LOS ANGELES – Ascencia, a Glendale based organization dedicated to raising people out of homelessness, will hold its first-ever Urban Blues Festival on August 29 from 11am – 8pm at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, California. Walter Trout will headline the day-long festival plus featured performances by The Americans, Arthur Adams, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Guitar Shorty, Little Faith, The Scorch Sisters and the Trout Brothers Band. The Ascencia Urban Blues Festival benefits Ascencia, a 501(c)3 non-profit homeless services agency providing housing and support services to 1,200 homeless men, women and children every year.
Walter Trout, on tour for his “I’m Back” Tour, will headline the show and perform with his band. Last year, the renowned blues guitarist was near death until he received a liver transplant. His journey back to health has enabled Trout to resume his 50 plus year career. On June 15, Trout performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, garnering three standing ovations. Ascencia is thrilled to have him leading the strong line-up of talent at the festival. Other featured performers include The Americans, Arthur Adams, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Guitar Shorty, Little Faith, The Scorch Sisters, and the Trout Brothers Band.
Both The Americans and Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton will appear this fall in American Epic, a four-hour primetime PBS/BBC special produced by Jack White, Robert Redford, and T Bone Burnett, about the birth of modern American music, including the blues.
The Ascencia Urban Blues Festival, showcasing top-notch national and local blues musicians, is designed to raise awareness and funds for Ascencia’s core programs helping homeless families, individuals, and U.S. veterans.
“We wanted to have a fundraiser that would be fresh, help build community and also could grow each year,” said Natalie Komuro, executive director, Ascencia. “The blues resonate deeply with our mission, by expressing the emotions connected to hardship and survival.”
For more information and updates on tickets, lineup and location, visit www.UrbanBluesFest.com and join the discussions at Facebook.com/UrbanBluesFest and Twitter.com @UrbanBluesFest. Tickets are $25 online, $30 at the gate, $100 for VIP passes
Ascencia is a nonprofit homeless services agency operating programs in Glendale and northeast Los Angeles, including Atwater Village, Glassell Park and Eagle Rock. They have been at the forefront of local efforts to move homeless families and chronically homeless adults to permanent housing and give them the ongoing help they need to end their cycle of homelessness. They provide wide array the support services including, trauma therapy and psychiatric treatment to the homeless we serve. Last year, they provided housing and support services to 1,273 homeless men, women, and children. 90% of the chronically homeless people they have housed remain housed after a year. They have housed every homeless veteran identified in Glendale and continue work with homeless veterans in Burbank and Los Angeles. They are proud to be the largest homeless services agency in the area for homeless families and provide comprehensive assistance to help them out of homelessness.
Their street outreach team goes to libraries, hospitals and other public places to find homeless people and engage them with services. They help homeless clients find jobs, obtain benefits, access mental health services and addiction recovery support, and ultimately to end their cycle of homelessness. They 40-bed year-round emergency housing program is available for families, U.S. veterans and chronically homeless people. They provide permanent supportive housing – With 80+ units, this program provides housing and wrap-around services to clients with disabilities.
