For six years running now, the guys in local band Silence The Blind have organized something called Inn It For The Kids, which aims to raise money for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Last year, the event raised more than $12,000 to donate to the Inn. This year, the event will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cafe 611 and will feature everyone from The New Reign to Snipers Of Babel, to, of course, Silence The Blind. We caught up with the band’s leader, Danny Boiko, to ask him what goes into the production of the event, what’s new this year, and who he thinks is can’t-miss at Saturday’s fundraiser.
First, how did Silence The Blind get involved with Inn It For The Kids? Have you played it before?
The members of Silence the Blind are the organizers of the event. This will be our sixth year doing the show, and our fifth year in a row holding the event at Cafe 611 on North Market Street.
What drew you to an event like this, personally? Is there a connection you have to the cause that drew you to the event in the first place?
The idea to do an event benefiting the Children’s Inn at NIH came after our own vocalist, Jae Curtis, had gotten cancer. So we threw an event for him, which was fairly successful. It was a basic thing back then — just bands performing and people coming out to support. Nowadays, there’s a lot more involved with the show, like raffling off professional music gear, incredible artwork — including photography — tattoo gift certificates and more.
That said, did you have a role in putting it together or are you just part of the event as a performer? If you are an organizer, how long have you been involved with the event and what drew you to it in the first place?
Well, basically the four of us in Silence the Blind organize the entire show, acquiring the venue, raffle items, promotion and donations. We all do our part. And we also get a lot of help along the way. It’s a yearlong process. As soon as one show is done, we’re already thinking about how can we grow next year.
Getting to Silence The Blind — what’s up with you guys? Do you have any new material on the horizon? Any plans for the rest of the year?
Yes, we are in the middle of recording our second full-length album. We hope to have it finished and released by the end of this year, or early 2019 at the latest. We also have shows booked September and October in Virginia and December in Baltimore.
Finally, if I could check out only one band outside of yours at Inn It For The Kids, who would you suggest and why?
}Well, I would say that every band in the lineup this year is absolutely top notch. I would put them all against any national act and they would all hold their own. But if I had to pick one, I would say Snipers of Babel. They have incredible songwriting and a tight sound. Multiple vocalists bring different moods throughout each song.
