Coordinated by Slaves On Dope frontman Jason Rockman and guitarist Kevin Jardine along with Chad Ward, the effort will help a network of road crew that have been sidelined by the pandemic.
The grim reality of the ongoing moratorium on live music and entertainment has created a tidal wave of collateral damage.
Among the most gravely affected include are the road crew. With no work and nothing in the foreseeable future, the forecast looks especially grim for a particularly hard working community within the industry.
Spearheaded by Slaves On Dope frontman Jason Rockman and guitarist Kevin Jardine, Roadie Relief is a fundraising effort intended to provide aid to those that are most in need – directly.
Covering Faith No More’s “We Care A Lot” as The Kings of Quarantine, the collaborative effort pooled an impressive roster of contributors – even managing to nab Billy Gould of Faith No More himself to make an appearance. The following list of musicians all joined in on the timeless track.
Bill Kelliher (Mastodon) – Guitar
Kevin Jardine (Slaves on Dope) -Guitar
Frank Bello (Anthrax) – Bass
Ivan Doruschuk (Men Without Hats) – Keyboards
Ray Luzier (KORN) – Drums
Dennis Lyxen (Refused)- Verse #1
Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC) – Verse #2
Richard Patrick (Filter) – Verse #3
Jason Rockman (Slaves on Dope) – Choruses
Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) – Gang Vocals
Esoteric (Czarface) – Gang Vocals
Walter Shreifels (Quicksand) Gang Vocals
Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth) – Gang Vocals
Billy Gould (Faith No More) – Cameo
The fundraising portion of the initiative was organized by Chad Ward. In a statement on the GoFundMe page, he issued the following.
“Almost everyone you know has seen a concert that has moved them. Those productions always take over 100-plus traveling crew members to set up by the time doors open. During the show they sweat and hustle, after the show, they spend more hours erasing evidence that they were ever there at all. Many of these key players work an average of 20 hours a day, then move on to the next city to make it happen all over again.
Many of these crew members, ‘roadies’, have been doing this as a career for decades. Some of these roadies, while experts in this field, have never had any other job experience. Since the world pandemic, well over a hundred thousand of these people are left with no income and no financial assistance.
I personally know over 500 roadies in this crisis. There are no concerts or events in the foreseeable future. At the beginning of 2020, job opportunity ceased to exist and 2021 remains uncertain. Unemployment doesn’t recognize expert level trade skills, therefore, leaving hundreds of us without a secure livelihood.
My goal with this GoFundMe is to offer some relief to some of the dedicated people I have worked with in the last 27 years. Just like you they have families, mortgages, car payments, and day care. Commonly, these workers lean on their savings between tour cycles, but those funds have run thin or out. Just like you, the pandemic sent this people into uncharted territory. This GoFundMe is designed to help them navigate these waters.
I have contacted congressmen and women, senators, and governors and have been met with no solutions. Their replies are a formal brushoff. A dead end.”
The current GoFundMe campaign is near $14,000 of a goal of $200,000 that will go directly to helping the road crew during these uncertain times. Fans are encouraged to donate – HERE
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