Students Organize Benefit Music Festival

On Saturday, October 12, 2019, more than 200 people crowded into Gas Monkey Live for the launch of RevAMP Dallas, a musical festival with a mission of community support. Conceived and organized by Eddie Raj ’20 and Charlie Rubarth ’20, RevAMP served as a showcase for local student artists, with ticket sales supporting the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). The sold-out concert raised around $20,000 for the NTFB, which translates into more than 47,000 meals for the community.

“The main goal is obviously to raise as much money as we can for the NTFB and try to eliminate hunger,” Charlie Rubarth said in an interview with The ReMarker student newspaper. “But also, if we can start something like an Austin City Limits or SXSW, an event with a good foundation that permeates throughout the Dallas community and continues for years to come, that’d be fantastic.”

Charlie and Eddie spent months planning the festival and recruited fellow classmates to serve on the RevAMP staff, including Daniel Adrila ’20 (Marketing Coordinator) and Christian Duessel ’20 (Sponsorship Coordinator). The concert lineup included a number of national acts in addition to St. Mark’s musicians like Ryan McCord ’20 (Halcyon Dallas), Obaid Akbar ’20 (ASWoP), and Collin Katz ’21 (Fifth Phoenix).

“Charlie and Eddie worked tirelessly to ensure this event not only celebrated the artistic talents of youth across the region but also provided a platform for awareness of the serious issue of food insecurity here in North Texas,” said Erica Yaegar, Chief External Affairs Officer for the North Texas Food Bank. “I love that they were able to combine their passion with a purpose that ultimately benefited hungry children, seniors, and families right here in our own backyard. We are deeply grateful for their energy, creativity, and the network of St. Mark’s classmates who made this first-time event so incredible.”

With the success of their inaugural show, Eddie and Charlie hope that RevAMP becomes a Dallas tradition. The pair have already begun searching for Marksmen who can take over RevAMP 2020 and have even begun securing sponsorships from local businesses.

“We will definitely help a lot next year because we already have the infrastructure. And it will be much easier to approach sponsors and bands because we know what to do now,” Eddie Raj told The ReMarker. “Obviously, college will come in the way, but we’re hoping to pass this down.”