It’s such a kind community gesture when musicians work with non-profits. The two are harmonious – with live music there are no worries about the future or the past, just the pulsing of the moment. With non-profits you can take solace in the fact that there are communities of support all around us.

Throw in the fall equinox, trapeze and a magician, and the circle of kindness and wonder keeps spreading.

I could go on and on about all the warm fuzzy feelings I get when thinking about the relationship between music and the greater good in life, but at the risk of sounding like a just smoked one in the Evergreen woods, I will stop now and let the event speak for itself.

This Friday night, from 12 – 7 p.m., the Olympia Ballroom will feature The Brown Edition, The True Spokes and Joe Doria and The Drunken Masters along with aerial performances by Sara Sparrow and some of the best magic you've ever experienced with Michael Budd. The event is a benefit for the Rachel Corrie Foundation.

Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

Corrie’s family recently lost their case against Israel and event promoter Lee Brooks felt compelled to make this a benefit for her foundation, which encourages and supports grassroots efforts in pursuit of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.

“I always try to include a non-profit entity in my productions – I’m not in it for me, I’m in it for the community,” said Brooks. “With Corrie, and the conclusion of the trial, I knew it was something I wanted to do – the bands all backed it up.”

Brooks manages the Brown Edition (who won the Best of Olympia two years in a row,) and describes the band’s sound as “sophisticated funk – they can get down and dirty – but they are high-end, they know their craft.”

Another highlight of the evening will be magician Michael Budd, who Brooks said he hired because “he levitated right in front of me.”

Budd said he has a couple tricks up his sleeve, including one he’s been working on involving a cell phone. “When people see it, they literally flip out.  I remember one lady who was so freaked out, she ran out of the bar and off down the road.  She didn't even take her car!”

So come for a night of excitement and community, all for a good cause.

$10 at the door + $5 Suggested donation for The Rachel Corrie Foundation, All Ages, 21+ beer garden and full bar, fresh local veggies and fruits. Feel free to bring something from your garden to share as well.