GANGGANG AND FORTY5 ANNOUNCE I MADE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN AND BLACK ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL
Awareness campaign to focus on rock and roll origins, opportunity to advance equity in cities with nation’s first Black rock music festival, taking place in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (August 25, 2023) – GANGGANG, the makers of the BUTTER Fine Art Fair, together with live entertainment company Forty5, have announced the I Made Rock ‘N’ Roll public advocacy campaign – a bold effort to galvanize North America by way of its most beloved music genre. The mission-based series on Rock ‘N’ Roll origins will culminate in the nation’s first one-day Black rock festival.
The message and curriculum, designed to bring untold stories to light about the genre’s origin, will roll out over the next six months in the form of a national ambassador program, original film content, community programming, educational workshops, national advertising, and live music events, followed by the one-day I Made Rock ‘N’ Roll Festival. The outdoor music festival, which will take place in downtown Indianapolis, will feature a full lineup of Black rock legends alongside local and regional acts.“
This rock festival is historic and has the power to change a narrative forever. The advocacy campaign will offer insight, history, and perspective on the true origins of one of America’s most prized possessions – rock music, birthed by the rhythm and blues of Black people,” said Alan Bacon, GANGGANG Co-Founder. “We’ve always wanted to do something like this because we believe that telling the truth about rock and roll will bring people together.”
The advocacy campaign was announced on Friday night at the Parliament Funkadelic feat. George Clinton concert at Rock the Ruins at Holliday Park, with GANGGANG and Forty5 aligning in their mission on stage to bring people together by way of the arts. Because the history of rock and roll music is largely unknown, the partners ultimately hope to acknowledge the Black artists who created a sound that defined the country.
“At Forty5, we believe music has a unique power to inspire, influence, and bring people in our community together,” said Eric Tobias, partner at Forty5. “We are proud to be partnering with GANGGANG on this important series of events and we look forward to bringing a collection of artists to Indy that will help educate, motivate, and entertain all of us!”
Forty5 and GANGGANG will co-present the first three shows of the series at The Vogue featuring Victor Wooten and The Wooten Brothers on Nov. 4, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on Nov. 17, and Macy Gray on Dec. 15. Tickets for all three shows are on sale now at TheVogue.com.
To learn more about I Made Rock ‘N’ Roll, visit imaderocknroll.com and sign up to receive additional information and advance ticket notifications. Festival tickets go on sale at the end of 2023. Subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to get information on the campaign and festival.
About GANGGANG
GANGGANG is a creative advocacy agency based in Indianapolis working to center culture, equity, and beauty in cities through major initiatives like BUTTER: A Fine Art Fair. For more information on the founding organization, visit ganggangculture.com or follow on social media @ganggangculture. For more information on BUTTER, visit www.butterartfair.com or follow on social @butterartfair.
About Forty5
Music is in our DNA. Forty5 exists to bring people together through music. Our platform includes talent buying, event production, ticketing, box office management, and promotion for events at venues across Indianapolis and the surrounding areas including The Vogue Theatre, Rock the Ruins at Holliday Park, and The Toby at Newfields, all powered by our technology platform, Opendate. For more information on Forty5, visit forty5.com or follow on social @forty5presents.
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FOR MEDIA:
Media inquiries, including artist interview requests and photography:
Keri Kirschner, keri@ganggangculture.com, 646-717-2848
Sarah Silcox, sarah.silcox@forty5.com, 317-507-2452
