by Matt Kelchner
Next Wednesday Los Angeles’ own Local Natives return to Philadelphia for a headlining show at the Electric Factory. Opening the night with them is Charlotte Day Wilson. Their latest release, Sunlight Youth, has garnered rave reviews from the likes of FADER and LA Weekly in addition to a number of other publications and music outlets. The band has partnered up with Punk Out, a nonprofit dedicated to leveraging the power of music to help LGBT+ youth and young adults, for a snack drive during their concert. Donations are for The Attic Youth Center, the city’s only LGBT+ youth resource center.
Concert attendees are encouraged to bring any snack items with them Wednesday night to help support the cause. Those who do will be registered to win a copy of Sunlight Youth on vinyl, as well as a shirt and poster from the band. All of the prizes will also be signed by Local Natives.
The organization helping to tie all of this together, Punk Out, has home grown roots here. The registered 501(c)3 non-profit group originated in Philadelphia. Since 2014, they have been focusing on utilizing music and artists to help LGBT+ youth and young adults. Together with the help of numerous bands, labels, venues and many more in the industry, Punk Out and their partners have been able to donate boxes full of snacks and other resources to local LGBT+ youth centers.
Punk Out has laid out strong dedication and support for connecting LGBT+ musicians and their fans through the main thing that brings them all together, the music. With their belief of musicians using their voice to impact social changes on a large scale, Punk Out’s goal to to leverage that power to create a support network for teens and adults who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, transsexual, intersex, asexual, ally, and/or pansexual. Founder and Executive Director, Michael McCarron, believes that “musicians are often cast as idols and role models and if they feel comfortable and confident in being who they are, that comfort and confidence can be life-changing, life-affirming, and life-saving for LGBT+ teenagers and adults who are struggling to find themselves.”
Local Natives return to the scene this year came from their first album in nearly two years. Sunlight Youth saw the band traveling across the globe to places such as Nicaragua and Thailand to work on the songs. In the end, they ended up recording on four different continents. Between prime-time festival slots and late-night talk show performances, they have come roaring back.
Be sure to make it out Wednesday night as they stop by the Electric Factory with Charlotte Day Wilson. And don’t forget your snack!
