Austin musicians will perform everywhere from H-E-B to Thundercloud Subs to BookPeople on Tuesday as part of HAAM Day, an annual daylong festival to help fund health care coverage for local artists.
"It's such a great opportunity to hear so many different local musicians," said Paul Scott, CEO of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.
HAAM helps Austin musicians enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and helps members pay their premiums. The organization reports providing $200 million in services and programs for musicians over the past two decades.
The organization hopes to raise at least $850,000 from the event this year from a combination of individual donations and corporate sponsorships. Although the concerts are free, many restaurants and businesses will participate by donating a portion of sales to the nonprofit. Individuals can also donate directly on HAAM's website. More details about participating businesses are here.
"The fundraising goal this year is tied to knowing that we need to raise additional dollars because we're expecting significant increases in [Affordable Care Act] health insurance premiums," Scott said. "We want to make sure that we have our musicians' backs."
During the festival, musicians will collectively play 120 hours of live music at more than 100 venues, some spread as far as Round Rock and Lockhart.
The 20th annual event is headquartered at the SoCo H-E-B, with performances by Scrappy Jud Newcomb, PAACK, Sir Woman, Chief Cleopatra, Shinyribs and others.
Other highlights include:
- A watch party at the Long Center for Mama Duke, who's in the top 10 of America’s Got Talent
- Gina Chavez at the Texas Capitol steps
- Brother Thunder at The Armadillo Den
- Dale Watson at Central Machine Works
- A jazz marathon at The Elephant Room
- DJ KICKIT at Antone’s Nightclub
- Tropicana Joe at Stubb’s
- Kelsi Creek at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Jane Leo at The Austin Chronicle
The full lineup of HAAM Day performances can be found here.
