October 10, 2016

Atticus Report Spotlights Imagine Concert Benefiting Guitars For Swaziland

Atticus Records’ music podcast, The Atticus Report, will be focusing its next episode on co-host Stephen Doster’s work with the Austin-based non-profit, Guitars for Swaziland, which provides guitars to underprivileged and orphaned children throughout Africa. Atticus Records, along with Fender Guitars co-sponsored Imagine: The 26th Annual John Lennon Birthday Tribute, which benefited Guitars For Swaziland.

Each year since Lennon’s 50th birthday,Stephen Doster has led the finely tuned #9 Orchestra through a wide range of John Lennon and Beatles classics in what has become one of Austin’s longest running and finest annual tribute shows. This year’s concert was held at Threadgill’s World Headquarters in Austin on Lennon’s birthday, October 9.

The #9 Orchestra is: Stephen Doster, Tommy Taylor, Andy Salmon, Marie Nehring, Ben Cocke, Bruce Marton, Shana Norton, and Dave Moerbe.  Special guests this year include: Gurf Morlix, Darin Murphy, Johnny Goudie, Miles Zuniga, Seela, Pablo Escalante, Greg Engle, Jon Dee Graham, William Harries Graham, Rick Busby, Jody Denberg, and The Magical Mystery Horns (Sam Jeffrey, Stephen Jeffery, and Kelly Hodge).

Atticus Records helped underwrite the costs of the concert, which raised money and Fender acoustic guitars that have already been delivered to orphaned children in Mauritania, which was the destination for Doster’s most recent U.S. State Department trip as a musical ambassador along with former U.S. Diplomat Greg Engle. Fender recently donated the guitars, one of which was held for a silent auction held at the annual concert event. That guitar, which was signed by several prominent Austin guitarists, including Eric Johnson and Jimmie Vaughan, among others fetched $1,000 at the silent auction.

Stephen Doster went back to Africa for the State Department this past summer with colleague Greg Engle, former US ambassador and currently the Country Director in Ethiopia. “This time we went to Mauritania in the northwest by the Sahara…lots of sand and camels. The people there have an interesting blend of African, Arabic, Sub-Saharan, and Moors in their culture. The music was really amazing and I was given the opportunity to play with a variety of artists including activist and renowned performer, Senator Malouma, who plays the Ardin, a harp-like instrument,” says the Executive Director of Guitars for Swaziland.

Stephen visited Echos de Sahel School and the Malouma Foundation in Mauritania and saw how the children’s lives and education would be enhanced with music. Fender Guitar’s Jeff Van Zandt immediately donated five Fender guitars, four for the schools and one to have signed and auctioned off at IMAGINE – The 26th Annual John Lennon Tribute. Ryan Grizzle from the US Embassy in Mauritania is facilitating the details between Guitars for Swaziland and Mauritanians.

In Swaziland the guitar lessons program at SOS Children’ Villages has been ongoing since Fender donated guitars and strings in 2013. Guitars for Swaziland is sending additional strings and supplies, as well as a grant from Atticus Records, to pay local musicians who are giving the orphans lessons. Guitars for Swaziland’s efforts to support music education in Africa is ongoing!

Guitars for Swaziland (GFS) is an Austin, Texas based non-profit organization dedicated to providing musical instruments and education to the orphans and underprivileged children of Africa. Established by prominent Austin musician Stephen Doster, GFS is a project that aims to unite musicians, music lovers, and other community members for this common cause. Please visit our website and contribute. Your donations mean so much to these children.

www.guitarsforswaziland.org/donate.

Guitars for Swaziland Board

Stephen Doster, President

Darcie Fromholz, Secretary

Chad Goddard, Treasurer

Danny Roark

Redd Volkaert

Nancy Coplin

Cash Edwards

www.facebook.com/GuitarsforSwaziland

www.guitarsforswaziland.org

Board of Believers

Denny Freeman, Charlie Sexton, Redd Volkaert, David Holt, John X Reed, Gurf Morlix, Will Sexton, Randy Weeks, Van Wilks, Chris Maresh, Eric Johnson, Monte Montgomery, Ernie Durawa, Peggy Sue Honeyman-Scott, Steven Fromholz, Scrappy Judd Newcomb, Bill Carter, Ruth Ellsworth-Carter, Barbara Nesbitt, Malford Milligan, Tommy Elskes, Anthony Farrell, Andy Salmon, Kim Harrigan, Bob Cheevers, Louie Ortega, Teal Collins, Larry Harteker, Tom and Teala Hurley, Melinda Doster, Michael David, Jay Sims, Kerry White, Nick Buxton, Wayne Nagel, Greg Izor, James and Sara Stevens, Tim Flannery, Speedy Sparks, Will Indian, Josh Zee, Bill and Gerry Schoening, Greg and Maureen Engle, Dylan Phillips, Philip Gibbs, Andy Barham, J.J. Johnson, Brannen Temple, Dony Wynn, Wayne Salzmann II, Hunter Perrin, Terry Lickona, Joe Priesnitz, Roger Allen Polson, Cash Edwards Denny Freeman, Charlie Sexton, Redd Volkaert, David Holt, John X Reed, Gurf Morlix, Will Sexton, Randy Weeks, Van Wilks, Chris Maresh, Eric Johnson, Monte Montgomery, Ernie Durawa, Peggy Sue Honeyman-Scott, Steven Fromholz, Scrappy Judd Newcomb, Bill Carter, Ruth Ellsworth-Carter, Barbara Nesbitt, Malford Milligan, Tommy Elskes, Anthony Farrell, Andy Salmon, Kim Harrigan, Bob Cheevers, Louie Ortega, Teal Collins  Larry Harteker, Tom and Teala Hurley, Melinda Doster, Michael David, Jay Sims, Kerry White, Nick Buxton, Wayne Nagel, Greg Izor, James and Sara Stevens, Tim Flannery, Speedy Sparks, Will Indian, Josh Zee, Bill and Gerry Schoening, Greg and Maureen Engle, Dylan Phillips, Philip Gibbs, Andy Barham, J.J. Johnson, Brannen Temple, Dony Wynn, Wayne Salzmann II, Hunter Perrin, Terry Lickona, Joe Priesnitz, Roger Allen Polson, Rick Busby & Monte McWilliams.

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Atticus Report