WesFest 5 Wrap-Up
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
WESFEST 5 BENEFIT CONCERT AGAIN RAISES OVER $20,000 FOR WES WEHMILLER SCHOLARSHIP FUND AT BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Annual event and related fundraising drive activities achieve most aggressive fundraising goal to date
BOSTON (March 30, 2010) — WesFest 5, the fifth annual WesFest benefit concert, was held at The Roxy in Los Angeles on February 28, 2010. The concert both surpassed its previous attendance record and met its most aggressive fundraising goal to date - $20,000 - for the Wes Wehmiller Endowed Scholarship Fund at Berklee College of Music. This is the second consecutive year that the WesFest fundraising drive has raised over $20,000, and the total amount generated by the WesFest concert series and related fundraising drives since its inception in 2006 has now exceeded $70,000.
In addition to concert ticket sales, private donations, and WesFest-related merchandise revenues, WesFest 5 was also officially supported by corporate sponsors Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Mike Lull Custom Basses, D’Addario & Co, DW Drums, Lurssen Mastering, and EBS Bass Systems (distributed in the USA by Musical Distributors Group). The monies and awareness raised by the WesFest concert series have established the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship as one of the most noted awards given by Berklee College Of Music.
The WesFest 5 concert was headlined by The Tal Wilkenfeld Band. Led by young phenom Wilkenfeld (who just finished up a 3-year stint as Jeff Beck’s bassist), the group included jazz/fusion superstars Oz Noy on guitar, John Beasley on keyboards, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, comprising the highest profile headliner in the event’s history and resulting in a whole new level of awareness for both the WesFest concert series and the Wehmiller Scholarship. Keeping with WesFest concert tradition, the current year’s scholarship winner performed a set at the show, and 2009’s recipient Justin Schornstein wowed the crowd of over 300 with his deep, gospel-influenced grooves and advanced musical maturity in a set with Danny Mo & The Exciters, a band led by Wehmiller’s Berklee Bass Professor and close friend Danny Morris. Morris is instrumental in selecting the scholarship winner, and leads a separate annual concert event in Boston to further awareness of the scholarship among the Berklee student body.
“This year at the Roxy, Justin Schornstein not only played some righteous bass,” says Morris, “he helped me arrange an energetic set for the Exciters that raised the roof with some high-octane soul and spirited gospel. Performing to a sea of folks movin’ and groovin’ was the highlight of our trip. Every performer on that stage all evening gave it their all, and the night was special beyond expectations.”
Three other acts, all a part of Wes Wehmiller’s broad and diverse musical world, performed at WesFest 5: Brooklyn-based bassist/singer/songwriter John Montagna, a friend of Wes’ from their college days at Berklee; singer/songwriter Joe Brooks, who worked with Wehmiller in Los Angeles; and The WesFest All-Stars, a collection of Wehmiller’s friends and musical compatriots, featuring performances by Tamara Silvera, Kira Small, Ali Handal, I, Claudius, and original WesFest headliner Mike Keneally.
“Each year, the WesFest community grows as more people hear about Wes and this great annual celebration,” says Peter Gordon, the Director of the Berklee Center in Los Angeles. “It’s such a gratifying experience to be part of and it’s exciting to see the momentum keep building!” WesFest co-producer Stacey Ferguson adds, “The love for Wes, coupled with a belief in the importance of music education, makes this event increasingly successful every year, and the phenomenal lineup provided a mind-blowing soundtrack to the true spirit of the event. We look forward to helping more and more students continue their education and develop their gifts at Berklee.”
Established by Wes’ family and friends in 2005, the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship is awarded annually to a continuing student at Berklee who best exemplifies the excellence and grace Wes showed as a bassist and as a human being. The WesFest concert series serves as the centerpiece for a continuing fundraising drive for the scholarship fund, which honors the legacy of Wehmiller, a Berklee graduate (‘92) and highly accomplished bassist, athlete, and photographer who died of thyroid cancer in January, 2005.
All WesFest related merchandise – which includes two concert DVD’s, the I, Claudius CD Bleed: The Wes Demos, and the newest CD Wicked: Music From The WesFest Community – are available for purchase at www.weswehmiller.net/wesfest, with net proceeds also going to benefit the fund. For additional biographical information on Wes Wehmiller, WesFest, and all related merchandise, please visit the official Tribute To Wes Wehmiller Website at www.weswehmiller.net. For more information on the scholarship, or to find out how to contribute to the fund, please contact Peter Gordon, Director of the Berklee Center in Los Angeles, at (818) 380-3041, or by e-mail at pgordon@berklee.edu.
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over 60 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry “who’s who” of alumni, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow.
