2008.01.28
Warehouse fire relief
How does a fight start? What leads to someone getting knocked on his rumpus -- as they might say, with some self-censorship.
The whole thing materialized right next to me. I had not been paying attention to my right side at the bar, but it was apparent that someone was being overpowered at Martin's Downtown, in Roanoke, on Monday morning.
It happens all the time in nightspots, but this one was different. The guy on the down side had a serious leg-break.
His foot was sideways-flat against the floor, after someone took him down. A friend of his was hollering, with blood on his cheek, for someone to step up and claim responsibility.
It was a sad ending for a generally good night of fundraising for artists who lost gear in the Jan. 3 fire at a Church Avenue warehouse. J.D Sutphin, whose band Madrone played, sent me this information:
"Steve Gross and Jerry Ridenhour (who organized the event) called me after the bar closed to inform me that we made over $700 at the door and on top of that Jason put in $300 to make it an even grand," Sutphin, of WROV-FM, wrote in an e-mail. "Plus we had over $200 from the raffle."
Now for the bands:
The Wading Girl had a strong acoustic rock/folk (yes, I say that instead of folk/rock) set, with the beat lying heavy on the twos and fours, and open-hearted lyrics from the band's Billy Wallace.
The Young Sinclairs were next, recovering the Byrds' spirit, and those of other 60s-era bands, to create a tight, grounded yet post-psychedelic set of songs that would've made them legends 40 years ago, and has already won them serious local and regional fans today.
Madrone laid down a set of introspective/anger-rock with a lode of tight riffs. Singer/guitarist Sutphin's songs straddle a line between fully blasting and fully melodic.
Then came the band that needed help the most -- Doug Cheatwood and the Bastards of Fate. This band lost most of its gear in the fire. But it used borrowed intstruments onstage on Sunday night/Monday morning to make something fascinating happen.
Cheatwood has taken to leaving out his name, but he is the spark. And here's what I was going to lead with before jackasses had a fight: this is the best live band in Roanoke. If you get this band -- and you have to sit with it to get it -- you'll know what I mean. You like Beck? Devo? Oingo Boingo? Go hear this band, which has an idiosyncratic take on all that, filtered through life in Roanoke.
The Bastards of Fate deserve the help. Good thing a couple of other benefits might be in the offing.
A friend of mine and I mused on the possibility that headliner Ademption, from Wytheville, could be an effective opening act in a three- or four-act hard rock show. This band knows all the complaint-rock tricks.
Not long after my musing partner left, I saw the disturbance right next to my barstool.
Before I could get my bearings, it was over -- with one man lying in deep pain on the floor.
I think it was bad luck that he wound up with something at least akin to a compound fracture. But c'mon! Why does anyone have to start something like this at a fund raiser? It's not like a typical night at any bar, where you're likely to see some heads get knocked around. It's about helping out the people that are making your night something better and more beautiful than a UFC match.
If you have a vendetta, or if you just have a pseudo-legitimate gripe, forget it for at least a minute. Remember what a night like this is all about. It's not about you.
Bar owner Jason Martin says he brought in $550, of which at least $200 is going to the cause. Sutphin later cleared that up, saying that the cause got all the money, and the $200 was additional money that Martin donated on his own. Doug Cheatwood, the Situationist and others lost gear in the fire. So despite the quick dose of late night violence, something good happened.
"Doug Cheatwood informed Jerry Ridenhour (of Ridenhour Music) that they will be able to get back almost 90% of what was lost," Sutphin e-mailed. "Jerry is even ordering their new equipment himself so they can get it to them at cost. He really outdid himself, very cool guy."
Keep an eye on the paper. We'll have news of more benefit shows (if they happen) coming at you.
Never underestimate the stupidity of some people, it is a shame when their lack of civility interrupts any show.
I'll echo the "Thumbs up" for the "Ademption" guys. I had the chance to mix them when they opened for a "TK-421" show, they are a talented group and I look forward to watching their growth as a band.
Comment by Wayne-GOSG — January 28, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
Kudos to Jason for hosting the event & for throwing in the extra $$$ to make it an even $1,000.
Comment by Stu — January 31, 2008 @ 10:53 am
I received this e-mail from Karen Morgan today. Good info for bands thinking about insurance ...
>About 10 years ago, my husband was involved in the Echoes from the Valley project and his own band. All those guys rented space at that same place. One night their loft was broken into by several young people who lived across the street (we know this because the police eventually arrested several of them). My husband lost a good bit of PA gear. Our homeowner's insurance covered our loss. Although not all companies provide coverage for storage or rented space away from the primary residence. It may be a good thing to pass along to these folks. They need to pick up the phone and find out of the Homeowner or Renter policy they have for their residence will cover their loss at their storage unit. They may be pleasantly surprised. Luckily we had the added security of replacement value too, so we really did not lose for depreciation either........
Comment by Tad — February 1, 2008 @ 6:50 pm