Kindred Souls band begins 21 diner weekend benefit tour

    Rock and roll may feed the soul, but a New Jersey band will use it to feed the hungry.

    On a whirlwind tour of New Jersey diners, a band from Somerset County will spend the weekend playing 21 shows to raise money for area food banks.

    In the movie Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for his portrayal of a musician on the skids. To show how low his character had fallen, the movie opens with a gig at a bowling alley.

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    But a band in New Jersey proposes that performing in such humble venues can be noble.

    Kindred Souls has arranged to perform short sets in 21 diners this weekend – one in each of the state’s 21 counties.

    Singer songwriter Jeff Rafferty hopes to raise five thousand dollars for New Jersey food banks by asking diners to donate one dollar per meal and diner owners to donate 1 dollar per check.

    A lot of us saw in the last 2 years a lot of people using food banks. A lot of people with children, single parents, much more are middle-class. We were seeing a lot of that for the first time.

    A study by the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks confirms the number of people visiting food pantries has increased 45 percent from 2004. I’m Peter Crimmins, WHYY news.

    Tour schedule

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