Kansas City Music Community Comes together for Local Drummer

Support local music is a common mantra for people to say; every national, and international, act was once a local band. Whether a band is trying to jump from the local scene, to the national stage, or are just a group of accountants playing Friday nights at the local bar and grill, all are in need of support from their local community. Sometimes that support makes all the difference.

Those who have followed this site for a while are likely aware of two things: one, I am an amateur magician, and two, I’m good friends with Kansas City based rock band, Sidewise. Which takes us to the point of this post. Jason Dean is the drummer for Sidewise, and Jason is also a magician, which is how I got to know him, and have for some time during the early 2000’s.

Jason suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, and it has come back hitting him hard, causing him to lose feeling in his hands, and legs. Needless to say, this is devastating for someone who requires digital dexterity to make their living. What started with a GoFundMe (linked here: https://www.gofundme.com/ms-treatment-for-jason-dean/) seeking $30,000 turned into a fundraiser for Jason at Saloon 9 in Grandview Missouri.

The local, and national, rock community rallied behind Jason to put together a fundraiser, with members of Load Point Pull, and Jason’s other band, Under the Covers, performing a raucous set, of original tunes, and covers, to a packed house of music fans, eager to pay the door charge, to help Jason raise some additional funds for his MS treatment.

Of course, it would take more than just the door take to bring money in, and several items were up for bidding in a silent auction, things that any music fan would love to have in their collection: a Linkin Park drum head, a guitar signed by Foo Fighters. A Seether tour jacket…things that couldn’t be had anywhere else. I even donated some original photos from my collection; two of Sevendust, which we were able to get signed, all to raise some money for Jason.

Money is tight for everyone now, but people did let their generosity show, and a few bidding wars broke out on several items (a crowd favorite being a Jack Daniels statue, which survived a hard fall from off a Skeeball table). All told, over $9,000 was raised for Jason that night. With the GoFundMe campaign just shy of $16,000 at the time of this writing, Jason is just within reach of his goal.

If you weren’t able to attend, or would like to give some money to a good cause, please consider donating a little bit to Jason’s campaign; every little bit helps. If you can’t give, please share the post, so it gains some more visibility. MS is a bitch, help fight it.