Passim Announces KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FEST And The Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund

Club Passim is launching a new virtual music festival, the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FEST, to benefit the newly created Passim Emergency Artist Relief (PEAR) Fund. Named for the Richard Thompson song, "Keep Your Distance," the festival will feature musicians Mark Erelli, Erin McKeown, Stephen Kellogg and dozens of others practicing social distancing in at-home videos sharing songs about staying calm, hope and sticking together. Due to COVID-19, Club Passim has closed and canceled all shows through at least April 6; the pandemic has also greatly impacted the lives of independent musicians through canceled gigs and in-person music lessons. The impact has led to many musicians giving up income that they could not afford to lose.

"It's been inspiring to witness the importance our community places on the contributions of musicians," said Jim Wooster, Executive Director at Passim. "When we started canceling shows due to COVID-19, most of our ticket holders didn't ask for a refund because they wanted the musicians to get paid. We know how much our audience cares about the artistic community. We established the Passim Emergency Artist Relief (PEAR) Fund so that everyone can help support musicians during this time of crisis."

The Keep Your Distance Fest can be found online now at Passim.org/PearFund. Passim's community looks to music for comfort and strength, so the club is working to give back with songs that reflect those sentiments. Musicians are posting their songs on YouTube along with the fundraising link that allows people to donate to The Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund.

The Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund's mission is to assist musicians in our community who are in dire need of financial aid due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify artists must:

• Have lost a gig due to COVID-19 Precautions
• Must have played a gig for Passim in the last 10 years
• Must be willing to participate in KEEP YOUR DISTANCE Fest and share to their network of fans

Artists who qualify can apply for emergency relief at Passim.org/PEARFund.