By Matt Collette
A wide range of popular authors, comedians and musicians will come together on one stage to support a non-profit organization that calls a Bigfoot research facility home.
On Wednesday, at 7 p.m., 826 Boston will present “Revenge of the Book Eaters” at the Berklee Performance Center. The event, hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman, will feature authors Dave Eggers, Davy Rothbart and Rodney Rothman and musicians Via Audio and Mates of State.
Kevin Barnes and Bryan Poole from Of Montreal, an indie pop ensemble that broke into the mainstream with a clever jingle for Outback Steakhouse, will close the evening with an acoustic set.
Host Mirman, known for his recurring role on HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” and regular appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” will perform his brand of stand-up comedy between acts.
“‘Revenge of the Book Eaters’ features a quirky and eclectic ensemble, which we think is pretty representative of the work that we do,” said Daniel Johnson, executive director for 826 Boston, a writing workshop.
Davy Rothbart, editor of Found magazine, has performed at several other “Book Eater” events. A popular sketch, “Extreme PowerPoint,” which gives the dull office standard an upgrade, features several of the evening’s performers and is representative of the collaborative format the event will feature.
Freshman undecided major Elizabeth Egan said she is most looking forward to Of Montreal.
“I was excited when I saw the ads for the concert,” she said. “I love Of Montreal – I actually bought a ticket for their concert a while ago, but forgot to go. So ‘Revenge of the Book Eaters’ looks like a lot of fun,”
826 Boston offers free creative and expository writing programs to city students ages 6 to 18. The “Book Eaters” event will provide financial support to the organization, as well as spotlight opportunities for potential volunteers and donors.
Boston is the latest city to present this program, which started in Valencia, Calif., by author Dave Eggers, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and founder of McSweeney’s, an alternative quarterly.
“Revenge of the Book Eaters” has been held in six other cities that host writing venues like 826 Boston, including New York City; Chicago; Los Angeles; Seattle; Ann Arbor, Mich. and Valencia, Calif.
Each event has been critically and popularly praised. Rolling Stone called the NYC event, which featured Eggers, Jon Stewart, Sufjan Stevens and others, “sweet [and] perfect.”
The Brooklyn-based 826 NYC, which was held in a 3,000 seat venue, sold out almost immediately. The Boston concert, held in a 12,000 seat venue at Berklee, seeks to raise money and awareness for 826 Boston.
“We’re looking to attract a lot of students,” said Samantha Pitchel, 826 Boston’s event coordinator. “We’re trying to get the word out of how people can help out.”
826 Boston will open its Roxbury-based headquarters soon. Johnson said the storefront, which will be the “Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Center,” is aimed toward attracting students.
“We love the idea of someone passing by, seeing it and thinking ‘What?'” said Johnson, who described the storefront as both a haven for amateur and professional cryptozoologists as well as, “an imaginative portal into the learning center.”
Tickets to the event are $25 and are available through Ticketmaster.
