Dansonfest - Dedicated to the memory of Nicholas Sofer-Schreiber, The Ginger Ninja. 1986 – 2013. When Canberra punk rock stalwart Nicholas Sofer-Schreiber was murdered in his Lyneham home in December 2013, the tragedy sparked a flow of tributes from some of the biggest bands in Australia, and the world. Members of The Descendants, All, Strung Out and the Implants were among the more than 1,200 ban
ds, punters and friends who took to social media to pay homage to the 27-year-old audiophile that few outside the punk rock music scene had ever heard of. Orphaned, legally blind, and tragically murdered, Nick's short life was filled with adversity. But his boundless optimism, passion for music and willingness to travel nationally and internationally to watch the musicians he loved endeared him to all who met him. While he never took the stage himself, in his own way, he was famous. So when the world was struck with the tragic news, there was not a doubt in anyone's mind that Nick deserved the punk rock festival that he always dreamed about. But the ultimate success of the venture depended on raising enough funds to get it off the ground. Mourners at his funeral were encouraged to forgo flowers and instead donate money towards the establishment of an annual music festival to commemorate Nick. Dansonfest was first held on 26 April 2014 to raise funds for the establishment of the annual puck rock music festival and to honour the life of Australia's punk rock icon, Nick Sofer-Schreiber, aka the Ginger Ninja. The event filled The Basement to capacity with people reminiscing and paying tribute to the amazing and unique man that Nick was. Bands and acoustic artists lit the stages, with the music going into the wee hours of the morning. By the end of it, every person in the room was grinning from ear to ear - an accurate reflection of the incredible and infectious personality that Nick was. The generosity of the bands and the punters at Dansonfest 2014 contributed to the raising of thousands of dollars, all going towards the annual ginger ninja punk rock festival. The festival was later named Gingerfest and was held at the Factory Floor in Sydney on 6 December 2014. The festival was a great success and Dansonfest is proud to have been part of it. So now Canberra continues to pay homage to the guy that inspired us all. Dansonfest will always be about the music, about the people and most importantly about Nick. Good music and good mates were everything to him, and an incredibly high calibre bunch of bands have now set the platform for old and new friends to get together, pay tribute and have an absolute blast! "For so many punk rock musicians both here in Australia and abroad, it's heartbreaking to think that Nick won't be there front and centre at our shows ever again, so we thought, if we can't have Nick at the shows, let's just go on and have one hell of a show for Nick. It wasn't just the big name bands that Nick supported. He was forever going to watch and support new and emerging musicians. We think this is a fitting tribute, one he would have wanted. Everyone who knew and loved Nick is behind this. Now, we are also calling on everyone who respects what he believed in, to get behind it, too.”
