Fauxgrass bassist upbeat after snowblower mangles fingers, threatens livelihood

Musicians rally to support Benzonia’s Tim McKay, who insists he’ll soon be back playing bass for the Grand Rapids bluegrass band, though his shoemaking business is on hold. See how you can help.

To say Tim McKay makes a living with his hands would be a vast understatement.

The standup bassist for the Grand Rapids-based Fauxgrass progressive bluegrass band also is a cobbler, hand-stretching leather, pounding rivets and sewing shoes as the sole proprietor of Fernand Footwear in Benzonia, in northern Michigan.

But life took a devastating turn the day before Thanksgiving, when McKay’s right hand got caught inside his snowblower while trying to unclog the chute, severing parts of two fingers and breaking bones.

The bassist underwent emergency surgery to repair his index finger – which involved inserting pins and screws, as well as multiple stitches to sew the finger back together – and he returns next week for a skin graft on his middle finger. In all, three fingers were damaged in the accident.

“It definitely looks like something out of ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘’ McKay said of his hand’s appearance after the accident.

Still, McKay, 40, has remained remarkably upbeat about his future. He initially resisted offers of assistance from relatives and friends, but said he realizes now that his injuries will require months of recovery time to heal, followed by a fair amount of rehabilitation.

WITH LONG RECOVERY AHEAD, BANDS RALLY TO GIVE MCKAY A BOOST

That means his business – and income – will suffer, and he faces mounting medical bills. The situation has sparked offers of support from acquaintances across the country, led by his sister, Nicole, and a legion of Michigan musicians who’ll perform at fund-raising concerts for McKay on Sunday at Union Street Station in Traverse City and on Jan. 24 at Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford.

“The prognosis is good,” McKay insisted. “I’m going to have some issues in reality, but it’s no reason to believe I won’t be playing bass in a couple of months.”

McKay said he could even manage to play an electric bass earlier than that – playing simple root lines and thumb-picking – and jokes that this presents him with “an opportunity to work on my left-hand technique.”

But his business is another story: It could easily be several months before he can resume making handcrafted shoes and sandals for Fernand Footwear, which he’s owned for seven years. And that’s only if he’s physically able to do the demanding work required when the time comes.

“I’m actually looking at three or four months of not being able to make shoes. That’s going to hurt for sure. There’s no way around that one,” said McKay, who usually works 70 to 80 hours a week.

“Making the shoes is very physically demanding and I put a lot of demand on my fingers. I’m not going to cripple myself for the rest of my life (if that becomes an issue). I’m definitely going to have to make some decisions.”

Beyond facing that reality about his future, McKay also has been “blown away” by the outpouring of support he’s received from friends, relatives, customers and musicians across the country.

AN ALL-STAR BENEFIT SHOW AND HOW FANS CAN HELP OUT

“It made me realize I needed to back off and let it happen. That’s been a big one for me to get over to accept that,” said McKay, noting the bill for the ambulance trip to the hospital alone was $1,500. “I had to step outside myself and frankly think about the things I would do. If things were turned, I’d be them.”

Bandmate Jason Wheeler is one of those people. He and guitarist Adam Balcer took the lead in organizing a January benefit in Rockford “to help a good friend from losing his home and livelihood while he figures things out over the next several months of recovery, physical therapy and surgeries.”

Four bands — Brothers Still (which includes Wheeler and Balcer), Hawks & Owls String Band, Romano Paoletti & Friends and Troll for Trout – quickly signed on, and more musicians will be announced to join the fund-raising show that takes place at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at Rockford Brewing. Admission is a suggested $10 donation at the door, with bands also auctioning off house concerts to raise more money.

Folks can also help out by sending a check or money order to Fauxgrass Music LLC, 4976 Seven Mile Road, Belmont, MI 49306, with all funds going directly to McKay to help pay his surgery bills. Fauxgrass also is using a previously booked Jan. 10 show at The Pyramid Scheme to raise awareness of the cause and raise additional funds. Details about that show — with Appleseed Collective and Roman Paoletti also on the bill — online here.

McKay’s sister, meanwhile, organized Sunday’s show in Traverse City, which runs from 1 to 10 p.m. at Union Street Station with Chris Sterr, Ron Getz, The Accidentals, Blake Elliott and E Minor performing. Donations will be taken at the entrance. Get more information about the Traverse City benefit online here.

“The support out there is pretty amazing,” McKay conceded, describing the feeling as being “washed over with a ton of energy. It’s like being struck by one of those pillars of white light. It was really humbling and beautiful.”

And there’s a moral to the story: “Don’t stick your hand into a snowblower,” McKay said. “Be careful even if it’s not running.” He was using a stick to loosen up blocked snow in the chute, but after the clog broke free, the back pressure sucked his glove down into the chute before he could pull his hand back.

Now, he said, “I’ve definitely got some healing to do. But it’s not going to get me down. I’m a pretty resilient dude.”

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music