In an effort to raise money and spirits in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, Hoboken resident Chris Gibson has decided to turn his birthday party into a benefit concert.
On Friday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m., 11 bands from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, including Hudson County-based bands High Speed Chase, Slushpuppy, Friends Romans Countrymen and Neuspore, will take the stage at CBGB (315 Bowery St., Manhattan) for an event anointed the "You Can’t Keep Us Down" rally. All profits will go to the Twin Towers Fund and the World Trade Center Relief Fund.
"It was going to be my birthday party," Gibson said last Friday. "But obviously, after the past couple of weeks, how can anyone even mention the word party."
Gibson declined to reveal his age, preferring to talk about the new focus of the event.
Like most area residents, Gibson, who is the lead singer of the Hoboken-based band High Speed Chase and the president of the Hoboken-based recording facility Upstart Studios, felt frustratingly helpless after the attacks.
"I was feeling so powerless in that first week," he said. "And my friends and I were thinking, how can we possibly help? Music just seemed so trivial. So we went over to Jersey City to try and volunteer. But, of course, there were too many people. So we thought, let’s turn the party into a benefit. People want to be uplifted, and it was our best opportunity to come out of the haze and help contribute at the same time."
The "You Can’t Keep Us Down" rally is not Gibson’s first foray into the benefit concert business.
Ten years ago he was involved in early East Coast campaign for the Rock The Vote organization.
"Before the motor voter law was passed, it was very difficult to register to vote," Gibson explained. "And so there were a lot of disenfranchised voters out there. The motor voter law allowed you to register at any government facility."
To raise money and awareness for Rock The Vote, Gibson organized several benefit concerts, including two events at CBGB.
Gibson was in Hoboken, where he has lived for over ten years, when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11.
"Seeing the World Trade Center burning with my own eyes … It’s definitely the most messed up thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life," he said. "It’s so unlike anything any of us ever expected to see."
And in view of the recent events, last week Gibson had little interest in discussing the birthday party that would have been.
"This isn’t about me anymore," he said. "I’d rather talk about the bands or the event. People were lining up to play at the rally. And people are leaving their egos at the door, and that speaks volumes about our community. We’re not rock star wannabes. We’re trying to help out our community and assist in the relief efforts."
A special song was even written for the event.
"We rehearsed it last night," Gibson said. "It’s big rock. A real rabble rousing song. We hope it’s not cheesy, like that ‘We Are the World’ stuff. The whole concept of the song is that no matter what anyone throws at us, there is no way they’re going to beat us. We’re going to fight back – in a non violent way."
Gibson hopes the Oct. 5 benefit will be the first in a long line of shows that will not only raise money but also bring musicians together to reconnect as a community.
"On Friday, people are going to be so psyched to get together and play music together," he said. "I can’t wait to see how everyone steps up and shares the stage together. They’re going to be pros. They’re going to be champs."
The "You Can’t Keep Us Down" rally will feature performance by High Speed Chase, Shades Apart, Slushpuppy, Motorway to Rosewell, Windfall, Unspoken, Friends Romans Countrymen, This Afternoon, Reach, Neuspore, Cameron and Error Type 11. There will be a minimum donation of $9. The show begins at 8 p.m.
For more information call (212) 982-4052 or visit the web site www.highspeedchase.net
Other local fundraisers
The staff at the Madison Bar & Grill (1316 Washington St., Hoboken) is hosting a benefit for the victims of the World Trade Center on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 5 p.m. until the restaurant closes. All tips received by the Madison staff that evening will be totaled and matched by the Madison owners. The amount will then be matched by Giorgio Armani and donated to the Word Trade Center Relief Fund. For more information call 386-0300
Also, on Thursday, Oct. 4, Love Sexy (104 Hudson St., Hoboken) will donate all proceeds from their Thursday night "Love Collective" to the American Red Cross. The evening will feature four bands and four DJs, including 3D Accelerator, Black Thunder, Menurva, Roland Diaz and DJ Traz. For more information call 656-1136.
More fundraisers are in the planning stages. Stay tuned to the Current for future events, including a benefit concert at Maxwell’s in two weeks.