October 30, 2019 626 PM
The Marfa Municipal Alliance for Dead Country and Folks Singers raised $1,136 for Casa Hogar Orphanage in Ojinaga, Mexico at their fundraising tribute concert last weekend at El Cosmico.
The tribute was to both Roger Miller and Tom Petty. The Marfa Municipal Alliance for Dead Country and Folk Singers are a communal group with a rotating cast of players and singers. They play concerts approximately once a season to raise money for local charities and non-profits that are in immediate need of funds.
The MMADCAFS was founded by Ross Cashiola, David Beebe, and Pat Keesey in December of 2017, with many other local musicians taking on important supporting roles in the band since then. For this performance, Scappy Jud Newcomb, Fran Christina, and David Beebe supported the singers instrumentally for the Miller portion of the set, and Ross Cashiola, Paul Ritacco, Colt Miller, and Jimmy Magliozi were the main band for the Petty portion of the show.
During this last tribute, 17 musicians took the stage and played a three-hour marathon of music by Miller and Petty. By the end of the night 15 of those singers had led a song vocally, and 10 players had rotated on and off the stage to share the responsibility of backing up the singers instrumentally.
Since their start, over 40 members of the Marfa community have either sung a song or played in the band during one of their many tribute shows. Membership to the band is obtained by singing or playing with the band. You can also gain membership by helping during the show.
They band plays tributes to country and folk legends on the day of their death. In this most recent show, The Alliance broke tradition and played a tribute to two musicians, Roger Miller and Tom Petty, who both died in the month of October. They also stretched the boundaries of the meaning of “Country and Folk” by covering Petty who is more of a rock star. However, Petty did write and record some folky and country songs at one point and was given tribute this time due to popular demand by the local community.
In addition to Casa Hogar, The MMADCAFS has raised funds for The Family Crisis Center of Big Bend, The Nutrition Center in Marfa, ROMP, The Marfa Martians and The El Paso Community Foundation (following the shootings in El Paso). In the course of less than two years, the band has raised almost $10,000 for local non-profits and charities and has built alliances with many of these institutions.
