BETTENDORF, Iowa — Local bands are coming together to support those ravaged by the war in Ukraine by hosting a music marathon in a live stream at the end of March.
The "Playing for Peace" event, being presented by Bettendorf's Joy Avenue Media, will be held on March 31, featuring 24 performances from bands and musicians from the Quad City area and further out.
The 8-hour livestream will be held on Joy Avenue Media's Facebook page, and will be saved for anyone who can't watch it live. The donation link will also remain online for several days following the stream.
The concert will be free to stream, with donations available and encouraged to help support the millions of refugees affected by Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. All of the donations will be sent through Razom, a humanitarian organization currently provide essential supplies to refugees at the Ukrainian borders.
“The situation in Ukraine is escalating so rapidly that we wanted to do something right away,” says Dustin Cobb, owner of Joy Avenue Media, “these people need our help now, and this is the best way we know how to contribute. Every single person I asked to be involved said ‘yes’.”
The list of performers currently scheduled for the marathon includes:
- Winterland
- Orangadang!
- Manuel 3
- Bobby Chance
- Kris Lager
- Ballroom Thieves
- Tiffany Christopher
- David G Smith
- Jason Carl
- Piso's Cure
- Avey Grouws Band
- Randy Leasman Band
- Meyers Brothers
- Soultru
- Al Sweet
- Jordan Danielson
- Jenny Lynn Stacey
- The Wontu Trees
- Douglas and Tucker
- Chrash
- The Velies
- Logan Springer & The Wonderfully Wild
- The Dawn
Cobb says that the event's fundraising goal is set for $50,000, but organizers are hoping to surpass that figure.
The event's donation link is already live, and can be found here or on Joy Avenue Media's Facebook page.
