The tale of Ludicra has quickly become THE story of The Bay Area Metal Scene for 2010. The outpouring of support for them in the wake of a medical emergency has been beyond amazing. It's also reminded me why I'm proud to say The Bay Area is my place of birth and my homeland. The San Franfuckincisco Bay Area Metal Scene is a tight community, but it's inspiring to see how The Metal Scene nation / worldwide has responded. METALHEADS: We take care of our own.
Earlier today, longtime Umlaut friend Billy Anderson asked me to post his contribution to Ludicra's cause. For the newbies: Billy is a legend for his work producing bands such as Sleep, Melvins, Eyehategod, Mr. Bungle, Black Cobra, and MANY others. His discography also includes Ludicra's Another Great Love Song album.
Lifers forever, man. To quote Billy: "This is not a hobby." So, without further ado, here's Billy:To all fans of good music and musicians, to fans of music that i have worked with and stand behind, and to wishers of good will and gesture, and especially to to keepers of the faith:
PLEASE HELP LUDICRA.
(Included in this note is a link to the Profound Lore Records site with info galore, and a link to the press release put together by Nathan Carson of Nanotear Booking and Wolves in the Throne Room from Olympia WA. It has gone out to Blabbermouth, Pitchfork Media, and other online and music related media outlets.)
John Cobbett, guitar wizard and co-founder of Ludicra, founder of Hammers of Misfortune-to name only a couple- is in dire need of your help. He is at this moment being released from the hospital in Washington state after having been there almost a week after a misdiagnosed appendix attack, then the eventual rupture, near death and eventual treatment of appendicitis-all while embarking on Ludicra's biggest and most important tour in its 12-year history...
The outpouring of support from the music community has been plentiful and inspiring so far.. John is out of the hospital today (Wed. 4-7-2010) and resting in the Northwest before rejoining the rest of Ludicra in New York on the 13th..I believe they are playing at least a few shows as a 4-piece until John meets them, so...catch those shows as an EXTREME rarity and buy a shirt and bring friends!!! Please forward this to anyone who might be concerned or is a fan of Ludicra or Hammers of Misfortune, as a personal favor to John, the band, myself and the spirit of true and real music.
Please help if you can. 10 bucks, 20 bucks, 13 Pesos, A few Rupees, whatever you can do... Even if you are dirt-ass broke, go see them on the rest of their tour when they come to your town and call all your friends in other cities of the tour, post tour dates, buy merch, support the tour in any way you can. Because its important.
Wolves in the Throne Room has stepped up and made a generous offer to anyone who raises a certain amount of money. In keeping with that notion, i want to do my part as well in one of the ways i can..
My offer:
This offer is extended to: Any band, label, management or booking agency, radio station, gear broker, band member, friend of band member, understanding and awesome girlfriend, well-off and supportive parent or family member of anyone associated with music and the recording of it-- Any entity or combined effort of entities mentioned above that can raise a substantial amount of money (starting at $100 US-and above, up to any amount you can raise..) to donate to John Cobbett/Ludicra, I hereby offer my professional services as Producer/ Engine-Ear. Dollar for dollar.
If your band, radio station, store, etc (i will call it "entity" ) raises and donates 100 bucks, i will donate to your entity 100 dollars worth of my time/services to your entity. If you raise 5 grand, i donate 5 grand worth. Simple. This offer is extended with no real "expiration date", as i am sure John's medical expenses combined with touring expenses will set John and Ludicra back for quite some time.
I offer this as a gesture of good will and faith, and a bit of a fundraising challenge. And on a more personal note, John totally saved my ass when we were recording "Another Great Love Song"-scooping me from a near-death zombie state, rushing me to a couple E.R.s and helping cover me financially when i had a nasty and untreated tooth infection. I never forgot that.
BACK STORY:
The back story is, for me, the main reason this is all such a dire circumstance and the reason there is a need for the music-NAMELY THE METAL-community to unite and pull together for the greater good.
Ludicra are not only one of my favorite bands ever, they are also my good friends, most of them for well over a decade. John Cobbett, Ludicra, and Hammers of Misfortune are long-time unsung spokes-heroes for San Francisco music and metal in general. They have slugged it out for over a decade with no major touring or even recognition on the level they deserve. They caught a break when asked to do a direct-support slot on Mayhem's upcoming U.S. tour. But just when they FINALLY get a wind behind them- Mayhem cancelled. Ludicra, bloodied but motivated-forged ahead. Along with the steadfast skills of Nathan Carson at Nanotear Booking and the other bands/their people, the tour was booked anyway. To kickstart the tour in San Francisco, Ludicra opened for Pentagram. Though John had his first (and misdiagnosed) attack of appendicitis and been in the emergency room for hours JUST before the show- he showed up at doors, no soundcheck, and to a packed hometown audience, Ludicra routinely and summarily DESTROYED. Days later, after the very first "official" show of the tour in Portland, Or., John's appendix burst, endangering his life and putting him in the hospital-and in the arms of the health care system, uninsured. He's been in the hospital for almost a week now at the mercy of the system, surgeries, and unthinkable bills. Each day that passes is one more show Ludicra cannot play. And another day the rest of the band is away from home and losing precious money.
There you go. Like the statement/ release made by Wolves in the Throne Room, i don't want to sound like a telethon or infomercial or cause anyone to feel sorry for John or anything like that. This is a genuine call to arms for anyone who cares about metal, about music and about a great band who is finally getting their due. Its also a way to give a bit of yourself to help John Cobbett, an important and legendary figure in music in San Francisco and certainly, the world.
Thank you for reading.
REGARDING THE OFFER MADE BY ME:
Please email me to make arrangements about redeeming my services. billy@billyanderson.net
or on Facebook:
Billy Anderson on Facebook
or Myspace:
Billy Anderson Myspace
DONATIONS:
To make a donation to LUDICRA/John Cobbett directly through Profound Lore, simply send a payment via paypal here: profoundlorerecords@gmail.com
This is the general donation fund.
Anyone wanting to take advantage of my offer, PLEASE put in the subject: LUDICRA John Cobbett/BILLY ANDERSON OFFER
I will arrange with Ludicra/Profound Lore the documentation and eventual settlement between anyone who meets the challenge and the eventual redemption of the final amount.
Thank you.
Other links:
Profound Lore Records/Ludicra info plus other links and donation options:
http://www.profoundlorerecords.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=901&Itemid=2
Wolves in the Throne Room statement/ info:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=10894259&blogID=532297242
Remaining shows of the tour:
http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows&friendid=2320836&n=Ludicra
