Josh Rifkind: Like a Rolling Stone

On a recent afternoon, manic musician and Atlanta music scene raconteur Josh Rifkind was a human slab of nervous, contagious energy. His cell phone was ringing constantly and ideas were flowing for his rapidly approaching project. He was 10 days away from a 10-night, multiact extravaganza called 500 Songs for Kids.

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“I decided I wanted my life to mean a lot more than music,” he says as the wind blows his trademark, unruly mane of hair. Since his skills include organizing and hosting multinight, multiact events such as the hectic but extremely popular annual Open Mic Madness shows at Smith’s, he decided to direct his efforts toward a massive music event – but with a twist. “I wanted to put together the largest, craziest, biggest event ever in Georgia and I thought it’d be even better if I incorporated the fact that I wanted to do something good.”

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But what could he do to make his mark? “One day I saw the list of the ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’ in Rolling Stone, and I thought, how crazy would it be to do a show and perform them all? It was probably impossible, so I had to do it.”

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Originally featured in the November 2004 issue of the magazine, the list features 500 of the arguably “greatest” songs of all time, as voted by a panel of musicians, critics and industry insiders. The Beatles have 23 songs on the list and Bob Dylan has 12, including, appropriately, “Like a Rolling Stone.”

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Rifkind’s dad is a trauma surgeon in New York who “spent his life, literally, saving people’s lives,” says Rifkind. “And I wanted to do something like that, but with music. Playing in a band is great, but it doesn’t compare to that.”

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The best way to start was to do a benefit for a kid’s fund, Rifkind finally decided. “Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the largest networks of children’s hospitals in the country,” he explains. “They sponsor a network of 13 camps. So I started to learn about all these camps and they’re all different. Camp High Five is for children with AIDS, Camp Sunshine is for kids with cancer. And they all use this campground called Camp Twin Lakes. It’s an incredible place where kids can learn, grow and heal.”

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Then Rifkind got confirmation from above. “When I was about to make the first call to make it official and get the ball rolling, I was on North Druid Hills and my mind was racing. I made a wrong turn and I was lost. My brain was just thinking how much this could mean to people and how much good I could do and I wasn’t even thinking where I was going,” he recalls excitedly. “I made a U-turn blindly to turn around. I looked up, there was Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the charity I’d decided to work with. And bam, it was like, ‘Welcome, son. You are now a real person.’ It felt like it was a sign that my whole life was turning around and it was starting here. I want to have a moment like that every day.”

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His wish came true because since then, every day has been consumed by that moment.

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“It is a full-time job,” he says. “Twenty-four/seven, baby.” Even six years of hosting the frenzied Open Mic Madness didn’t prepare him for the pace of the event. “This is the largest musician-centered charity event ever in Georgia,” he says. “Bringing together roughly 1,500 individually performing musicians – all for an incredible cause. Is it impossible to do? Maybe, but I’m gonna do it, anyway.”

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With three friends – Kendra Gurkin, Justin Kerenyi and Sanjay Kothari – Rifkind formed the Songs for Kids Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization to connect musicians, the music industry and music fans with kids in need. “It’s not an ego thing,” says Rifkind, who is reluctant to advertise specific bands on board. “It’s not about who’s playing what night because everyone is a small part of the 500 songs.”

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At the time of the interview, over 400 acts were confirmed. Among the names in ink in Rifkind’s well-worn notebook: Earl Klugh, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Adam McKnight and Charles Bulloch, Jaspects, Five Eight, Dionne Farris, Hope for Agoldensummer, Malachi, Aslyn, the Swear, Julie Dexter, Michael Tolcher, the Selmanaires, PJ Morton and Angie Aparo.

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But the focus will remain on the beneficiaries, the camps and the hospital. “Each night, we’ll feature a different camp. I’m gonna talk about it between songs, and people from the organizations will be there,” Rifkind says. “So 1,500 musicians and the audience are all gonna be educated that there’s something they can do to help. It’s a creative way to shed light on people who are doing the real stuff.”

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“This isn’t about music,” he says as his cell phone rings again. “A lot of music will be played, and we’ll have fun, but 500 Songs for Kids is about bringing people together to help other people. That’s what music should do.”