PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Concert to Raise Funds for New Orleans Free Health Clinic at the Rex
by Mike Stout Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006 at 2:06 PM
mikestout619@comcast.net (email address validated) 412-461-5650 4223 Willow Ave Pittsburgh, Pa. 15234-1325

Incite! is a group of women in New Orleans who are launching a free Health Clinic for the uninsured. The Raging Grannies, Autumn Ayers, Gab Bonesso, and Mike Stout are holding at concert to raise funds for the free clinic on Sept 9, at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh. Tickets are $10. Come out for a worthy cause an great night of entertainment.

New Orleans Katrina Survivors Health Care Benefit Concert

Rex Theater
1602 E. Carson Street
Southside Pittsburgh
Saturday Sept 9, 2006
7 P.M.
Admission $10

Starring

Mike Stout and the Human Union
Autumn Ayers and the Battle Hymns
Comedian Gab Bonesso
Special Guest Appearance by the Raging Grannies

Proceeds will benefit

New Orleans Women's Health and Justice Initiative

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina huge gaps have been left in care provision for low-income and working class community members who may not have access to insurance but still need affordable health care. Women particularly have been ignored by mainstream health care structures. Being the carriers of children, a.k.a. the future, it is imperative that this gap be filled. With the shuttering of Charity Hospital, adequate and accessible health care for New Orleans' uninsured returning residents is in poor shape. The women of Incite! Women of Color, a collective of feminist activists dedicated to ending violence against women of color nationwide, has partnered with other local New Orleans organizations to open a free health clinic for women and children in the historic Treme district.

The clinic, which Incite! and its partners hope to have up and running by this September, will provide a range of preventative health services including pregnancy testing and counseling, Pap smears, breast and pelvic exams, anonymous HIV screening and counseling and other basic gynecological care, as well as hypertension and diabetes screening, resource referrals, trauma counseling, self-help and educational workshops and other services. The purpose of the clinic is to improve low-income and uninsured women of color’s healthcare access and to promote an holistic and community-centered approach to primary to healthcare.

The Clinic has been offered space. Now they need everything else.

Women's Health and Justice Initiative representative Shana Griffin is resident of New Orleans and organizer with INCITE: Women of Color Against Violence and Critical Resistance New Orleans. Shana grew up in the Iberville Housing Development and is completing a Masters Degree in Sociology at the University of New Orleans.

New Orleans Women's Health and Justice Initiative
P.O. Box 51325 New Orleans, LA 70151 (504) 524-8888

http://www.pomegranatecollective.org/incite.php







Performers

Mike Stout email: mikestout619@ comcast.net
http://www.artistlaunch.com/mikestout http://www.myspace.com/mikestoutmusic

Mike Stout is a socially conscious singer song-writer and community leader. He leads crusades against local and global economic injustice rallying people with his music and he organizes them to take action. His sound and lyrics are influenced by his musical hero’s Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young. John Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote of Mike "In the Woody Guthrie tradition, his songs reflect contemporary issues without resorting to journalism. They're more like partisan op-ed columns that grab political opponents by the throat and don't let go." Mike tells his stories from the heart about people who are effected by unemployment or social injustice or war. Along with his day job running a union print shop, he has worked many long nights in the studio creating music to raise awareness about serious social and political problems. His ninth CD release “Soldiers of Solidarity” combines hard hitting new protest songs with updated versions of the working class anthems that are the standards of his performances at labor and political rallies in the U.S and Europe. Guitarist/engineer Fred Nelson (who contributes hook laden electric guitar and rich vocal harmonies) creates a rich musical fabric of alternative country/folk rock sounds that brightly illustrate Stout’s strong social message of the need for solidarity.

Autumn Ayers: http://www.myspace.com/autumnayers
Autumn Ayers has been performing professionally as a singer/songwriter in Pittsburgh since fall of 2002. Last year, her self-produced album "Drunk Again" was chosen by WYEP as a top-ten local release for 2005. This past summer, Ayers was hand-selected by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to open the Three Rivers Arts Festival on the main stage just before Raul Malo. Malo, who had worked with Autumn before at Dowe's on 9TH describes her voice as, "powerful, beautiful and unique. Such a surprise to come out of such a petite woman". Autumn is working hard writing new songs for her upcoming album, "Sea Bridges" which she hopes to release in the coming year. You can find more about Autumn at http://www.myspace.com/autumnayers.

Gab Bonesso http://www.gabbonesso.com/
Comedian Gab Bonesso has been performing at live comedy clubs and on the radio since 2003. Her many club appearance include shows at The Improv (Pgh), The FunnyBone (Pgh), The Funny Bone (Columbus), Stand-Up NY, The New York Comedy Club and The Punchline San Francisco. She has performed with Eddie Brill, Cory Kahaney, Sandra Bernhardt, and her favorite, Richard Lewis. Gab has been a frequent co-host on the Alan Cox Morning Show on 105.9 and has appeared on KDKA TV and Radio, WDVE Radio. She has also performed for many organizations including: CMU, PITT, Duquesne, Carlow, Chatham, Laroche, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, WYEP, The Thomas Merton Center, SALVO and The International Womens Day Conference. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Whirl Magazine have written features about her. Gab was honored as a Top-Ten Finalist at the New York City Underground Comedy Festival, where she performed alongside Eddie Brill with the off-Broadway group "Laughing Liberally". She produced and wrote comedy shows for the troupe "The Ultra Maroons" and was a guest-member of The Animal Club where she performed with them at The Seattle Sketch Comedy Festival in 2003. Post Gazette Feature http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06086/677107-42.stm

The Raging Grannies
http://www.geocities.com/raginggrannies/
In the tradition of wise women elders, the mission of the Raging Grannies is to promote global peace, justice, and social and economic equality by raising public awareness through the medium of song and humor. Our goal is to challenge our audiences to work to bring about the social changes that are required in order to end economic oppression, particularly of women and children, and to end racial inequality, environmental destruction, human rights violations, and arms proliferation. We use tunes of old songs and write lyrics to fit what we sing about. We sing out to gain respect for all persons and encourage everyone to grow above their prejudices.

www.myspace.com/mikestoutmusic