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A concert to raise funds for Haitian relief is tonight at Cervantes’ Other Side, located at 2637 Welton St., just north of downtown.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and music begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. The Lambi Fund of Haiti and the Sustainable International Development Institute (SIDI) are co-sponsoring the event, “Rebuilding through Music.”

The goal is to raise $5,000.

Artists performing at the benefit concert include Soul Daddy and the Blackfyre Band, Judge Roughneck, Debajito and Soulaju. The Aerial Fabric Acrobatics dance troupe will also be performing.

The Lambi Fund is a grassroots organization founded and run by Haitians and Haitian-Americans seeking to promote economic and social justice in rural communities through the empowerment of individuals to find solutions to their problems and thus lift themselves out of poverty. Since the Jan. 12 earthquake, many thousands of Haitians have been left homeless and have had difficulty obtaining food, water and medical treatment.

The Lambi Fund intends to work toward rebuilding damaged infrastructure, developing new agricultural techniques and to meet long-term needs and expand grassroots projects such as animal husbandry and grain mills for sustainable development, said Stuart King, outreach coordinator of the Lambi Fund and a graduate student at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

“These tasks will take time, but it is the Lambi Fund’s view that this is the only path to long-term recovery,” said King. “The cause couldn’t be more worth [it], and the money will be going to a highly reputable organization that will be working in Haiti long after the news networks and initial responders have left.”

Karen Ashmore, a graduate student at the Korbel School, came up with the idea for the concert. As the executive director of the Lambi Fund, Ashmore worked with other members, including King and Katie Murphy, the community outreach intern for the Lambi Fund. Since Murphy was a member of the board of the Sustainable International Development Institute, a graduate student group, she suggested the co-sponsored concert.

Cervantes offered a discounted fee, while four bands to perform, offering music ranging from hip-hop to Latin, neo-soul, funk and ska-reggae, according to King. 

“We were very fortunate to book an array of talented Denver-based artists at a well-known music venue downtown that will hopefully draw in a large audience,” said King.

The Lambi Fund will have a table set up with informational material and members will answer questions about the organization and its purpose. Additional donations will be accepted, and all proceeds will be donated to the Lambi Fund.

“I hope that we’ll accomplish not just our primary goals of raising funds for the Lambi Fund, but also be able to provide a night of community through collective coming together in solidarity with the Haitian people,” said Murphy.