Good Works by Befuddled Universe Member:
Tori Sparks
Befuddled Universe Members tend to be all around nice folk with really big hearts. I guess that's way many of them are involved in charity work of one kind or another.
Today I want to showcase one of the charity projects of Tori Sparks. (Tori became a member of this befuddled universe on 16 December 2005.)
Tori Sparks has found a unique way to raise money for Oxfam America <http://www.oxfamamerica.org/>. Oxfam America is an organization dedicated to ``creating lasting solutions to global poverty, hunger, and social injustice''. Oxfam America is affiliated with the One Campaign.
In addition to being a dedicated musician, singer, songwriter—and all the other good stuff befuddled universe members are noted for—Tori is an artist and crafter. She took what she termed a ``common dreadnaught guitar'' and turned it into a majestic work of art. (See the photo on the right; click to enlarge ).
Tori has titled her work the ``Feed Your Soul Guitar'' and she has put the guitar up for auction. Now here's the extra, special wonderful part: 100% of the money raised by the auction will be donated to Oxfam America to help them in their efforts to end global poverty, hunger, and social injustice.
Tori will be promoting the auction while she tours.
I asked Tori how this befuddled universe could best help her get the word out. We decided the best way would be to publish the press release that thoroughly explains the charities and the auction. The press release follows below.
After you read the press release, I hope you will feel motivated to make a bid on the ``Feed Your Soul Guitar''. (Hey, get some friends together, and pool your bucks. That way you could make a really big bid, and make a really big difference in the world.)
Tori Sparks with the Feed Your Soul Guitar; click on photo to enlarge.
One Love: Eclectic Recording Artist Tori
Sparks
to Auction Folk Art Guitar to
Benefit Oxfam America
Visionary
young musician-artist embarks on 26-city U.S. tour. She will donate her talents
as well as Feed Your Soul Guitar auction proceeds to Oxfam America and to raise
awareness of the One Campaign.
NEW YORK CITY (MAY 8, 2006) – Can art or music save the world? If indie folk-rocker turned
folk-artist TORI SPARKS has anything to say about it, they can definitely help. TORI has employed everything but the
kitchen sink to turn a common dreadnaught guitar into a dazzling work of folk
art, titled The Feed Your Soul Guitar. The diverse young artist is going
to be exhibiting this one-of-a-kind work while on her 26 city Feed Your
Ears, Feed Your Soul: The Rivers + Roads Less Traveled Tour. Bids for the Guitar will be
accepted through secure online auction from May 21 through the end of the tour.
The high bidder will be announced on June 26. 100% of proceeds from the auction
will be donated to Oxfam America and the work they are doing in
association with the One Campaign and its affiliates. A direct link to
the auction will be placed on TORI’S website (www.ToriSparks.com),
as are the dates of the tour. The Feed Your Soul Guitar is signed by the
artist, and comes with a signed and dedicated photo of TORI SPARKS playing the Guitar and
sporting a white One wristband. Though primarily meant to be put on
display, the Feed Your Soul Guitar is fully playable. The art piece will
also be available for public viewing from May 9 through May 23 in
the ASCAP headquarters building in Nashville, Tenn.
Following in the footsteps of other
musician-artists such as Joni Mitchell and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes,
SPARKS seems to need
more than one outlet to contain the overflow of her creativity. The Feed
Your Soul Guitar is a mesmerizing piece that involved 100+ hours of
intensive labor. Every image and article incorporated into the Guitar
contributes to an overarching theme of our search for love, hope, faith, and
security in an increasingly plastic and media-driven world. Nature and the
human psyche clash with elements representing our ever-increasing dependence on
technology. In TORI’S words: “The Feed Your Soul Guitar
is like a protest song in three dimensions. A recent overdose of NPR and CNN
inspired me to dig up a bunch of folk and rock music that came out of the
conflicts of the Vietnam era, and it’s eerie how so many of today’s critical
issues are similar to those that scared everyone back then. These days
that fear is compounded by our
amazing and frightening access to technology. The peace I’m talking about is as
much a peace of mind as a political coexistence.”
Everything from a motherboard spewing glistening wires, to
spacemen venturing forth under the banner “Believe Again” grace the front of
this museum-worthy artifact. The back of the Guitar has been transformed into a
“cityscape of soul.” It pays tribute to some of the acts that shaped rock ‘n’
roll history (David Bowie, U2, The Clash, Bob Marley, more), as well as to one
of the cradles of American music, professing the faith that New Orleans will
rise again. A closer look reveals
themes as diverse as dealing with infidelity, to a crisis arising of
spirituality contradicted by science. Tiny points of brilliant color swirl over the neck of the Guitar,
surrounding the word “ONE” in honor of TORI’S support of the One Campaign
and its affiliated non-profit organizations. This section gives a nod to SPARKS’ ongoing fascination with Australian
aboriginal painting and other forms of folk art.
TORI SPARKS comes from an artistic background, having been born in
Chicago and raised in the arts-friendly community of Sarasota, Fla. While TORI’S music career has been flourishing in
the past three years – her upcoming tour will take her to the
world-famous Bitter End in New York City -- her visual art creations have
previously been reserved as gifts for family and friends. However, the goals of
Oxfam America and its partner, the One Campaign, sufficiently
inspired the artist to want to contribute to their cause in her own way. Some people are able to give by donating their money or time
– art and music are what TORI SPARKS have to give. She hopes that the proceeds from the
auction will contribute towards furthering Oxfam’s efforts to build hope
and security in impoverished communities at home and abroad, and to raise
awareness on behalf of One’s advocacy programs. TORI is also playing a benefit concert
for One in Washington DC on June 16th.
Songs from TORI SPARKS’ debut album Rivers + Roads can be heard on radio stations in
Canada, Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Japan, as well as the U.S. Called “a
winner of an album” by the All Music Guide and “a talent unheard of in a long time” by Music
News Nashville, Rivers
+ Roads is
continuing to dent the charts in other regions as word-of-mouth spreads. A fearless performer, she is known for
her combination of emotion and quirky wit – deeply personal insights are
fused with an off-the-cuff, almost stand-up routine.
One by one, we make a difference. TORI
SPARKS just happens
to make hers out of paint, glass, glue, and guitars. Make yours. To read more
about the Feed Your Ears, Feed Your Soul: The Rivers + Roads Less Traveled
Tour, and to view
photos of or place a bid for the Feed Your Soul Guitar, please see www.ToriSparks.com. To learn more about the One
Campaign and Oxfam America, please see www.One.org and www.OxfamAmerica.org. Nashville residents and visitors can
view the Guitar in the ASCAP lobby at 2 Music Square West,
Nashville Tenn., 37203.
ABOUT OXFAM
AMERICA: Oxfam
America is part of an international non-profit organization that works to
end global poverty through saving lives, strengthening communities, and campaigning
for change. They address social injustice through advocacy, public education,
and emergency assistance programs. Please see www.OxfamAmerica.org.
ABOUT THE ONE CAMPAIGN: Co-founded and popularized by Bono of U2, The One
Campaign is a non-profit advocacy group that aims to raise awareness of the
emergency of AIDS and extreme poverty, so that decision makers will do more to
save millions of lives in the poorest countries. Please see www.One.org
for more information.
