Mentoring Plus, a nonprofit program for at-risk teenagers in Northern Kentucky, hopes to strike a chord within the community by hosting a partially live concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at Newport’s Southgate House Revival. The second-annual music festival, which was postponed from November, will feature live and virtual performances from nine Cincinnati-area artists.
Attendees will be able to view the show either virtually via Mentoring Plus’ Facebook Live or in-person through limited seating of 100.
The live show will include performances by The Leftovers, a cover band composed of “five feisty lads and one brave party girl,” according to the group’s Facebook page. Singer/Songwriter Ben Walz will serve as the opening act, and Trauma Illinois—a rock band whose name was actually suggested by Fall Out Boy—is also scheduled to perform.
Several other artists are also scheduled to contribute to the show in a remote setting. Nashville musician Jeffrey Seeman will perform an acoustic set with his 12-string slide guitar. Seeman will also join his former bandmates for a reunion of the Cincinnati band, Wheels (with friends), after 40 years.
Danny Frazier Band, the Webster & Devoto Band, Betsy Lippitt, Mike Reid, and Jake Walz will also perform virtually.
For those physically attending the concert, the virtual performances will appear on large screens at the venue.
Between each performer’s set, there will be recorded interviews from Mentoring Plus staff and board members that will highlight how the show’s proceeds will help their programming.
Mickey Foellger, immediate past board chairman of Mentoring Plus and executive producer of the event, said the music festival will directly benefit at-risk teenagers of Northern Kentucky.
According to Foellger, most of the program’s annual fundraisers have been canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this event will bring much-needed relief to the organization.
“We are a non-profit and we depend on donations for our existence,” Foellger says.
Safety during the event is a huge priority for Mentoring Plus, according to Foellger. Though Southgate House Revival can comfortably house 1,000 attendees, seating is limited to 100 people and tables will be spaced to maintain social distancing.
According to Foellger, the event will be “unique” and engaging to both first-time attendees and seasoned concert-goers.
The entire show can be viewed on the Mentoring Plus stream via Facebook Live for free. Tickets for in-person attendance are priced at $20 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets are available online.
The Southgate House Revival, 111 E. 6th St., Newport.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2021.
