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Music

Lee Foss, Desert Hearts, and More Rally for Chicago Benefit Festival One City

Local activists and musicians want to bring peace to the Windy City.
Image via the One City Facebook event page.

A new festival is coming to Chicago, and it's bring a cause along with it. Local dance music event promoter Paradigm has teamed up with Collaboraction—a local theater company exploring critical social issues—to produce One City, a benefit festival for raising "awareness and funds to unify and increase the peace in Chicago," according to the Collaboraction website.

Scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 6 at Space Stage Studios, One City will host performances from local peace activists and musicians, in addition to some side theater. Chicago-born producer Lee Foss, Anabel Englund, and local house stalwart, Gene Farris, top the newly-released lineup, which also features Southern California's Desert Hearts crew.

"I'm a proud Chicagoan and always will be and also have been blessed to have all the opportunity in the world," Foss told THUMP over email. "The current violence in my hometown cuts me to the core, these are deeply entrenched social issues married to a complete institutional dysfunction and the sooner everyone starts to take part in the dialogue and contribute their time, money and energy the sooner the city can start to heal and work on these social issues. When i was offered the opportunity to perform at a fundraiser/festival to give something back I jumped at the chance as it's an issue that really hits close to home for me and that I hope all Chicagoans can all roll up our sleeves and at least try to to do our part to help."

An invitation to One City can be acquired with a $20 donation, and donations of $100 or more grants a VIP ticket. All proceeds go to Collaboraction's Peace of the Solution campaign, which supports the company's Peacebook festival and other annual programming. View the lineup below and donate here.