for the audience members to keep for themselves.
When Mr. Newman isn’t singing tonsil-baring songs by Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, and Radiohead – “I have a wide range,” says the vocalist – he uses his voice to enlist concertgoers to assist his unique charity, Blanket the Homeless. The part-time musician
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