Out and About Feature

In The Name Of Love

One of the best things about the local music community is its generosity
Interview by Mike Breen

Musicians like to help others. It’s in their nature. Photo By Cameron Knight

The most lasting images of 9/11 are the horrific ones. But there are visuals from that uncertain time that inspired hope and resilience over fear. Six weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, musical legends like Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Eric Clapton performed “The Concert for New York City” at Madison Square Garden.

The artists performing were especially spirited, but it was the glimpses of the crowd that were most moving: Teary-eyed police officers and firefighters who lost coworkers that tragic day seemed to lean forward, moved by the energy of the music and, as many have attested, garnering catharsis from its spirit and energy.

Musicians can be a cynical bunch sometimes, but when it comes to stepping up to the plate in the name of a good cause they understand it’s their best gift.

Rarely a week goes by when some artist in Greater Cincinnati’s music scene doesn’t present a concert for a charity, with many others lending a hand to (or even forming) an organization they feel strongly about. From local music compilations for non-cruel animal shelters (like Save Our Strays) to music programs for today’s youth (Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids and Blues in the Schools), there’s no shortage of musical/charitable crossover.

Often, organizers will create fitting charities in memory of a lost musician, such as the Michael Bany Scholarship Fund and the Big Joe Duskin Music Education Fund, both of which carry their namesakes’ legacies to future generations of aspiring musicians.

There are also events that benefit injured or fallen friends, family and even fellow local musicians, including the late Katie Reider and bassist Chris Walker, who was seriously hurt in an auto accident in 2007. And just recently, a benefit for Play It Forward, a new group dedicated to helping musicians with healthcare concerns, packed the Madison Theater with its first major event. Adam Rosing, who’s organized the Cincypunk Fest for the past seven years (giving the proceeds to a different organization every year), says he has an overabundance of local musicians coming forward each year to help with the event. (Cincypunk Fest VIII takes place April 10-11 at the Southgate House, raising money for the Animal Adoption Foundation.)

“There always seems to be a great sense of community overwhelming these types of events,” Rosing says. “Bands I have worked with really go out of their way to help promote the charity aspect of the event, and the egos that sometime present themselves during other shows throughout the year tend to lay back and enjoy being part of a celebration of local music.”

Rosing believes that, while Cincypunk has raised almost $19,000 for local charities since it began, the simple spreading of the different beneficiaries’ messages over the years has been equally important. Beth Holzerwilson, who performs with local bands Lovely Crash and Fairmount Girls, felt similarly when she and fellow local musician Jeff Conner hatched the idea of doing a tribute to ’80s music, with original local bands taking turns on their favorite hits of the decade. The tribute show “Pop Rocks” has since become one of the area’s biggest annual club shows.

Partnering with local group Stop AIDS and adding a fundraising aspect came immediately to mind.

“AIDS was just coming to prominence in the ’80s, and the world hadn’t seen anything like it before,” says Holzerwilson, who’s also working on a similar Afghan Whigs tribute show in June to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research. “A very beautiful, dear friend of mine from high school died of AIDS in the ’80s, and I wanted him to know I was still dancing to the music. In the ’80s if you had AIDS you were ostracized. I don’t want anyone to ever feel that way again, and this was my chance to educate the public.”

There are innumerable examples of musicians fighting for causes over the past 50 years. From George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh and the high-profile “No Nukes” event to Live Aid and Live8 to the anti-racism movement in the Punk scene since its inception, musicians have proven to be nothing if not philanthropic.

“Musicians have always been the voice of the problems in the world,” says Kelly Thomas, founder of the Rivertown Music Club (which gives recording grants to struggling musicians) and participant/ organizer of more charitable music events than probably any other local musician in the past five years. “I think shows that focus on greater causes are an extension of the musician’s commentary on the world. And I’ve learned people really do want to do good — sometimes they just need to have access to an easy way to make a big impact.”

It’s certainly not just musicians who work hard to help important causes. Just as a carpenter would volunteer to help build a house for a hurricane victim, it’s something they can do that can potentially results in bigger change. “It’s what we can do, and I think when tragedy strikes or a cause presents itself, the first thing every one asks is ‘What can I do?’ ” says local musician Sean Rhiney. “No one likes to feel helpless or powerless. Musicians already cope with our own lives through writing and playing, so it’s a natural reaction: ‘Let’s put together a show, make a disc, make some noise!’ ”

Rhiney, who’s worked closely with the local music community for more than a decade as a musician and cofounder of the MidPoint Music Festival, can’t keep track of the number of charitable events he’s either performed at or helped organize. Currently working with Holzerwilson and Sammy McKee on the Whigs/Cystic Fybrosis benefit, Rhiney also has been helping the movement to get a memorial stage dedicated to Folk/Pop singer Reider (who died at age 30 from a rare tumor) at all upcoming editions of the Taste of Cincinnati food and music fest.

Rhiney agrees with Thomas that an artist’s eagerness to respond to a call for help is just a natural extension of being creative.

“I think most musicians are articulate, aware and very passionate, the latter usually to our detriment,” Rhiney says. “And most of us don’t have lots of cash to throw around, so when someone is in need, we instantly react — we write a song, we try to help out or do what we can, and that expression is typically through music.

“I’ve read Bob Geldof’s book, and it’s absolutely fascinating how ordinary he thought he was and yet what extraordinary things he accomplished (with Live Aid) for what he believed in after watching a late night BBC program on famine in Ethiopia. Most folks would just roll over and go back to sleep.” ©