On Wednesday night, April 25th five local punk rock bands raged in the name of charity. It was the "Rock for Haiti Benefit Show" at Seattle's El Corazon.
The line-up showcased a group of fiery, energy-packed bands playing combinations of hardcore, punk rock, and metal. The bands listed in order they performed: Aerglo (4-piece from Kent), The Whorewoods (3-piece from White Center), The Americommies (4-piece from Tacoma), Supernothing (5-piece from Kent), and CLR (4-piece from Bremerton).
Rock for Haiti was the brainchild of Dre Owens (lead singer for Supernothing) and Angel Pena (former vocalist/guitarist of the recently broken-up Kent based alternative/metal band Burning Harlequin). The two self-booked all the bands and oversaw the entire project.
The devastating 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti last January inspired the bands to get involved. Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with a staggering 80% of the population living in poverty was all but demolished; meaning financial aid has never been more crucial.
"Who better to give money to than the people who need it?" said Owens before the show.
All the bands agreed to play for free so that the majority of earnings could be sent off to help those in need. The cost of the venue only needed to be paid, which was understood to be a small portion of ticket sales.
Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the "Rock for Haiti Benefit" became the "Rock for El Corazon Benefit." The popular venue took nearly all ticket sales leaving the charity funds only $5. According to Owens the $5 will be sent to Haiti regardless.
Owens, who has since graduated, attended GRCC with Supernothing's guitarist Derek Morton who is still currently enrolled. Both musicians were DJs on the campus radio station KGRG for two years. Owens, known then as "Optimus Black", was part of a punk show on the station and Morton worked an industrial one.
Other members of Supernothing include drummer Jerald Luckenbach, bassist Kevin "Nutz" Russell, and lead guitarist Tyler Isham. They started out as friends jamming out in a garage and now Supernothing is about to see its second year and first full-length album.
Supernothing may be coming up in the local scene but not planning on selling out anytime soon says Owens.
"It's not so much a getting famous thing or making money thing, it's just the option to play music and have enough people to listen to what we say and really appreciate what we're doing. That's rare, not a lot of people get that," Owens said.
The bands gave a solid performance and had fans lined up at the front of the stage shouting song lyrics and keeping rhythm with tapping feet and drumming hands.
The atmosphere was fun and laid-back, with witty banter being yelled between both band and crowd members.
With each performance of the night the energy among the handful of supporters grew until it was shaking fists, nodding heads, and hairnados all around. Small eruptions of moshing left many laughing on the ground before getting swooped back onto their feet by fellow crowd members.
It was as a punk show should be; the music was loud, the people were louder and everything was rowdy. The benefit may not have been a raging success but it was nice to get out and see what the local punks have been up to.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!