Louisville concert series benefits Salvation Army shelters

By: David Ibata

Last fall in Louisville, Kentucky, it was blankets. This winter, it's towels.

Fresh from its "Wrap Up Louisville" blanket drive involving University of Louisville students and their fraternities and sororities, The Salvation Army is partnering with Headliners Music Hall for the "Cover Up Louisville: Rock the Red Kettle" midwinter concert series. Headliners, a local music venue, provides the hall and books the acts at no cost to the Army. For concert-goers, the price of admission is a full-sized bath towel.

"With 200 people bedding down in our homeless shelter every night, it's nice to have a supply of towels coming in during the winter," said David Yarmuth, community relations director for the Louisville Area Command.

Part of its Center of Hope social services ministry, The Salvation Army in Louisville operates a men's shelter with 98 beds and a women's shelter with 22 beds, along with rooms for families and veterans, Yarmuth said. About 200 people can be accommodated every night.

Headliners has worked with the Army to make music for a good cause since 2015.

"Doing the concert series was our idea," said Joe Argabrite, one of the Headliners' owners. "We always love to attach with a charity … and as this is a winter thing, we knew there was a need for blankets for the homeless, and The Salvation Army seemed to be a good partner to distribute them."

"Wrap Up Louisville," however, also was in the blanket business, so after a few years, "Cover Up" changed to towels.

Another change: Headliners in the past involved local radio stations, but that limited its acts to what the stations played: classic rock. This year, Argabrite said, "we decided we wanted to be more diverse in our programming," so the venue now is partnering solely with The Salvation Army.

Six concerts in January and February offer bands from multiple genres. The first concert, Jan. 11, featured tribute bands to Tom Petty and the Eagles, respectively. Other artists brought classic country, hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and tributes to Emo and the Electric Light Orchestra.

The event draws upwards of 400 attendees from a fan base of 18- to 45-year-olds across northern Kentucky and southern Indiana.