CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Four local bands will get a little extra help in their music careers thanks to the Panza Foundation.
The local nonprofit awarded 2022 grants to four bands on Saturday night at a Happy Dog benefit concert. The winners are hip-hop group Muamin Collective, pop singer-songwriter Marcus Alan Ward, indie-rock band Biitchseat and psych-rock group Oregon Space Trail of Doom.
Each artist receives a cash grant from the Panza Foundation, to be used for spending in 2022. The money is intended for band projects, like tours, merchandise and recording fees.
Two of the acts in the Panza Foundation’s 2022 class are repeat picks: Biitchseat and Oregon Space Trail of Doom. Both bands also received funds from the local nonprofit in 2020.
“We re-upped two bands from 2020 who lost tours because of the COVID shutdown. We’re kind of helping them out a second time and giving them an opportunity that they didn’t have the first time,” said Panza Foundation president John Panza. “These are two bands we feel we could work with again. We want to give them some opportunities.”
Meanwhile, Muamin Collective and Marcus Alan Ward were chosen after years of noticing their work, Panza said.
“We like to see bands that are well-established. Between Muamin Collective and Marcus Alan Ward, we have two very, very firmly established acts from town,” Panza said. “It really was a matter of finding two projects we wanted to give new support to, and two projects we felt didn’t get the full support they needed.”
The Panza Foundation has given out money to local bands and music organizations since 2015, usually finding a class of four musical acts each year. Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the foundation pivoted to supporting music venues. Funds were given to the Grog Shop, Mahall’s, the Beachland Ballroom and Happy Dog.
“Without the pond, the fish can’t swim. What are the ponds? The clubs,” Panza said. “We chose our four clubs mostly because they represent the four clubs where the majority of the bands we sponsor play.”
The Panza Foundation has given out more than $50,000 in the past seven years, Panza estimated. There is no application process for Panza Foundation grants. Bands are chosen by the organization’s board, which includes Panza, Jane Takac Panza, Edward Sotelo, Christa Ebert and Lauren Voss Clune.
The group’s goal remains the same as it has since 2015: to help musicians overcome some of the financial hurdles that come with the profession.
Those hurdles have shifted during the pandemic, Panza said.
“We know that bands come and go. Well, with a pandemic like this, bands go and don’t come back,” Panza said. “But on the flip side, there were bands that were forming because of the pandemic, getting together, working for a whole year. They’re coming out of the gate really hard, really fast.”
He added: “I’m perpetually optimistic that there is a silver lining in everything that happens. As terrible as the pandemic has been, I think on some levels it’s challenged us to be better.”
You can find more information about the Panza Foundation at panzafoundation.org.
Get a jumpstart on the weekend and sign up for cleveland.com’s weekly “In the CLE” email newsletter, your essential guide to the top things to do in Greater Cleveland. It will arrive in your inbox on Friday mornings - an exclusive to-do list, focusing on the best of the weekend fun. Restaurants, music, movies, performing arts, family fun and more. Just click here to subscribe. All cleveland.com newsletters are free.
"four" - Google News
November 22, 2021 at 06:30PM
https://ift.tt/3FAUpZc
Panza Foundation awards 2022 grants to four Cleveland bands - cleveland.com
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment