Cover Photo by: Erin Caruso
Full Name: Erica Fae Ann Leite
Age: 26
Currently Residing: San Diego, CA (however, I travel year round, so all I have in SD is a storage unit right now)
Currently Listening to: Band of Horses, Lavender Diamond, Juno Soundtrack, Now It's Overhead, Fatlip, Masta Ace, The Exit , Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground...
I met Erica Leite last year on Warped Tour. I usually meet a lot of people on Warped but this was the first year meeting some of the charitable soldiers. I was amazed at the amount of work these people put in day in and day out...crazy ass weather conditions, kids everywhere and not really the most glamorous of settings. Usually when I meet people on Warped they have an air about them and so I never get excited about meeting them. Erica on the other hand was this very pleasant and smiley individual who I enjoyed talking to throughout the day and evening. I learned about Keep a Breast and Erica's role as ambassador to the organization. It's nice to see someone out there who believes in what they fight for and fight for it relentlessly. Erica recently lost her father to illness, and that, cannot be an easy thing to go through when you are trying to help others from being sick. Who does not commend a person who spends their time doing charitable work but also is out there just enjoying her life doing everything she loves to do. Please read on to learn more about KAB and the efforts of Miss Erica Leite.
How did you become involved with KAB and what is your role?
I began volunteering for Keep A Breast in 2004 I believe. Shaney Jo Darden (co-founder of KAB) and I both worked in the skateboard industry and met through mutual friends. I have been creating body casts since I was about 17 and then found out that KAB created breast casts for a wonderful cause!
You have done some amazing things involving the awareness of Breast cancer, last year you were on Warped Tour...tell us about that experience.
Well, we do all kinds of incredible events supporting breast cancer awareness. Last year was our 7th year on the Vans Warped Tour and it was a HUGE success! We were really able to educate the bands on our organization which helped us educate all of the concert attendees. It was amazing! We had guest artists join us in the tent such as Plasticgod, Peat, Odette Matha, Jack O'Shea from Bayside, Shawn Harris from The Matches, Colin Frangicetto & Anthony Green from Circa Survive, Matt Goddard from Chiodos and the list goes on....
What are some things you all do to bring about awareness? what are some current events you all are working on?
We bring out our traveling educational booth at all kinds of events...music festivals, shows, Skateboard events, surf contests, trade shows...all kinds of events. This usually includes educational information on breast cancer awareness and prevention. We generally will have guest artists on site to create live art. We also create PSA's that have been broadcasted on FUEL TV amongst many other events. Our core is creating art exhibitions of breast casts that have been painted by artists all over the world, and then are auctioned off (usually online) to raise funds for the cause.
Keep A Breast Music For Awareness, developing a unique avenue for musicians to donate their time and to influence the lives of their fans and so many more. We are inviting all promoters as well as bands out there to really step in and start making a difference. This campaign will allow anyone to play a role with KAB and throw his or her very own benefit show in support of the cause. This campaign will acknowledge and enable the fact that young people do want to be activists, to play a part of a bigger and better good. It was developed to provide an outlet that inspires people to better themselves and their communities.
Keep A Breast High School Education Program, which is unique in its hands-on approach to breast cancer awareness. Students have the opportunity to create and execute their very own Keep A Breast cast exhibition at their high school. This includes special guests such as pro-athletes and artists talking to the students in the beginning of the program about their experiences with breast cancer, students having full access to all educational material like self-exam cards and healthy tips card, students tapping into their imagination and gaining self-assurance, and students applying Keep A Breast’s mantra of art, education, awareness, and action in their every day actions.
Keep A Breast This Is My Story Campaign. This provides a space for people to share their stories and help to reduce the fear and mystery surrounding breast cancer. It helps to see and hear about other people that have been in the same situation and truly can help get through the process of a family member being diagnosed, or themselves. We will be on the AP Tour, Vans Warped Tour in the Girlz Garage Booth, Bamboozle and Taste of Chaos tours with our educational booths!(Click the links for dates and details)
Who are some of the people that have contributed casts to your cause? Who has been the most exciting and who would you most want to see a cast from?
Keep A Breast has partnered with many adored musicians and artists such as Gym Class Heroes, Foo Fighters, Devo, Sonic Youth, Shepard Fairey, Bigfoot, Caia Coopman, Andy Howell, Dita Von Tesse, Chris Pastras, Lucy McLauchlan, Sam Flores, Tiffany Bozic, Andrew Pomier, Tiffany Monk, Joan Jett, Angels & Airwaves, No Doubt, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Hot Rod Circuit, Bayside, Paramore, Cute is What We Aim For, Envy on The Coast, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Circa Survive, Chiodos, Poison the Well, Meg & Dia, The Matches, My American Heart, Oliver Peck, Pink, Arturo Vega, Anthony Green, Tom Delonge, Mark Hoppus, Bebe Buell, Kat Von D and so many more... Each and every one of the casts are so exciting to us! I would really love to cast Gwen Stefani and/or have her design a cast. She is so creative and talented and such an inspiration to young people, so I feel it would be a perfect match.
What was the most you've gotten in your fundraising experience?
Working with KAB has completely changed my life in every way. I feel that I am a better person. I appreciate that fact that people feel they can confide in me with their stories and personal issues. I meet people all of time...all over the world and I am constantly told that I have inspired people and I simply could not ask for anything more. It is the best feeling in the world to know that I am playing a part in changing so many people's lives.
What's Pink Pistol? How did you get involved in the fashion industry?
Pink Pistol is one of my clothing lines along with Sebastian Colfax. Pink Pistol started off as a fun side project and I designed and created fun pin-up style apparel purely for the runway. After a while I began designing more day wear apparel under both labels. I got into the fashion industry after working in product development and production for Black Box Distribution (Zero, Mystery & Slave Skateboards and Fallen Footwear). I fell in love, took a couple pattern making classes and taught myself the rest!
How on earth do you find the time to do KAB as well as design your own clothing line?
Funny! I don't much anymore. Actually, I have been trying to deplete much of my old stock so I can focus on designing a new line. However, I have been on the road with KAB for over a year now, without a home base nor art studio, so it make it very difficult to design a new line. There will be some time for that this Spring though...and I am so excited to reunite with my sewing machine!
Are you doing everything you had hoped for at this time in your life? I am doing absolutely everything and more than I had hoped for! My dad always asked me what are the top three most important things that I want out of life...and my response has always been to create art in some form or another, travel the world and meet as many people as possible. I sometimes sit back and take a look at the path I have been on and am shocked! I cannot believe all that I have accomplished in my life....and at such a young age, it's insane...and I am so thankful.
What's the best thing about going on tour as a non-musical act? Who have been some memorable people you've met while on the road and why?
I love being out on the road for Keep A Breast instead of being on the other side for many reasons, one being that I get to be the glue between the bands and their fans and educate both. Oh geez, nearly everyone that I have met on the road have been amazing. Just a couple that stick out are all the guys in Circa Survive and Envy on the Coast, we have developed a beautiful friendship and on top of that they have help out KAB so much! There are all of my ladies of course...Katie, Nicole, Ponce, Bree...too many to name them all. Bebe Buell was fun to meet and cast as well...such interesting stories!
You have quite a list of resolutions...how many have you accomplished thus far and any new ones?
Lucky for me I have accomplished every life long goal that I have ever set for myself! 2008 is a year for new beginnings in my life! I just recently bought a beautiful acoustic guitar and I am attempting to learn how to play...lucky for me, I have a lot of musician friends that I am around all of the time to help teach me!! I want to also make my way to Japan this year or next. There are more...so many more, too many to write them all down!
If a spaceship landed outside right now, would you get in it and where would you ask it to take you -- it can take you anywhere you want.
I would definitely get in and I would ask it to take me to see my dad.
Here's a video of Erica on Warped Tour getting rock stars to educate female youth...she's good, she's real good! Join Erica in her fight to bring about Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention - visit one of the KAB booths at this summers' festivals, buy a cast, donate some dough, spread the word and EDUCATE YOURSELF! Visit KAB's MySpace and let them know it's not all for nothing!
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