Drunk Unkles to Celebrate NSCA Volunteers of the Year Award at InfoComm 2018 Charity Concert

Drunk Unkles have raised more than $1 million for NSCA programs including IGNITE and PASS K-12 since first show 16 years ago.

CI Staff Leave a Comment

The NSCA Education Foundation this week announced the Drunk Unkles first 2018 fundraiser, scheduled for Wednesday, June 6 at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas during InfoComm 2018. And, as usual, the band members are being cheeky with the theme of this year’s show.

Dubbed “Awards are Nice … Like Tequila on Ice” as a toast to the band’s recent accomplishment as NSCA Volunteers of the Year, this year’s show kicks off at about 8:45 p.m. after the full day on the InfoComm trade show floor.

Now in their 13th year of supporting the NSCA Education Foundation, the Drunk Unkles have generated more than $1 million through this annual event. Their support helps fund programs including IGNITE and the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS K-12).

The all-star band features Felix Robinson, “Unkle” Steve Emspak and Marc Hochlerin of Shen Milsom & Wilke, Mike Phillips of Hudson Marketing Inc., John Cardone of Cardone Solomon and Associates, and “Aunt” Lisa Wenger, formerly of Bosch Communications Systems and now with the Lisa Wenger Band.

This year’s Drunk Unkles show will feature a number of special guests, including Mark Peterson, Billy Larson, and Rob D’Addario.

NSCA awarded the Drunk Unkles the 2018 NSCA Volunteers of the Year award “to recognize their continuous efforts to make the systems integration industry better,” according to the press release.

This year’s concert “will not only strengthen the NSCA Education Foundation’s efforts to grow the AV industry, but will also give the industry the chance to thank its beloved Drunk Unkles for all they’ve done,” the NSCA announcement says.

At the concert, the Drunk Unkles will auction off a Music Man guitar with an authenticated signature from renowned guitarist Albert Lee – with strings attached (featuring the latest D’Addario strings and accessories) donated by Cleerline’s Rob D’Addario. The money generated from this auction will be donated to the NSCA Education Foundation.

Drunk Unkles, InfoComm 2018, NSCA Volunteers of the Year

The Drunk Unkles will raise money for the NSCA Education Foundation during their InfoComm 2018 concert by auctioning off this guitar signed by Albert Lee.

Donations from this annual event “allow the NSCA Education Foundation to establish meaningful and impactful programs, offer scholarships, and provide training opportunities for new professionals and industry veterans,” according to the association press release.

“The Drunk Unkles are a very humble group that will likely want to hide from the attention and recognition of all they’ve done,” says Chuck Wilson, director of the NSCA Education Foundation and executive director of NSCA.

“It does appear, however, that tequila is their sweet spot. The Drunk Unkles have supported our industry in a way that no other group has.”

The band performed its first fundraising event 16 years ago to help the family of an industry peer who unexpectedly died.

Sponsors for this year’s NSCA Volunteers of the Year include Atlas Sound, Barco, Belden, Biamp, Bosch Communications Systems, BTX, Cleerline, FSR, Harman, Liberty AV, Milestone AV Technologies, NEC Display Solutions, Solutions360, Stewart FilmScreen, SurgeX, Synnex Corporation, West Penn Wire and Winsted Corporation.

Tickets for “Awards are Nice … Like Tequila on Ice” can be picked up at designated sponsor booths during InfoComm 2018, or downloaded on the NSCA Education Foundation site and the Drunk Unkles site.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Commercial Integrator Magazine

Read More Articles Like This… With A FREE Subscription

Commercial Integrator is dedicated to addressing the technological and business needs of professional integrators who serve the small and midsize business market. Whether you design, sell, service, or install… work on offices, churches, hospitals, schools or restaurants, Commercial Integrator is the dedicated resource you need.

No Comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *