BREWSTER – These six minutes might help explain why, while researching an early Cape Cod Wave story on the Cape Cod music scene, I was told over and over again, “You HAVE to go to the Cavalcade.”
In December, almost anywhere in America, you can find some musicians, some Christmas music, and a fundraiser.
As this video mashup from the 2016 Christmas Cavalcade For The Homeless at Ocean Edge shows, these are not just any musicians. And this is not just any fundraiser.
The Christmas Cavalcade For the Homeless raises money for the Housing Assistance Corporation and their work with homeless individuals and families.
While we didn’t capture the roller skater on the dance floor or the dancing horn player in bunny ears, we tried to put together a little mix to give the flavor of the show. We didn’t get every performer in here.
And some, we already posted in their entirety.
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See also Kami Lyle “Sharks Don’t Bite (They Just Want To Kiss You)”
See also Christine Rathbun Ernst “An Act Of Sublime Tenderness”
See also 2016 Cavalcade Slide Show
Watch this video all the way. Near the end, there are two minutes of The Ticks from their version of “The Gift of The Magi” that is priceless.
Thank You Chandler Travis & Friends
Some musicians, some Christmas music, and a fundraiser. They thought were raising money for the homeless, but they do so much more.
It is such a simple thing, rescuing a soul.
I hate Christmas. I started hating Christmas four years ago.
Three years ago, in December 2013, I attended my first Christmas Cavalcade For The Homeless, the too-much-fun musicians Christmas party that Chandler Travis throws every year. I didn’t want to go. I hate Christmas.
But when I went, I was stunned. This amazing family of musicians had created something magical that somehow had me smiling. In the melancholy spirit of my mood and the season, some songs certainly had me sobbing inside.
But something else happened too. And it has happened every year. I laughed. Chandler Travis, the mad genius, made me laugh.
As a certified Christmas hater, I admit to wearing a flak jacket on my soul every year as I enter the concert. I know how good the Cavalcade is, but I know how vulnerable I feel at this time of year.
And yet, since I discovered the Cavalcade where Chandler Travis and his friends gather together to play Christmas music and raise money for the homeless, I find myself almost looking forward to a day in December.
And that alone is worth a thank you. Please help the Housing Assistance Corporation. Someone out there is having a tough holiday.
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