Stephanie Dennis

Stephanie Sokol for The Oakland Press

Oakland County band Royal Hoax will rock the Scarab Club on June 28, bringing music to the art gallery at the Preserve the Arts benefit concert.

Brothers Jake and Mark Hoke with Elijah Nelson make up Royal Hoax, a band that plays for causes — this one an effort to support the arts in Detroit and throughout Michigan.

“We believe that art is one of the city’s most valuable assets,” Jake said. “It’s a really important thing for so many reasons, to keep it going.”

FYI: The Preserve the Arts benefit event is at 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 28. Presale tickets are $12 and can be purchased at www.royalhoax.com/events/preserve-the-arts?xg_source=activity. The show is limited to 75 guests. The Scarab Club is at 217 Farnsworth St., Detroit, across from the Detroit Institute of Arts. Follow the band atwww.facebook.com/RoyalHoaxDetroit.

With art and music programs being cut in local schools, and rumors of the DIA possibly being forced to sell part of its collection, Royal Hoax wanted to do something to keep art alive in the state.

“In order for Michigan’s future to be successful on a competitive scale, you’ve got to keep the arts intact, because it helps a lot of people think creatively and come up with new ideas to move forward,” Mark Hoke said.

The band from Pontiac became known through its Rock4Hunger Tour, during which Royal Hoax brought its music to schools and mall kiosks, sharing their songs in efforts to end hunger and promote music awareness.

Proceeds from album sales and shows have helped Gleaner’s Food Bank. The band has distributed more than 6,500 albums and provided more than 32,000 meals for people in need, in addition to promoting music education in the schools.

“A big reason we do Rock4Hunger is to help schools’ music programs, if they may be going through budget cuts,” Mark Hoke said. “Many schools are cutting out music and art programs, so we like to bring in those concerts to keep that in the front of the mind and give the students a unique experience, maybe opening their eyes to careers that they might not know exist outside of their normal curriculum.”

This concert is unlike shows the band has done in the past — it will be their first time playing in an art gallery.

 

The Scarab Club, a venue for art, music and literature, is more interactive, says Jake Hoke. The club hosts exhibits, poetry readings and workshops. Fifty-eight percent of ticket proceeds from the Preserve the Arts show will benefit the Scarab Club.

The band members are most looking forward to furthering their cause in this more intimate concert setting.

“We want it to be a more intimate, exclusive event, where we can play in a really, really unique place … outside of the typical concert situation,” Jake said. “It will be really cool, a little bit different of a vibe.”

Artist Madelyn Hilty will paint live at the club during the set, which will feature two new Royal Hoax songs never publicly performed before. Everyone who buys a ticket will be entered in a raffle to win the finished painting.

Hilty, an artist, illustrator and student at Kendall College of Art and Design, has been creating art since she was 3. She said drawing and oil painting are her favorite media.

“Art is part of our cultural heritage,” she said. “So many things we know about the past, we know because of art. Art is just a part of our everyday society — with advertisements, video games — we are completely surrounded by art on a daily basis.”