Through his charity Blanket the Homeless, and his music, Ken Newman has been picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle, PopMatters, Grammy.com, and more for his passion to create change through music.
LISTEN TO HIS ALBUM ON Spotify
Furthermore, his cause has inspired other musicians to get involved and take action. Through their musical events and compilation releases, Ken and Blanket the Homeless raise money that allows them to bring essential items along with resources like listings of free food and shelter to the homeless community.
What’s your story as an artist? Have you always wanted to use your music as a vehicle for creating change?
To be honest, the inspiration for the work I now do, as regards “Blanket the Homeless” came about ten years ago … and rather accidentally. I was walking to a cafe the morning after a gig with a cover band I was fronting (Last Bastion) I reached into my jeans pocket and found, I think, about $15. This was my ‘take’ from the contents of the tip jar. I reached out to the other members of the band and asked them if, from now on, we could donate whatever money we made at gigs to a charity in San Francisco supporting the homeless population.
As a bunch of guys with well-paying ‘day jobs,’ they were fine with it..
The rest of this story is a rather long and convoluted one, but I’ll give you the highlights:
I called Compass Family Services in San Francisco and told them what I wanted to do. They were thrilled and sent a representative to our next gig to talk about their work.
The tip jar went from about $60 to close to $400. And someone at the bar asked me how much was in there and then doubled it.
Continued doing this for a year or so and then connected with the comedian Margaret Cho who had started a program called “Be Robin,” honoring the philanthropic work of her friend, Robin Williams. I became part of her ‘traveling road show’ performing on the streets and in SF clubs, taking money in by donation and distributing it to people on the streets. This became the subject of an award-winning documentary. (Much longer story, but I’m desperately trying to be concise.)
A friend, Bronica DeCarlo posted on Facebook that she wanted funds to allow her to buy mylar emergency blankets to distribute to people on the streets during a particularly cold SF winter. I offered to help and bought 1000 or so. Gave her half and I took the other half and started handing them out at my band and solo shows, telling the audience to give them to people who needed them.
This idea grew to creating “Care Packs” that include socks, gloves, winter caps, condoms, tampons, antiseptic creams, t-shirts, and a resource directory (printed on waterproof paper) listing free food, shelter, counseling, hygiene and other services in San Francisco.
We’ve distributed about 9,000 of these packs over the last 6 years or so, and we are now part of St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco.
There’s more … a LOT more … but we can use that for the mini-series …
What inspired ‘What Am I Afraid Of’?
If you’re referring to the title song, it was, in part, the result of another song that my producer, Scott Mickelson, and I were working on. He had created a loop that I really liked the sound of. I asked him to record about five minutes of it and let me take it with me. On the drive home, I started free-associating. I found myself focusing on the news, and on the onslaught of BAD news, as it seems that’s always the first thing we see. “If it bleeds, it leads…”
I also thought about the elemental things that scared us as kids; the dark, unexplained sounds, the monster under the bed ….
And I just put those together. And sadly, I wasn’t at a loss for stories to populate the lyrics.
Oddly, the song was completed before we had one more thing to be REALLY terrified of; a global epidemic. But that DID figure into the music video that was made of the song.
As far as the album, each of the songs has an interesting (if occasionally heartbreaking) story behind it; but again, a bit TMI for right now.
You’re not only a musician but an entrepreneur, actor, magician, to name a few! How do all of these things inspire you differently and how does that trickle into your music?
I’m not sure how much of it makes its way into the music per se, but having run a business for over 30 years, has definitely helped in terms of marketing, promotion, and all that fun stuff. I’ve also come to realize that putting an evening of entertainment together that included more than just a guy with a guitar, is a more effective formula to actually get people to SHOW UP. On some level, it seems to have worked for the, now sold out, Album Release show I’m having on 4/24. That show opens with a 20 minute magic act by an amazing magician who’s also a dear friend. Then a round-robin of singer/songwriters, an ‘opening act’ courtesy of my producer (Mickelson-Solo) and then my band running through the songs on the album.
