Expat bands raise funds for Calif. wildfire victims
Alpaca Lips / Courtesy of June Jung
By Jon Dunbar
Six music acts are coming together this Saturday for the
, raising money for the California wildfire relief effort.
The show, held at Camarata Music Company (CMC) Studio in Haebangchon, Seoul, will raise funds for the American Red Cross' California Wildfire Fund, and bar sales will go toward CMC, a registered nonprofit.
“At the risk of sounding cliche, it's the holiday season and it just feels right to employ the musical tools at our disposal towards trying to do something good for the less fortunate,” said Brett Elliott, one of the organizers.
This year has been the most destructive and deadly wildfire season on record in California. The fires caused more than $3.5 billion in damages, destroying over 18,000 structures and killing at least 97 civilians and six firefighters.
“Since I'm American, and one of our bandmates is from California, the thought of so many people losing their homes during the holidays concerns us and we'd like to help out in whatever small way we can,” Elliott said.
Elliott is also a musician, appearing in experimental guitar-driven rock quartet Alpaca Lips as singer and lead guitarist, and as drummer of indie post-rock trio Cicada State, which recently released its first album, “Inevitable Procession.”
“The goal this year has been to feature performers who will be playing mostly original music,” Elliott said. “Jonathan Hunt is a singer-songwriter with a smooth voice and a gentle strum. A Collective Effort is a passionate and catchy acoustic duo with a worthy message. Seth Mountain is an inspiring folk singer-songwriter who's sure to have the whole room singing along. Alpaca Lips is an experimental guitar-driven rock quartet with an inclination for shoe gazing. Cicada State is an indie post-rock trio that just released its first album, the Inevitable Procession. Decader is a progressive hard rock trio with high energy and stellar musicianship.”
While researching a charity to help with the fire recovery effort, Elliott found multiple sources pointing toward the American Red Cross, which shelters evacuees and provides emotional support. Charity Navigator scored it 100 for accountability and transparency.
“Transparency and trustworthiness has always been a huge concern of ours,” Elliott said of the choice.
Elliott says all donations will be counted after the last band finishes, and they will offer receipts for donations, just as last year.
The first “Rock for a Reason” charity show last year raised 211,000 won, which was put toward toy purchases at E-mart and delivered to Youngrak Orphanage for the staff to give out to children as they saw fit.
“Last year was very hands on, and required a lot of running around,” Elliott said. “Since we've stepped it up this year and are having more of a full band experience, I'm going to be busier setting up equipment, hosting and playing in the bands. As such, a joint Paypal account depositing the donations directly to the relief fund seemed logistically easier than hauling toys around in a huge box, which was done last year.”
Dan McLaughlin of Decader said, “It's an honor to be asked to play a gig that isn't just for the good times or self-indulgence, but you're one of the faces of that cause and part of the success of raising money for people in need. Rock music may not be what it was in its glory years, but it is still beneficial for bands to do what they can to attract people's attention to important issues, no matter how big or small the show. I hope we can encourage a few extra people to get involved and donate while doing what we love to do.”
The show begins at 7 p.m. Search for Alpaca Lips on Facebook for more information about the show.