Local O+ Festival Provides Healthcare for Musicians and Artists

Being an artist or musician isn't nearly as glamorous a life as has been portrayed culturally. For every exceptional artist making millions upon millions of dollars, there are, well, millions upon millions that are doing what they can to get by and express themselves in a way that's creatively fulfilling and--hopefully--brings in a little money.

But, since it's certainly no 9-to-5 job with benefits and healthcare, countless musicians and artists are forced with the reality that their passion and craft doesn't provide them the healthcare that we all need to live happy, healthy lives.

That's where O+ comes in. In their own words, O+ is a festival that serves as "a grassroots, band-aid solution to inaccessible healthcare for the creative community."

Bringing the creative community together to perform live and give back to their community artistically and matching them up with the healthcare community donating their time and expertise results in a festival where everyone benefits.

Not only has the festival taken care of local artists, it's been expanding: it's now in Chicago and Petaluma, California.

Musicians headlining the Kingston event this year include Corey Glover of Living Colour and one of my favorite live bands, Screaming Females. Seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've seen Screaming Females perform throughout New York City and New Jersey and I've never not been blown away.

Here's our interview with Joe Concra and Tommy Keegan of Kingston's Keegan Ales to tell us about the festival and what you can look forward to enjoying:

For more info and to get involved, check out their website here.