Having produced so many corporate events over the years, I think I’m finally figuring out that by bringing in, for example, magic fans and exposing them to music, music fans and exposing them to juggling, or burlesque, or stand up, or improv, or WHATEVER, I have a much better shot at filling a venue.
I supposed, too, as an actor, I find myself thinking a lot in terms of character when I’m writing songs, and trying as best I can to inhabit those characters when performing.
This album has a lot of serious themes like the killing of Eric Garner (in your song “I Can’t Breathe”, which was later heard by Eric’s daughter, Erica) social isolation, and bullying. How do you balance bringing awareness to these things, with staying optimistic for the future?
That’s a great question. And, oddly, despite the rather somber tone of many of the songs on this album, I am fundamentally an optimist. And that optimism stems from the smallest moments. The one that comes to mind is something that happened after one of the first fundraising shows I did for Blanket the Homeless. We were at The Lost Church in San Francisco and had just finished the performance. I had brought a suitcase full of the BTH Care Packs and asked people to please take as many as they wanted with them. One rather surly guy came up to me and said,
“So. I should take a bunch of these, and What? Just hand em out to people?”
“Yeah, anyone you think could use it.”
“K … Allright. Sure. Whatever”
About 15 minutes later he came back; soaked from the rain.
I asked if he was OK.
“I gave ‘em all out!! All of ‘em. In like one block. And this one guy. He just kept lookin at the bag and at me … and at the bag … and back to me … and he kept sayin’ ‘Is this for me? Is this is for me?’ Over and over. And then he said, “Oh God. Can I hug you?” And we’re like standing there on the street in the rain … hugging…”
I’m wrapping up mic cables, hearing this guy’s story, seeing how it affected him, and thinking, “OK. This is it. This is why. It’s all a game of inches. One guy has a switch flipped. And he sees something he didn’t see a few hours earlier.
That’s all I can hope to accomplish. Flip as many switches as possible.
On the flip side, are there any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing this?
Well, there are a few songs about past relationships, but I’ll be damned if I put THAT in print. The recording sessions were filled with laughter and some totally inappropriate humor. And that’s why my producer, Scott Mickelson, has also become a dear friend. Because his sense of humor is easily as dark as mine. OK. Darker.
What’s your favorite place or environment to write?
I don’t really have any one place. I would say that most ideas come to me while driving or walking around the city. I am grateful that I always have my phone with me. The voice record app and I are on VERY close terms. I routinely speak or sing ideas into it and start working from there.
I also find that for some damn reason, ideas come to me in the shower. I don’t know HOW many times I’ve left a trail of water, slipping and sliding across the floor to grab my phone and get an idea down before I forget it. (This songwriting can be a hazardous venture.)
What’s a record that shaped your creativity and why?
There are so many. Leonard Cohen’s writing for the sheer beauty of his poetry. I would say the same about John Prine and Randy Newman. More recently, I have been very inspired by Jeff Tweedy. Indeed, his book, “How to Write One Song” is, I believe, a master class in songwriting.
Growing up, I was inspired by the guitar playing and songwriting of Steve Stills, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. And, of course, who HASN’T been inspired by Dylan.
Most recently, I’ve found myself listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails and Black Keys. (It’s what I wake up to most mornings) I suspect that will factor into the sound of my next album.
Who is an artist or band you look up to today?
I have to say, I have been listening to a LOT of Nine Inch Nails lately. Beyond the music, I also have a lot of respect for Trent Reznor. I have a story about him and something he did years ago to help a young man who needed a heart transplant. If you’re interested, doing some online research will uncover the story. I was involved in the same fundraising effort, so we were about one degree of separation on that project. (It’s worth investigating)
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I just reviewed everything I’ve already said, and given the word count, there’s probably something I should SUBTRACT. But I’ll leave that to you.
For Fans Of: Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Leonard Coehn
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