by Adelie Salagnac
This year, the 4th Annual Winter Doldrums Benefit Concert for Suicide Prevention will be held at World Café Live on February 6th and all proceeds will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Michelle Lynn, founder of Dull Dime, got personal and told us all about the story behind her suicide prevention benefit show.
“I’m not a shiny penny and I’m not about just having shows or performances that don’t have a soul. I’m a dull dime. I’ve been around the block more than a few times, been knocked down and keep getting back up and I’m not trying to impress anyone. A Dull Dime event is about the joy of sharing music and bringing happiness to those who hear it.”
Started in 2012 by Lynn to help promote local musicians and artists and raise awareness for worthy causes, Dull Dime got its name from a song she used to play in The Wounded Healers called “Shiny Penny”.
“Jess McDowell (now of No Good Sister) wrote and sang that song and it was an inside band joke that every time she’d sing ‘I’m a shiny penny’ I’d say ‘and I’m a dull dime’,” recalls Lynn. “And so after so many years in marketing, I wanted a name that would reflect the total opposite of what marketing represents in general.”
Dull Dime has hosted many events over the years, from Folk festivals to Women’s Way benefit concerts. One of Dull Dime’s main gathering, however, has to be the Winter Doldrums Benefit Concert. Simply started as a way to have a lot of musicians get together for a 12-hour event of “fun, friendship and great music”, says Lynn, the Winter Doldrums Benefit Concert quickly evolved into something bigger and deeper.
“Five months before the 2014 event was to take place, my son David took his own life and at that point, I knew that the Winter Doldrums would have to become something much more than it already was. So the second Winter Doldrums was actually the first to raise money solely for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in my son’s name.”
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, more than 42,000 Americans die by suicide each year, making it the 10thleading cause of death in the country. Preventing, raising awareness and providing education and support programs is the key.
“Each year the event continues to grow. I somehow squeeze more acts into the 12 hour event. The benefactor will once again be the AFSP, but this time half will go to the national chapter and half to the local Philadelphia chapter. The 2nd and 3rd annual events sold out and each year raised about $1000 more than the year before. I’m hoping that the 4th annual event continues in that respect.”
Hosted on February 6th at the World Café Live, the 4th Annual Winter Doldrums Benefit Concert will feature more than 25 bands and artists, including Matt Duke, Mutlu, Andrea Nardello, AlyCat and John Faye. 100% of the proceeds from the ticket sales and silent auctions will go directly to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“I have always said the same thing each year…if we can save at least one life each year through our efforts, then we’ve succeeded.”
Stop by World Café Live next Saturday and make a difference.
What: 4th Annual Winter Doldrums Benefit Concert
When: Saturday, February 6th, noon to midnight
Where: World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
How much: $21 adv., $25 dos. Tickets can be found at www.ticketfly.com
Donate directly at: http://afsp.donordrive.com/campaign/davidericcohen
