Frank Fanelli, The World We Knew and the clothing company CAT clothing, makes his living on the road with artists. Which is no longer possible thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Fanelli, alongside fellow touring crew member Tatiana Danielle, is trying to help out his fellow crew workers with his new fund For the Nomads. The fund recently raised $22,000 with a silent auction, and combined with $44,000 previously raised, is giving back.
So if you're a crew worker, check out For the Nomads here! You can also read the fund's About Us below.
Hey all! My name is Frank Fanelli. I sing for a band called The World We Knew, own a clothing company called CAT clothing, and most importantly, I make a living on the road behind the scenes working with artists and bands as a tour manager, merchandise seller, LD, and more. I’ve been touring all over the world for the past 14 years but right now I’m at home in Florida doing my best to try and enjoy this downtime because as many of you know, our business is practically crumbling at our feet as we speak due to the epidemic.
Hundreds of tours have been canceled, venue & crew personnel are out of jobs, clubs are shutting down and most of us don’t know where to turn. As I strongly encourage fans to continue streaming music and buying new merch from your favorite artists due to cancelations, I’m also giving you an option to help out the crew members and roadies that help bring the shows you love to every city you see these bands in.
Honestly, if there’s one thing I know how to do pretty well after all these years, it’s how to promote and sell a funny t-shirt concept. So here’s the deal…
A few years ago while working on the Vans Warped Tour, a friend of mine called me “The Merch Daddy” I guess due to my touring merch accolades, so I made a couple hundred dumb shirts with my face on them to sell for a good laugh. However, this time, I’m bringing back 2 NEW “Merch Daddy” tees to help others in need.
For every $20 you donate, you’ll not only get one of the new “Merch Daddy” t-shirts [NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR "STORE" PAGE], but I’ll be splitting ALL the donations between everyone who can prove of the touring job they lost through the band themselves, the booking agents, or the management teams (Contact us through this page). This will take time to sort through, but we’re all cooped up in our homes anyway, so we’ll stay busy with this work. If donations flourish, as a team we can hopefully chip away at rent, buy groceries, feed/our children, pay the phone bill, etc.
Please help spread the word and donate what you can! I want nothing more than to take this unexpected downtime and turn it into a positive, so let’s put forth our best effort to make a difference in some lives instead of panicking. Thank you for your consideration, and don’t forget to wash your damn hands!
