Local musicians unite for ‘Rock the Pantry’ to benefit Troy’s Hillside North neighborhood

Local musicians from Troy’s Swordpaw Studios are banding together in support of their community through the “Rock the Pantry” campaign. 

The initiative aims to collect non-perishable items for the food pantry at Oakwood Community Center, where Swordpaw Studios operates. Scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 25th at neighboring Troy venue, Hangar on the Hudson, the event seeks to gather essential items to sustain the community center’s pantry through the winter months.

The lineup for the event goes as follows: Electric Turtle, Rabid Children, Revival Revival, and Architrave.

Musicians Joining Forces

Architrave, a post-punk synth-pop group that consists of Jennifer Maher Coleman on vocals, keys and drum programming and Paul Coleman on bass and guitar, have been a part of Swordpaw since 2014.

“Oakwood Community Center and Swordpaw Studios are very dear to us—we love being a part of this community of musicians and appreciate how fortunate we are to be able to share and use this homey, comfortable space to make music with our friends,” Coleman said. “Oakwood is a wonderful resource for its surrounding neighborhood and we’re thrilled to be able to contribute to the food pantry program through this show.”

The community center is home to at least 12 different organizations and initiatives that might not exist without the low cost of the space. In return, the center’s tenants look for groups to support Oakwood’s mission, which includes supporting the long-time Saturday morning food pantry event hosted at the center.

Swordpaw Studios, a collective rehearsal and recording space which hosts over 10 local bands, was a central hub for musicians during the pandemic. Now, they’re leveraging their platform to rally support for the neighborhood’s most impacted residents. 

Amidst inflation nationwide and a decrease in funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), Shanna Goldman, executive director at OCC, emphasizes that these challenges add strain to the already rising expenses of essential food items.

“We are grateful to partner with Swordpaw to raise awareness and food resources in this really fun way,” Goldman said in a press release. “The resident groups meet quarterly to get to know each other and find ways to support each other.”

Event Information

Hangar on the Hudson, located at  675 River St. in Troy,  will host the musical charity event on Saturday, Nov. 25th, starting at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. The venue is offering tickets for $12, which also doubles as a donation to the cause. Cash and card payments are accepted at the door.
For more information about the event, visit the Facebook event listing or go to Oakwood’s website.