Nonprofit Kick Ash Bash rises Sept. 20

Will any public event in town ever come close to matching the Kick Ash Bash in pure megawatt star power? Back in 2018, over the course of a full day and evening, just about everybody in the entertainment industry with a local connection – rock legends, pop princesses and other celebrities – participated in the largest nonprofit event in Santa Barbara history. Will we see something like that again on Friday, Sept. 20?

In a way, let’s hope not.

The spectacular inaugural event was born of the twin tragedies of the Thomas Fire and Montecito Debris Flow that devastated the community, the concert framed as both a coming together in the spirit of healing, and a chance to thank the First Responders who spent months combating both disasters. The Kick Ash Bash was also the birth of One805, the permanent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to raise funds for all three major First Responder groups – the fire, police and sheriff departments – in order to purchase equipment, support public safety and continue to take care of those who take care of us; including through increased mental health
and counseling services.

September 2022 saw the return of a singular major fundraising event, now called One805LIVE!, staged on the grounds of Kevin Costner’s stunning seaside estate. So, while Kick Ash might still stand as an unparalleled entertainment, the nonprofit keeps ratcheting up the annual concert with each successive year, going bigger and better and deepening the ties to the community. This year’s event boasts a mesmerizing mix of the old and the new, combining acts that have previously appeared and those new to the party.

The headliners are You + Me, the Canadian American folk music duo consisting of the softer side of the singer-songwriters Dallas Green, better known as City and Colour, and Alecia Moore, better known as P!nk, who lives in the Santa Ynez Valley with her family. Montecito’s longtime hometown favorite Kenny Loggins, who retired from the road following his final tour last year, will give his first live show in town – and first performance for One805LIVE! since his final tour gig closed out the Santa Barbara Bowl season last November. (Loggins will also receive One805’s 2024 “Heart of the Community Award” for his philanthropic work in Santa Barbara and beyond.)

Alan Parsons, the multi-hyphenate British recording artist, songwriter, musician and record producer nonpareil, began his career as a teenager working on engineering the Beatles’ storied Abbey Road and Let It Be albums, as well as Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. Parsons then went on to create a string of hits with his own Alan Parsons Project, and he returns as this year’s musical director. The west Goleta resident and founding One805 board member will also perform. Legendary blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, whose records include 27 No. 1 Billboard blues albums, also makes his One805LIVE! Debut.

Also newly joining the One805LIVE! roster are Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart, best known for his 1976 hit single “Year of the Cat” (which was produced by Parsons), as well as Grammy-winning songwriter and singer Richard Marx, whose first seven singles reached the Top 5 on the Billboard charts, including “Right Here Waiting.” Rounding out the luminous lineup are Nashville veteran Alyssa Bonagura and newcomer Jordan Asher Huffman, whose single “Out Loud” serves as this year’s anthem for all One805LIVE! Events. Local band Plastic Harpoons will spearhead their own performance.

“What we are delivering is an experience that’s very, very different from what you might see anywhere else in town,” said Richard Weston-Smith, One805 co-founder and CEO. “That combination of artists and styles of music and variety, plus support from the orchestra – all in one evening – is just absolutely without equal. And it represents all the different people in our community, which is what the first responders are all about.”

That diversity extends all the way to the participation of the Santa Barbara Symphony, who will appear live on stage behind several of the acts throughout the concert, a first for One805LIVE! and in fact for any rock concert in town ever, save for the symphony’s ice-breaking collaboration with the Doublewide Kings at the Granada last November. It’s quite a coup and an extraordinary addition, one that Parsons is particularly proud of.

“We’re so pleased to have the symphony involved,” said Parsons, who of course has worked with orchestration on records as well as live throughout his career. He’ll have the 25-member contingent of the Symphony supporting his selection of hits including “Eye in the Sky” and “Games People Play.” The ensemble will also play behind Stewart’s “Cat,” Marx’s “Right Here Waiting,” and several others.

“It’s really exciting to have an orchestra on stage with you. By all accounts, they’re excited to be doing this show, too.”

Tom Brooks, who is Parsons’ keyboardist and music director, will conduct the orchestra as well as sit in with the regular members of Loggins’ band, who are serving as the house musicians for the whole show.

Meanwhile, among other celebrities expected to attend are newish Montecito resident Cameron Diaz, long-timer Rob Lowe and Montecitan-before-Thomas-Fire Jeff Bridges.

But One805LIVE!isn’t just about rock stars and movie heroes. It’s about once again filling the nonprofit’s coffers so that the first responders are ready and able to confront whatever Mother Nature has in store for us next.

“We’re still buying vital equipment and expanding our mental wellness programs beyond just the firefighters,  things that are not provided from their own budgets,” Weston-Smith said. “That takes a lot of funding to make sure we can support three years ahead, because it’s too important to fail. And what’s new is we’re building up a war chest, so that if the (bleep) hits the fan again in Santa Barbara – a fire, a mudslide, a major earthquake or tsunami, or anything else – we have a big enough reserve that we can immediately respond and throw money where it’s most needed by our first responders. Nobody else is doing that, either.”

Lessons learned for One805LIVE!

As fun as it was, last year’s One805LIVE!had some serious issues with exiting (or “egress” to use the technical term) after the concert was over – a rough ending to a great event, as people were virtually trapped in a narrow corridor waiting to exit. The nonprofit issued an apology shortly after the event, and, more importantly, has made some major changes to ensure a safer and more comfortable experience for concertgoers.

“We’ve added a second gate for entry and exit thanks to Kevin Costner’s generosity, and we’ve got more buses to get people back to their cars more efficiently,” Weston-Smith said. “There’s more lighting and better barricades, and we’ve hired expert security consultants from L.A. who deal with stadium crowd control, who have come up with a full plan on how to get everybody out of there much more easily. We have cleaned that up really well.”

Other changes to improve the experience for guests include fewer cabanas closer to the stage, with all obstructions to the view removed. Food service will be dramatically improved, and the original “VIP Club” layout from 2022 is returning, with the VIP tent and club-style lounge seating, as well as tables at various price points.

The adjustments serve to underscore that the cause is the main concern for One805, who are not professional concert promoters but rather a small group of local folks who are perennially grateful for our First Responders.

“We’re still learning. We just have to fix our problems each year and get better at it,” Weston-Smith said. “We think we’ve got it dialed in now.”