RockCorps hits town, offering tix for cleanup

BCleaning up around Philly has never sounded so good. This weekend, Boost Mobile RockCorps is sweeping into town as part of its 11-city cleanup tour asking volunteers to contribute four hours to weeding, picking up trash and planting flowers.

In return BMRC will give volunteers tickets to an exclusive concert by rock band Taking Back Sunday next month at the Fillmore on South Street.

It's the first time since it started in 2005 that BMRC, a national youth volunteer organization, has stopped in Philly, said director of communications, Chrystal Parker. Philly is the eighth stop of the tour.

Along with Greater Philadelphia Cares, she said, organizers expect 400 people to show up. The Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia will be the first site of the two community-service events on Saturday.

Participants will work outside, she said.

On Sunday, volunteers will plant flowers and clean around Hunting Park. On both days events begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.

Taking Back Sunday - which has played twice in previous stops in Houston and Portland - "hopped on" the chance to get involved, said bass player Matt Rubano over the phone.

Rubano said the band enjoys "having a positive effect" and doing "something other than playing and recording," he said.

Since its inception, BMRC has had over 25,000 people in different cities get involved in community service, Parker said.

"We use music as an incentive," she said.

Other than outdoor cleanups, the organization is also involved in school and playground renovation and food distribution.

The clean-up tour will next head to New Orleans - the city whose mayor, Ray Nagin, quipped last spring that Philadelphia was filthier than the Big Easy.

The reward concert for Philly volunteers will take place on Aug. 27. The tour will end in New York City at the Radio City Music Hall. *