Top Music Stars to Rock the Red Kettle at L.A. LIVE

Owl City Leads Line-Up of Artists Performing at Third Annual Free Concert Benefitting The Salvation Army

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec.14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Are you ready to rock while giving back this Christmas season? Tomorrow night, The Salvation Army will proudly present the third annual Rock the Red Kettle Concert, produced by Specktor Media, featuring a mix of today's top music artists including Owl City, Hot Chelle Rae, Andy Grammer, Bridgit Mendler, and Sonus. The free concert on Saturday, December 15, which will be open to the general public and support the Army's annual Red Kettle Campaign, will begin at 7:30 p.m. PST, at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.

The concert will feature a variety of performances from hot young artists, led by pop sensation Owl City, who went on the road for the second annual Rock the Red Kettle Tour to encourage volunteerism and support The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign. The tour, which was the first leg of Owl City's The Midsummer Station World Tour, stopped in 25 major cities across North America, and Owl City also volunteered at multiple Salvation Army locations.  Other performers for the Rock the Red Kettle concert include chart-topping Hot Chelle Rae, who just wrapped a year-long extensive worldwide tour and are currently working on a new album targeted for release next year; certified gold pop artist Andy Grammer; and Hollywood Records recording artist and Disney Channel star Bridgit Mendler.  Up-and-coming Argentinean band, Sonus, will open.

"We've been waiting all year to rock the red kettles once again!" said Major George Hood, National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army. "We are excited to feature these talented and supportive musicians at the Rock the Red Kettle Concert, and we're looking forward to reaching out to the next generation of Salvation Army supporters."

The Rock the Red Kettle Concert will raise awareness for The Salvation Army's 122^nd annual Red Kettle Campaign, the oldest annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States. Money raised during the campaign helps the Army serve 30 million Americans in need each year in communities nationwide through an array of programs including toys for kids, coats for the homeless and food for the hungry.

As part of The Salvation Army's continued efforts to reach young and aspiring philanthropists across the country, the concert will also be streamed live via Cambio on The Salvation Army's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA. Supporters can also make a $10 donation to the campaign by texting the word "GIVE" to 80888 through December 24. *

"The Rock the Red Kettle Concert, with the support of great musical artists, provides an awesome opportunity for young adults across America to learn ways to give back all year long, starting with The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign this holiday season," said the show's producer Ned Specktor of Specktor Media, who will also host the live show.

Along with the iconic red kettle, The Salvation Army is embracing online and mobile technologies to help support the Red Kettle Campaign. Pandora will feature a branded Salvation Army Rock the Red Kettle music station featuring songs from Owl City as well as other Rock the Red Kettle performers. Finally, fans who "like" The Salvation Army USA's Facebook page and provide their name and e-mail address will receive a virtual, personalized autographed picture of Adam Young from Owl City through Digigraph.

Additionally, as a way to encourage their fans to support The Salvation Army, most of the Rock the Red Kettle performers will host their own Online Red Kettles. For the eighth year in a row, The Salvation Army will allow fans to become online bell-ringers by signing up to host an Online Red Kettle at www.onlineredkettle.org. The program allows individuals and organizations to host their own "virtual" red kettle on their personal, group or company website. Last year, Online Red Kettles raised nearly $2 million as thousands of people asked friends and families to give online.

From its humble beginnings as a program started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army volunteers spread throughout the country to ring bells and solicit donations to the iconic red kettles from holiday shoppers. In 2011, the campaign raised $147.6 million nationwide, a new record supported by the public's nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars (and the occasional diamond ring or gold tooth) all collected and used to help people in the communities where the money was raised.

For more information on The Salvation Army and the Rock the Red Kettle Concert, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus. 

About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

About Owl City
Owl City first achieved worldwide success with his platinum selling major label debut Ocean Eyes (July 2009, Universal Republic).  The album spawned the quadruple-platinum first single "Fireflies" – a No. 1 smash hit in 26 countries including the U.S. where it hit the top spot twice, and sold more than 12 million downloads worldwide.  For his third album, The Midsummer Station (Republic, August 2012), Owl City's Adam Young took a bold step forward and chose to work with co-writers and outside producers for the first time.  He's joined on the incredibly infectious and successful lead single "Good Time" by Canadian pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen.  The song, which has been topping the radio and sales charts worldwide, has been certified double platinum in the US and will be followed in January 2013 by the second single from the new album "Shooting Star."  Owl City kicked off a world headlining tour on September 5^th in support of The Midsummer Station and recently announced a 2013 tour with Maroon 5 and Neon Trees. 

About Specktor Media
Specktor Media is a management and production company founded on the belief that entertainment and philanthropy combined under one roof can affect positive change. The company strives to create awareness for causes that need support, through their production of live concerts, television shows, and music management. For more information, go to http://www.facebook.com/SpecktorMedia.

* A one time $10 charge will be added to the donor's phone bill.  Standard data and text rates apply. Donors must reply "yes" to the confirmation text to confirm their gift. 

SOURCE The Salvation Army