Chromeo perform in bed for Bedstock Festival
By Jack Riewe
For kids with cancer and other serious illnesses, being stuck in a hospital is about to become a little more bearable.
MyMusicRx, an online extension of a two-decade-old program started by the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA), will present “Bedstock,” the first-ever music festival where the artists perform from their beds.
On December 2, artists including Passion Pit, B.o.B, Chromeo, and Shakey Graves will give intimate performances that will be filmed and streamed from their social media pages as well as Bedstock’s website throughout the day.
The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness and funds for MyMusicRx and show respect for kids suffering from serious illnesses who are forced to stay in bed over the holidays. The performances will be intimate, and bring to mind John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 famed Bed In for Peace.
MyMusicRx provides unlimited online music access to kids living with disease and prescribes them with “music medicine.” CCA believes music is a powerful weapon in facing serious diseases, and aims to get kids involved with music to bring them joy and distract them from their illnesses. Regina Ellis, founder and CEO of CCA, took the premise of sitting around a campfire playing music and brought it to hospital rooms using carts equipped with musical instruments and iPads.
Footwear brand Converse has partnered with MyMusicRx and will match the first $10,000 raised by Bedstock. In addition, SOL REPUBLIC will donate a dollar for every headphone and accessory bought on their website between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Other partners include Atlantic Records, Nike, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, The Fader and Ace Hotels.
Bedstock will coincide with “Giving Tuesday,” which is a day dedicated to giving back and uniting charities across the world.
“We’re doing this for all the kids that can’t get out of bed,” said David Macklovitch, one half of electronic funk duo Chromeo. “We were supposed to have a concert but we just stayed in bed instead.”
Check out Chromeo’s Bedstock teaser trailer: