Area Musicians Band Together

Benefit for WTC victims to be held at CBGB's on October 5th New York, NY September 19, 2001: As so many in the New York City area are coping with the September 11th tragedy, musicians are reaching out to help in the best way they know how; continuing to play music. On Friday, October 5th, at 8pm, 11 bands from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut will come together for a benefit concert to take place at the legendary CBGB (315 Bowery St, NYC), a venue recognized worldwide for its punk rock history. Dubbed the "You Can't Keep Us Down" Rally, all profits from this event will go to the Twin Towers Fund and the World Trade Center Relief Fund. Organized by Chris Gibson of the band High Speed Chase, the evening was originally meant to be a birthday celebration, but after the events that have taken place, Gibson felt that was no longer appropriate. Gibson, who lives and works in Hoboken, New Jersey, explained, "I think we now need to address a larger world issue. Before, the show was just for fun, but we've had to rethink it. We have no choice but to rethink it. We want to uplift people from the tragedy, but it will not be pushed aside. We are going to address it and talk about it at the show." Gibson has been an active member of the local music community for years, most notably with his previous benefit work for the early East Coast campaign for the Rock the Vote Organization.

As many musicians have begun to step forward to try to help victims of the World Trade Center tragedy, Gibson hopes the October 5th benefit will be the first in a long line of shows that will not only raise money but also bring musicians together to reconnect as a community. A special song is being written for the musicians to sing together, and various special guests are expected to participate in the event. The bands are being encouraged to perform together as a way of expressing support for each other and New York City. Gibson adds, "We hope that our contribution, however small in scale, will help people in our community." Scheduled to perform are Shades Apart, High Speed Chase, Slushpuppy, Motorway To Roswell, Windfall, Unspoken, Friends Romans Countrymen, This Afternoon, Reach, Neuspore, and Cameron. The minimum donation will be $9.00 (more may be contributed if so desired), and all performers will be donating their services. Firefighters, Police, EMS and Medical Rescue Workers/Volunteers, Survivors, and Victim's Families are invited as guests if they wish to attend.

More information about the bands performing can be found at the Links and Shows section at www.highspeedchase.net. # # # For more information, please contact: Megan Wendell, Canary Promotion Ph: 201-222-1132 Mobile: 201-679-3445 E: canarypromo@yahoo.com