Building on a wildly successful inaugural year in 2011, Poverty is Real is excited to announce four upcoming shows in 2012. The first will be in Decatur, Georgia at Eddie’s Attic July 27-29 to benefit the Decatur Cooperative Ministry. Six weeks later, PIR will head to the beautiful North Carolina mountains for a show at The Orange Peel in Asheville on September 8 to benefit Pisgah Legal and Give to the Music. Shows in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bluebird Café and Exit/In in late November and early December will benefit Open Table. And PIR will close out the year with a return to Athens, Georgia in December 2012, with the dates and location(s) to be determined.

Futurebirds perform at Poverty is Real - Athens 2011

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As always, each show will feature a commemorative CD with songs donated by the performing artists and additional local musicians. Thanks to R.E.M.’s generous donation of a live recording of “The Lifting” from a 2001 show in Germany, Poverty is Real will re-release the “Athens: 2011” album in June and donate all proceeds to Whatever It Takes, our Athens beneficiary for the 2011 event.

PIR president Mike Killeen said R.E.M.’s involvement is especially fulfilling for the organization. “We have received incredible support from many musicians, businesses, and of course the communities we’ve partnered with,” he said. “R.E.M.’s song donation means so much not only because of their stature, but also because they are heroes of several members of our organization who grew up in Athens listening to their music.”

In June of 2011 PIR hosted its inaugural concert series: four full-house shows featuring Rebecca Loebe, The Bitteroots, Matthew Kahler, Trances Arc, and others at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. Thanks to the generous support of the music community, the show brought in $6,000 for Decatur Cooperative Ministry. Then, in December of 2011, PIR raised $7,500 for Whatever It Takes at a concert featuring Patterson Hood, Futurebirds, Claire Campbell, and others at The 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia.

PIR plans to expand its reach in 2013 with concerts across the U.S. to benefit community organizations fighting poverty.

Poverty is Real leverages great music to combat poverty at the local level. We take our fundraising concerts on tour, coordinating the goodwill of local musicians, businesses, media, and music lovers to raise money for local community organizations fighting poverty. There are more than 46 million Americans living in poverty, but Poverty is Real believes our communities can make a difference when we work together.

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