As the independent arts festival, Ear To The Ground festival gears up for it's debut Sep 16-18th at Exhibition Place, they're taking an organizing break to have a little fun and raise a little much needed cash.

Yes, it's a fundraising party - but this is no boring schmooze fundraiser either. Brace yourself for an evening of vampires... and Jesus. The party kicks off with a performance by the Vampire Beach Babes and then a screening of the award-winning cult flick Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter will follow.

I spoke with Kim from Ear to the Ground about the event and learned that money raised at this fundraiser, and another one coming up on June 25th (details to come), will actually be going towards securing various 'hot' artists who will be playing the main event in September.

The festival itself this fall prides itself on being multi-disciplinary and will showcase some fine indepent music acts, film, video, theatre, spoken word, dance and visual art.

Sign up for the mailing list at www.eartothegroundfest.com to get regular updates on the event as artists and performers are secured. If you're an artist looking to get involved or want to volunteer, you'll find plenty of info on the site as well.

A few words from Kim:
"Please support us in any way you can. Coming out to our fundraisers is a great way, and you will actually get something for your $7 or $8 - not to mention exposure to the city's extremely good arts scene. Of course, if any readers have bags of money lying around that they were planning on throwing out..."

The Bloor Cinema fundraiser happens June 2nd at 9:30pm. Doors open at 9:15. Tickets are $8, and will be available in advance at the Bloor Cinema box office or at the door.