Photo provided
Alex Milligan loves to rock — on the stage and rock climb off it.
Both give him a bit of a natural high.
“I get excited,” he posted with a climbing clip on Instagram.
Same with classic rock covers and his original tunes.
Milligan and his band, named — what else? — Milligan, aim to help the nonprofit Columbus Area Arts Council climb to needed financial heights at its annual Uncommon Cause fundraiser at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at Harrison Lake Country Club in Columbus. The event serves as the agency’s biggest such event of the year, normally attracting about 300 people.
The arts council is known for everything from its hands-on arts workshops to its popular, long-running First Fridays for Families series for youngsters.
Besides music, this event also includes food, a live auction of high-profile packages such as trips, a silent art auction, a pop-up shop, and a closing-night push called Fund a Need, in which attendees are invited to donate to a particular issue that the arts council is committed to.
This year’s Fund a Need is Studio C, a community art studio open to any artist locally to use at the Columbus Propeller Inc. MakerSpace, 4760 Ray Boll Boulevard.
Milligan and bandmates Isaac Taylor on guitar, Ed Ochoa on bass and Andrew Weinert on drums expect to play from 9 to 11 p.m. Covers will include Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and others.
“It’s pretty much the music that Isaac and I like,” Milligan said, adding that they have been writing together for several years though the Indianapolis-area band has been together about two years.
Milligan mentioned that the ensemble can move smoothly from tunes from relaxing to rousing on a moment’s notice.
As an example, an Instagram clip of his soft solo with acoustic guitar on the Beatles “In My Life” comes off as soothing. Another clip of him on electric guitar sounds like sonic energy.
“Our goal at this event is not to be intrusive,” he said, speaking from his home in Greenwood. “But, more often than not when we play other places, listeners start caring after a few minutes. And then we rock the house down. … We’ve certainly got some bangers.”
He said he will read the room and adjust the setlist accordingly. Locally, the group recently played the Hogstock fundraiser for the arts council at Hog Molly Brewing Company. And Milligan has played a number of times at The Garage Pub & Grill in downtown Columbus. The group’s original tunes from its inaugural recording “The First One,” can be streamed on its website link listed on the Facebook page for Milligan.
“The opener is pretty cute,” Milligan said about Taylor’s song “The Movies” about a simple date outing. “It’s about just being in love.”
The idea for the Uncommon Cause dinner and auction grew out of a 1975 benefit ball at the original Commons to raise funds for Commons programming. George Budd headed a committee of organizers that contracted with Chicago-based Dan Glasser Orchestra to provide music. A midnight breakfast prepared by chefs James Gregory and Jens Thomsen capped the night.
The concept expanded in 1976 to the inaugural Uncommon Cause dinner and auction, taking its name partly from the original Commons built in 1973. With a theme of “The Yankee Peddler,” the inaugural event raised $20,000.
Last year’s event grossed approximately $224,000.
“Ideally, we would always like to raise more money than the previous year and always continue to grow the Uncommon Cause and the overall fun of the event,” said Brooke Hawkins, the arts council’s executive director. “But that’s not necessarily our total focus.”
About the event
What: The annual Columbus Area Arts Council’s Uncommon Cause fundraiser, “Hats Off the the Arts.”
When: 7 to 11 Aug. 24.
Where: Harrison Lake Country Club, 588 S. Country Club Road in Columbus.
Information and tickets: artsincolumbus.org/ucc.
