Heeding Oil

Little controversy surrounds tonight's Troc concert with ties to Hugo Chavez.

by A.D. Amorosi

activism

THE MOD COUPLE: Mikal Kamil and Dan Levin may keep it light, but their events come with a message. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Would you let a dictator who savaged his people and likened George Bush to Satan during an address to the United Nations pay for your heating bill? The answer's "yes" if you're going to 3Kingdoms' third annual Artists for Heat benefit tonight at the Trocadero — an event whose elite sponsor, CITGO Petroleum, is owned by the Venezuelan government and its president, Hugo Chavez.

For most of us, that's just fine. "Because it's not about politics, it's about people," says Dan Levin, vice president of 3Kingdoms Entertainment, a local production company he runs with co-founder and CEO Mikal Kamil. Specifically, it's about people like Kamil's grandmother who, two years ago, had problems paying for the heat at her 58th and Chester home. "Having grown up poor, I knew what it was like to not be able to pay heating bills."

Kamil and Levin want to not only raise awareness of the plight of an estimated 6 million low-income Americans without heat this winter, but to raise cash for Philadelphia's low-income families. Proceeds from ticket sales from the 8 p.m. event featuring Public Enemy, the Roots, Everlast, host Sandra Bernhard and others will be donated to the CITGO/Citizens Energy Oil Heat Program and PECO's Matching Energy Assistance Fund (MEAF).

This isn't the first time 3Kingdoms aided the heatless. Last year's 3Kingdoms Artists for Heat event at PECO's Energy Hall raised more than $6,000 for PECO's MEAF customers. And this isn't even the first time 3Kingdoms — based at Coral Street Arts House in Fishtown — has taken care of Philly's less fortunate. Their ongoing series of Get Outta Klass music-education programs and concerts, dedicated to what Kamil calls building "preparedness, confidence and excellence" among underprivileged students, was one of their first initiatives.

"It's the reason we're here," says Kamil, 37, a music producer born in Southwest Philadelphia and raised in Los Angeles. Along with Levin, a 24-year-old State College native, the duo book and promote events for the greater good. "That's our brand. We bring together entertainment and consciousness. If you take on 3Kingdoms, you have to take on our issues."

Mos Def found that out last July when the acting rapper was in need of a venue for a last-minute show. Kamil, a friend of Def's, would arrange the venue and its promotion at the Trocadero, "but only if we could include our kids' artwork as part of his sound check," says Kamil.

So, students from Germantown High School and Bartram High showed their paintings and DJ skills before Def came on, and Def got a sold-out show. It was at that Get Outta Klass event that Levin and Kamil announced Artists for Heat as well as some of its sponsors and artist participants. Six months later, they made it happen, with the last-minute changes of CITGO as its elite sponsor after PECO, Comcast and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. took supporting roles.

"It was our promise to the city of Philadelphia," says Kamil, who notes that there've been no protests over their plan, save for the person who took the time to send a "you're a black communist" e-mail. "So we had to stand up."

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Kamil says he learned to merge activism with entertainment from his godfather, Isaac Hayes, the legendary songwriter who also taught him how to produce records; and Stanley Clarke, the jazz bassist/soundtrack composer. "Both these men taught me how to use my position in the community, artistic and otherwise, for good," says Kamil, who started 3Kingdoms in 2003.

Two years later, Levin, a business-minded studio engineer, came into the picture. "I love to entertain, but love to help people even more," says Levin.

With Kamil looking for someone grounded to help him curb his ambitious ways — "I aim at Jupiter without looking at what's happening on the ground," he says — Levin became his right-hand man. "If I was a white Jewish guy, I'd want to be Levin," he notes. Levin says "ditto" to being a black guy.

Their MySpace photos show off the pair's jovial camaraderie and theatricality — like the one where Kamil's dressed like Howard Hughes, pilot outfit and all. "Heroes of mine like Hughes, Louis B. Mayer and Quincy Jones were producers who dealt with heads of state, internationally and nationally. That was our model," he says.

Thus, working with CITGO and, indirectly, Chavez, was natural. 3Kingdoms got involved with the Venezuelan oil giant when PECO passed. "The event outgrew our title sponsorship when it got big enough to warrant a larger venue," says Cathy Engel, PECO spokeswoman. "But PECO's Universal Services were excited by 3K's enthusiasm and admired their passion toward helping our customers in this area stay warm."

Mention CITGO's involvement and PECO, like the GPTMC, will respond that CITGO came on far after its involvement was made clear and that, ultimately, they're all for helping people stay warm.

"Our sponsorships are not political statements either way. We're all about Philly," says Caroline Bean, GPTMC spokeswoman.

3Kingdoms then got introduced to the Citizens Energy Corporation, Joe Kennedy II's nonprofit organization that funnels revenues from commercial enterprises to charitable programs in the U.S. and abroad through executives at Farm Aid.

"They loved our concept and saw how the event could grow annually," says Kamil. But with CEC's resources in flux, 3Kingdoms got directed to its principal sponsors, CITGO. "We threw a Hail Mary pass, met with people at the Venezuelan Embassy in America and then went straight to the president's office."

A bond was formed, and CITGO agreed not only to elite sponsorship (neither Levin, Kamil nor CITGO's representatives will discuss financial terms) but to an event in the motherland — "Music is Our Oil" in summer 2008, with 3Kingdoms as its bookers.

That's when they'll finally meet with Chavez.

"Look, we know that Chavez is the elephant in the room," says Kamil, who notes that the controversy surrounding one man's actions means little. "Artists for Heat was born an elephant and only grew bigger with time. People we know in Philadelphia don't have heat. Children can't take hot showers before they go to school. Old people can't stay warm. There'd better be controversy."

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)