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Josh Pyke's 'Busking For Change' Charity Event Returns For 2014

6 August 2014 | 10:14 am | Staff Writer

Featuring a special appearance from Urthboy

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Acclaimed Australian musician and all-around good guy Josh Pyke has announced the September return of charity event Busking For Change, founded by the Leeward Side scribe in 2009 to benefit the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF).

Busking For Change, which is proudly presented in collaboration with The Music, will be held at The Roller Den, Sydney, on Thursday, September 4, with entry costing a modest $30. That money is going to a good place, too – the ILF is an offshoot of the Australian book industry community, set up by its members in order to raise necessary funds for Indigenous literacy programs.

“I’ve been an ambassador for the ILF for about five years now,” Pyke, who has raised more than $43,000 for the non-profit in that time, said in a statement. “The reasons I got involved are the same reasons that I stay involved. I believe Indigenous Australians should have access to the same opportunities that any Australian does, and I believe that having good literacy levels can be a starting point in opening those doors.”

“The ILF is offering free books and literacy awareness with the support of communities and are asking nothing in return; that's something I'm very proud to be part of,” Pyke continued.

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“When I started Busking For Change, I wanted to reach a goal of raising $50,000 for the ILF. This year I think we will reach that goal and I hope you'll be there to help!”

This year’s event earns an added element of esteem in the form of a special appearance from Pyke’s friend and musical contemporary Urthboy. Having been the frontman of hip-hop ensemble The Herd for more than a decade, a three-time Australian Music Prize nominee, and winner of Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album at 2010’s AIR Awards, Urthboy epitomises the kind of hard work and dedication it takes to succeed in a field so nebulous as the music industry, and his experience makes him an ideal additional ambassador for the cause.

Urthboy and Pyke are no strangers to charitable collaboration, either – the pair previously recorded Someone Else’s House, an original hip-hop track created to raise money for children in foster care via charities Life Without Barriers and the CREATE Foundation.

Tickets to the 2014 Busking For Change event are available now via Oztix for $30 ($35 at the door).

If you’re feeling ultra-charitable but don’t have the time to stop in for the concert, you could always splurge on an executive “no attendance required” ticket, which gives you all the personal benefits of donating $500 without having to sit through those dang kids and their rock and/or roll music (and it’s tax-deductible, too!). Send an email here for details.