The Crane Wives, Troll for Trout, Hawks & Owls and more bring night of music to Rockford Brewing to aid bassist who mangled hand in snowblower.
Benefit for a Bassist: Fauxgrass mandolinist Jason Wheeler, left, organized Friday’s all-star lineup at Rockford Brewing to aid bassist Tim McKay, second from left.
CHECK OUT PHOTOS, VIDEO AND A RECAP OF THE BENEFIT SHOW HERE
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Most musicians would have taken one look at Fauxgrass bassist Tim McKay’s mangled, swollen and surgically repaired hand and cringed, fearing the worst when it came to his future as a string player.
Yet less than two months after breaking and partially severing fingers on his right hand in a snowblower accident, the Benzonia cobbler and musician has started practicing with the Grand Rapids-based progressive bluegrass band in hopes of rejoining them on stage in February.
Troll for Trout (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
But make no mistake, says bandmate and mandolinist Jason Wheeler, while McKay has made “great progress, he has a long way ahead of him to fully recover.”
That includes recovering financially: McKay has had to put his shoemaking business, Fernand Footwear, on hold due to his injured hand and he faces mounting medical expenses which aren’t covered by insurance. (Read more about the accident in this December Local Spins story.)
Wheeler says that means Friday’s benefit concert at Rockford Brewing Co. – starring The Crane Wives, Troll for Trout, Hawks & Owls, Fauxgrass’ Wheeler and Adam Balcer and Romano Paoletti – is of critical importance, with showgoers encouraged to pitch in for the cause. All bands are donating their time.
McKay’s right hand after the accident.
The special night of live music at Rockford Brewing in downtown Rockford begins at 7 p.m. and is expected to continue until midnight. Admission is free, but showgoers are encouraged to make a $10 donation at the door, and bands will donate proceeds from CD sales to the cause.
“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Wheeler, who expects other West Michigan musicians – including Junior Valentine, Nicholas James Thomasma and Eric Engblade (of The Northern Skies) – to join acts on stage as special guests throughout the night, with a full-fledged jam before midnight. “It will be a community sort of jam.”
‘A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE ROOTING FOR ME’
That community effort has humbled McKay, who credits the support, prayers and financial assistance of friend, relatives, musicians and complete strangers for helping him recover from his injuries more quickly than anticipated.
The Crane Wives are part of Friday night’s lineup.
“I know there’s a lot of people out there rooting for me and I give that credit for just how well I’m doing,” the 40-year-old musician insists. “I don’t doubt that at all. That’s half the reason I’m healing as fast as I am.”
McKay has practiced playing his upright bass by taping his injured fingers together and using his pinky to pluck strings. He even took the stage at the Saxon Pub in Austin, Texas, last week with bandmates and legendary rockabilly guitarist Bill Kirchen to play a single song – an encouraging sign.
But he still faces months of physical therapy aimed at “just getting these fingers to bend.” And the taxing nature of making shoes by hand means he’s several months away from even being able to attempt resuming work for Fernand Footwear, which he’s owned for seven years.
When his hand got caught inside a snowblower while trying to unclog the chute, his index finger and middle finger suffered severe damage, requiring insertion of pins and screws, skin grafts and extensive stitching to sew them back together.
Hawks & Owls
OPTIMISM ABOUT THE FUTURE
“The real deal is, I do have to be careful,” says McKay, who’s remained remarkably upbeat throughout his surgeries and recovery. “In my head, I’m going to heal five times faster than they say.”
The good news for Fauxgrass and its fans is that McKay’s rapid healing means the band aims to finish up its new studio album at Grand Rapids’ Mackinaw Harvest Music this spring and mount a major U.S. tour starting in May, according to Wheeler.
McKay plans to officially rejoin his Fauxgrass bandmates – Wheeler, guitarist Adam Balcer and banjo player Joey Schultz – on stage for a full show at Grand Haven’s Odd Side Ales on Feb. 15, followed by March shows at Rockford Brewing and Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City.
Hands on the Car: From left, Adam Balcer, Tim McKay, Jason Wheeler and Bill Kirchen goofing around in Texas recently.
After what first seemed a “dire situation,” Wheeler says band members are now “very, very optimistic” about their future. Plans also are afoot for McKay to move from Benzonia to the Grand Rapids area, allowing him to “really start focusing on the band.”
But until then, the music community will unite in support of McKay’s recovery, unleashing a long night of West Michigan-bred music. “The attendance and participation is really important and encouraged,” says Wheeler.
Here’s the schedule of performances for Friday night’s benefit:
7 p.m. – Jason Wheeler and Adam Balcer of Fauxgrass
7:30 p.m. – Hawks & Owls
8:15 p.m. – Romano Paoletti
9 p.m. – Troll for Trout
10 p.m. – The Crane Wives
More details online here.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
