Rock for Haiti

Students gathered together in AfterHours last Thursday night to celebrate ‘€œRock Out for Haiti’€, a charity concert event set up to raise money to help support the victims of the recent Earthquake that struck Haiti and the Port-au-Prince area.

The event was sponsored by Net Impact, a new student group that is a part of the Social Enterprise Institute, which according to their website at www.neu.edu/sei ‘€œprovides interested students with the unique opportunity to become globally aware business leaders, by helping to build micro-enterprises catering to the poor in developing countries.’€

The show was headlined by local Boston bands Baylock and Mission Hill, both of whom have members that are NU alumni or current NU students.  The event also featured a speech from the Haitian Student Union as well as Gladys Joseph, the Haitian consulate to Boston, who pleaded with students to give their support as much as possible.  There was also a raffle at the end of the night that featured items such as coupons to Qdoba Mexican restaurant and gear from the clothing store Johnny Cupcake.

Michaela D’Amico, a member of Net Impact and organizer of Thursday’s event, describes how the concert got put into motion not through the group directly, but just by sitting down with her peers and discussing options.

‘€œWe all heard about the earthquake, and since we all are do-ers we immediately asked ourselves ‘€˜what can we do?”€

D’Amico went on to call AfterHours to set up a benefit event for the relief of Haiti, who gave her the date of the 21^st.  That was on the preceding Friday.

‘€œSo we had five days to plan a concert!  None of us had ever run a fund-raiser before’€¦we didn’t know that people usually plan it about a month or two in advance.’€

D’Amico then found out that they were currently the only group on campus planning a find-raiser for the relief of Haiti, which motivated her to then get in touch with local organizations around campus to join in on the event, and then with Baylock and Mission Hill, who were more than happy to help out.

Despite last minute efforts, the event was a sure hit, drawing about 555 visitors that night.  The crowd included many Northeastern students eager to help the cause and support the two local bands.

But what is more important than the number of students in attendance was the money raised for Haiti.  The event brought in a grand total of $3505, much more than D’Amico’s original goal of $1000.  All of these funds are going directly to the local Boston organization Partners in Health (you can visit their site at www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti).

The group has a goal of generating $25,000 to donate to the Haiti cause, and is challenging the entire Northeastern community to help out as much as they can to reach that goal.  D’Amico also states that they plan on asking the university or a corporate sponsor to match a donation that The SEI makes to Haiti.

If you would like to make a donation to the SEI directly but were unable to make it to the event, you can visit the fundraising page to make a donation.

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Bands at the Show:

Mission Hill
Type: Indie Alternative Rock
Members: Adam Jensen ‘€“ Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Piano, writer
Nick DiSpagna ‘€“ Bass, Backup Vocals
Takuma Anzai – Drums
Alex Knutsen – Lead Guitar

Mission Hill is a group that combines the carefree college sound of bands like Third Eye Blind and Matchbox 20 while combining them with the rhythmic sound of groups like Snow Patrol.  The band recently went on a tour of the East Coast, performing in areas such as Pittsburg, PA and Salisbury, MA, and playing with the likes of Tim Reynolds and acclaimed alternative band Candlebox.  The group is on their way now to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to play at a newly opened Hard Rock Café, a big step for the group.

A debut full length CD is expected to drop in March, featuring the group’s single ‘€œSave Me From Me’€.  They hope to get on tour with another big name band in the near future.

Recommended if you like: Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, Matchbox 20, Snow Patrol, Coldplay, Eve 6
Check out the band’s website at www.missionhillband.com.

Baylock
Type: Alternative
Members: Chris Parry – Rhythm Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Tim Crowley ‘€“ Lead Guitar, Vocals
Matt Kirby ‘€“ Drums
John McLaughlin ‘€“ Bass

Baylock is definitely an exploratory group: when asked about their influences as a group, it ranges from Pearl Jam and Ben Harper all the way to Bone Thugs and Harmony and Michael Jackson.  The band combines many different musical styles that blend into a hip, moving sound that is reminiscent of bands such as Dispatch and State Radio.  They have been frequenters of clubs in Lowell, Providence and Boston, notably Harper’s Ferry, the Mideast, and Club Hell, and also have a CD currently out titled ‘€œOne Good to be Told’€  Right now, according to the band, they are taking some time to focus on writing and have a second album on the way.

The band has an upcoming show booked for February 27th at the Middle East with the Goosepimp Orchestra.

Recommended if you like: State Radio, Dispatch, O.A.R., Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Streetlight Manifesto, Goldfinger.

Be sure to visit their site at www.myspace.com/baylockmusic.