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We are raising awareness of the One Campaign and Oxfam America, but all auction proceeds go directly to Oxfam. The two are proud to be affiliate advocacy organizations.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ROW HOUSE RECORDS, WINNER OF THE FEED YOUR SOUL GUITAR AUCTION! Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word!
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The "Feed Your Ears, Feed Your Soul: The Rivers + Roads Less Traveled Tour" has ended, and what an amazing experience it was! Thanks so much to everyone who made it possible: Tori Sparks Music, Hand Over Foot Publishing, Row House Records, ASCAP Nashville, The Potter's House, Daryl at Country Video Hits, Jay at Video Hits, Ed at WYOU, Joe at the Village Voice, Carolyn at NBC, Rhonda at ABC/ FOX, Oxfam America, One, Row House Records (Winner of the Feed Your Soul Guitar Auction!) and many others. Of course, thanks to the venues and everyone who came out to the shows!
This tour may be over, but it's not the end! Tori Sparks is still on the road, in support of her sophomore album, Under This Yellow Sun. Her tour dates can be found on http://www.myspace.com/torisparks or http://www.torisparks.com. Add her as a MySpace friend or sign her mailing list to find out more. The Feed Your Soul Guitar Project will continue in 2009, with the release of Tori's third album, The Scorpion in the Story. See you on the road!
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One Love: Eclectic Recording Artist Tori Sparks to Auction Folk Art Guitar
to Benefit Oxfam America
NEW YORK CITY (MAY 9, 2006) - Can art or music save the world? If indie folk-rocker turned folk-artist Tori Sparks has anything to say about it, they can definitely help. Tori has employed everything but the kitchen sink to turn a common dreadnaught guitar into a dazzling work of folk art, titled The Feed Your Soul Guitar. The diverse young artist is going to be exhibiting this one-of-a-kind work while on her 26 city "Feed Your Ears, Feed Your Soul: The Rivers + Roads Less Traveled Tour." Bids for the Guitar will be accepted through secure online auction from May 21st through the end of the tour. The high bidder will be announced on June 26th. 100% of proceeds from the auction will be donated to Oxfam America and the work they are doing in association with the One Campaign and its affiliates. The Feed Your Soul Guitar is signed by the artist, and comes with a signed and dedicated photo of the artist playing the Guitar and sporting a white One wristband. Though primarily meant to be put on display, the Feed Your Soul Guitar is fully playable. The piece will also be available for public viewing from May 9th through May 23rd in the ASCAP* headquarters building in Nashville, TN.
Following in the footsteps of other musician-artists such as Joni Mitchell and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, Sparks seems to need more than one outlet to contain the overflow of her creativity. The Feed Your Soul Guitar is a mesmerizing piece that involved 100+ hours of intensive labor. Every image and article incorporated into the Guitar contributes to an overarching theme of our search for love, hope, faith, and security in an increasingly plastic and media-driven world. Nature and the human psyche clash with elements representing our ever-increasing dependence on technology. In Tori's words: "The Feed Your Soul Guitar is like a protest song in three dimensions. A recent overdose of NPR and CNN inspired me to dig up a bunch of folk and rock music that came out of the conflicts of the Vietnam era, and its eerie how so many of todays critical issues are similar to those that scared everyone back then. These days that fear is compounded by our amazing and frightening access to technology. The peace Im talking about is as much a peace of mind as a political coexistence."
Everything from a motherboard spewing glistening wires, to spacemen venturing forth under the banner Believe Again grace the front of this museum-worthy artifact. The back of the Guitar has been transformed into a cityscape of soul. It pays tribute to some of the acts that shaped rock n roll history (David Bowie, U2, The Clash, Bob Marley, more), as well as to one of the cradles of American music, professing the faith that New Orleans will rise again. A closer look reveals themes as diverse as dealing with infidelity, to a crisis arising of spirituality contradicted by science. Tiny points of brilliant color swirl over the neck of the Guitar, surrounding the word ONE in honor of Tori's support of the One Campaign and its affiliated non-profit organizations. This section gives a nod to Sparks ongoing fascination with Australian aboriginal painting and other forms of folk art.
Tori Sparks comes from an artistic background, having been raised in the arts-friendly community of Sarasota, FL. The goals of Oxfam America and its partner, the One Campaign, sufficiently inspired the artist to want to contribute to their cause in her own way. Some people are able to give by donating their money or time. Art and music are what Tori had to give. She hoped that the proceeds from the auction would contribute towards furthering Oxfam's efforts to build hope and security in impoverished communities at home and abroad, and to raise awareness on behalf of Ones advocacy programs. She is also played a benefit concert for ONE in Washington DC on June 16th, 2006. More information about Tori can be found on her website or MySpace site.
One by one, we make a difference. Tori Sparks just happens to make hers out of paint, glass, glue, and guitars. Make yours. To read more about the "Feed Your Ears, Feed Your Soul: The Rivers + Roads Less Traveled Tour," please see www.ToriSparks.com or Tori Sparks' MySpace. To learn more about the One Campaign and Oxfam America, please see www.One.org and www.OxfamAmerica.org. Nashville residents and visitors could view the Guitar on display in the ASCAP lobby on Music Square West, Nashville TN (May 2006).
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ROW HOUSE RECORDS, WINNER OF THE FEED YOUR SOUL GUITAR AUCTION! Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word!
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Nashville, TN (PRWEB) July 26, 2006 -- Row House Records was proud to be the high bidder in the Feed Your Soul Guitar Auction. The folk art guitar was exhibited by rock and blues artist Tori Sparks while on her 27-city tour of the Northeastern United States. Bids were accepted online during the tour, and 100% of the auction proceeds went to benefit Oxfam America following the close of the auction.
Called “brilliantly decorated” by the Village Voice, and “outstanding” by Northeast InTune Magazine, The Feed Your Soul Guitar has attracted attention for its visual impact as well as for its message. Tori Sparks has become known for her smoky voice and story-teller antics onstage, as well as for her commitment to bringing attention to organizations like Oxfam, the One Campaign, and others. Her debut music video Rivers + Roads was recently chosen Best Pop Video at the Indie Gathering, and her as-yet unreleased song “The Poster Child” was a finalist in the 2006 Unisong International Songwriting Contest. News Channel 2 in Nashville captured Sparks on tape stating that this was only the first in a series of Feed Your Soul Guitar auctions. She plans to create and exhibit a second Feed Your Soul Guitar on her next major tour in 2007, and to continue raising awareness of organizations like Oxfam. (www.torisparks.com)
Oxfam America is an international non-profit organization that works to end global poverty through saving lives, strengthening communities, and campaigning for change. It has attracted the support of members of the global community, such as Chris Martin of Coldplay and actress Keira Knightley. (www.oxfamamerica.org) Row House Records is an independent country label whose star act is groove-based duo One Mile South. (www.momomusic.com)
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ABOUT OXFAM AMERICA: Oxfam America is part of an international non-profit organization that works to end global poverty through saving lives, strengthening communities, and campaigning for change. They address social injustice through advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs. Please see www.One.org.
ABOUT THE ONE CAMPAIGN: Co-founded and popularized by Bono of U2, The One Campaign is an advocacy group that aims to raise awareness of the emergency of AIDS and extreme poverty, so that decision makers will do more to save millions of lives in the poorest countries. Please see www.One.org for more information.
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