Craig Greenberg's Concert For Chile

The talented musician Craig Greenberg hosted a benefit concert this past Sunday, April 11th to aid disaster relief in Chile. The even was held at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave.) in WIlliamsburg, Brooklyn and featured nine acts including Chris Barron of The Spin Doctors, Jerry Joseph, Jonah Smith, Paula Valstein, Misty Boyce, Nutria NN, Ayler Young & The Reason, and Lillian Borunda.

The idea for the benefit, “Concert for Chile” was thought up by Craig Greenberg, a Manhattan based singer/songwriter who got his start as an artist in the city of Concepcion while living and performing there in 2002. The earthquake in central Chile which took place on February 27th has affected an estimated 2 million people. Concepcion was the city hardest hit. All proceeds were sent to Chile through AmeriCare.

The concert was available globally, in real time via USTREAM (www.ustream.tv), so the people in Chile were able to take part, leaving comments as the show was happening. Ustream is very easy to use, you sign up for an account, choose the date of your show, hook up your camera and send people to the link. This is an amazing tool and viewing concerts via live internet broadcast is just second to being there,

Every artist was extremely talented in their own right and Craig did an excellent job of choosing acts that were each different but maintained the continuity of the event. A standout performer of the evening was Jonah Smith (www.jonahsmith.com). Jonah’s folksy voice, killer harmonies and excellent use of steel guitar was emotional, yet upbeat, and his song choices including “World Without Love”, and “Light On” were moving and a perfect fit for the event. His voice is reminiscent of Gavin DeGraw with the same expressive bluesy-folk feel, and his music is soul. Jonah is based in Brooklyn, New York however you can find him touring Pennsylvania through Virginia next month. His album, Lights On, is available on iTunes, and it comes highly recommended.

Craig Greenbergthe creator of the event was another standout performer. After some technical problems he finally took the stage in full swing, playing some of his best songs, “She’s Waiting For Me” and “Turning Track”. Craig is originally from Long Island, now making his home in Manhattan. He began writing his own songs while living in South America and remains inspired and connected tot he region of the world. Craig was most recently seen at the Red Gorilla Showcase  in Austin, TX as part of SXSW. He is currently recording a new album while his debut EP, The World and Back, is available on iTunes. 

The benefit was a huge success, enjoyed not only by the fine folks of Williamsburg, but as far away as Chile where it received rave reviews and media attention. The streaming video aspect really made it accessible to fans all over the world and provided another fun way to be a part of a good cause.

For more information about how you can donate to Chile please visit www.AmeriCares.com.