2 days ago
'This isn't charity: it's community:' Singer, producer funnels efforts toward paying off school cafeteria debt
TUPELO – As part of his effort to promote his album as well as to give back to the community, Ethan Nolan started collecting backpacks for kids this upcoming school year. But in the midst of doing that, he discovered that some kids wouldn't be able to eat if their delinquent school lunch accounts weren't paid.
"I just wanted to turn the message in my music into an actual movement," he said.
So through CashApp and Venmo, he helped raise more than $700 to pay off the debts at Milam Elementary. Next on the list is Carver, with more than $300 to pay off. He hopes to work his way through all the school in the Tupelo Public School District.
"We got all the students that did not qualify for free lunches and had outstanding balances taken care of," he said. "There's still more debt in the community, and we're going to try to get all the schools. It''s a really big goal."
But he refuses to take credit for the good deed.
"We've got a ways to go with this. And it's not me; I'm a face and I hold a bucket. This is what community is all about," he said.
In many ways this is a full-circle moment for Nolan, who will be the first to admit that he's made a few unwise decisions in his life, including getting expelled from high school many years ago.
Now 34, he's put into music what life has been like, hoping to provide some help along the way.
"It started with me releasing this album called 'Expelled' and it's about being counted out, or generalized and defying those odds and flipping the script on people," he said. "It's about what I went through being expelled, my school life and I thought there's really no better way to show the transformation from being expelled from school and encouraging kids to stay in school. Don't do what I did. And if you do, there's a message for you, too, which is acceptance. Accept yourself."
Nolan is a relative newcomer to the music industry, having started in producing a couple of years ago and then boosting his repertoire by learning how to play the piano at Tupelo Music Academy.
Much of his inspiration comes from his father, Dennis Nolan, who's been playing string instruments as long as Ethan can remember. And it was his dad's influence, as well as his own work in the community that inspired him to not only make music, but to make a difference.
"I've always like to try to help, and I was struck with an epiphany that I should have been doing all along, full time, 10 years ago," he said. "Naturally when I make the music I want it mean something and I want it to change things. So that's how the school backpack drive and school lunch debt drive got started. It's been perfect."
Nolan has collected about 100 backpacks so far, and once the lunch debt payoff drive is complete, he'll focus on finishing that.
Nolan is also having a free concert at the Blue Canoe July 29, which will serve as the finally fundraising drive for the donation drive.
"I'll be doing my thing with a full backing band," he said. "We'll have an altar call and pass out buckets for donations and all that."
As for his music, Nolan says its hip-hop, "soft of with a different vibe because we have a full band. It's not what you normally think of when you hear it's a hip-hop show. There isn't anyone around here doing the same type of show that I'm doing that I know of with a full rap catalog on Spotify and Apple Music."
"Those are beats that I made. I took the album and got my band together and said we're about to learn this album. So went and played it live, and did the King Krawl this last weekend, and then we'll be doing our third show at Blue Canoe."
For Nolan to be the frontman with his group is out of the ordinary because he's usually been the drummer, playing the piano or producing.
"Now I get to talk to about chords and progressions and all that." he said.
Meanwhile donations can be made via CashApp at $ethannolan or Venmo at @ethan-nolan-1
