BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Fifteen bands from Colorado are coming together to help victims of the Marshall Fire.
After the devastation, Max DeVincenzo with Fox Tracks Music spoke with other members of the music industry. The overwhelming feeling was that he and many others wanted to help by putting their passion to a purpose.
DeVincenzo began organizing a virtual concert, which will be released later this month. This past week, all 15 bands recorded at the Muse Performance Space in Lafayette.
“It’s the only thing that can provide nurturing and relaxation that people need right now,” DeVincenzo said.
DeVincenzo grew up in Colorado, and like so many, would have never expected such a widespread fire in a suburban area. It only fueled his desire to help.
“I grew up in the mountains, and for us, fires are actually pretty common. So to see it down here, it just felt really shocking. I felt like I had some background with it, and I just wanted to do something because I know that feeling of that it’s not going to happen to me. We are nowhere near that. For that day it was for a lot of people,” DeVincenzo said.
Each band played a set, and one song will be selected to be featured in the virtual concert, which will be streamed on YouTube Feb. 19. The benefit called "Above the Ashes" will raise money for those affected by the Marshall Fire.
One of the bands that agreed to help was Break Science, with Borahm Lee and Adam Deitch alongside Hunter Roberts.
“In a way, it could help take someone’s mind off of the tragic events of what happened, and kind of get them into a back of feeling-good zone. That’s why we do music in the first place,” said drummer Adam Deitch, who also plays in Lettuce.
Deitch and the other musicians who participated hope the concert and their music can bring a sense of peace and calm to those struggling after the fire.
“We get told all the time online, 'you helped me through this time or the situation I was in.' That’s the real – that’s hit-your-soul and it feels good,” Deitch said.
The Muse Performance Space owner Clare Church allowed the artists and Fox Tracks Music to use the performance center as a space to record for two days.
“Since this space was created to make a community, to create a community of audiences, artists, audiences, it’s just kind of continuing our mission. We’re just trying to help out our community. This is our community,” Church said. “When this happened, we were like – oh, this is our turn. So just trying to give back.”
If you would like to attend the concert, visit the Fox Track Music website. Prior to signing up for a virtual ticket, you are asked to donate.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Marshall Fire Coverage