Help for Haiti: Hepcat And Friends Unite The City At The El Rey Theater
“You see in life I know
There’s lots of grief
But your love is my relief”
- Bob Marley
The tragedy in Haiti has reminded us that even in difficult times, humans are resilient. Even in the face of a global economic crisis, we have come together to help the people of Haiti in whatever ways possible.
Of course, music is a force which binds people together, brings courage and strength where it is needed, and bonds across languages and borders. Bob Marley was one such master at bringing different people together, and on what would have been his sixty-fifth birthday, a benefit concert took place at the El Rey Theater. A place where some of our favorite acts took to the stage in hopes of unifying the city and encouraging them to give for a good cause.
The love and inspiration that Bob Marley has given Hepcat and every other act that performed on this evening was present from the start. Countless covers filled the air and many mentions were given to the master both from the stage and in the audience.
“We owe everything to him,” said one of Hepcat's founding members, vocalist Greg Lee, who was eager for the band to contribute to the all-star affair and do their part in helping to raise awareness. But while many have always been enraptured by Marley’s melodies, it’s the message from his lyrics that has really endured over the years.
“The wonderful thing about Caribbean music is that it’s very similar to slave songs where they’re all bittersweet,” Greg said. “They sound very, very beautiful but there’s always a kind of darker undertone or sadness. It’s bold to celebrate and it’s bold to remember. That’s the beauty of this style of music.”
There was beauty in this particular night as people of all races, ages and backgrounds came together for the same cause. When Hepcat took to the stage and captivated the crowd with their energetic and passionate performance, the atmosphere was absolutely electric.
In fact, while many other telethons and benefit concerts have opted to tug at your heartstrings in order to entice you to act, the overwhelming feeling in the air was not of sadness but that of joy and hope for the people of Haiti.
“The only way you can rally people is with positivity,” said Sean Heitkemper, who along with partner, Eric Kohler and icon Junior Francis, helped put together an all-star line-up in a little over two weeks.
This is about bringing people together and celebrating life because that’s how you mobilize and get people involved.
They partnered up with Operation USA, one of the premiere organizations for getting immediate help to those in need and all proceeds from the concert were going to be donated to support their efforts in helping Haiti.
“They’re the best as far as delivering donations to an area that is in need,” Sean said. “Ninety-eight cents of every dollar donated ends up on the ground in water, food, medical supplies. So this night is about getting people here to work on helping and pitching in.”
“What better way to unite people than through the music?” Kohler asked. “If this was a two-day event, we could have easily filled the second night!”
For the bands on the bill, they were all equally happy to pitch in as well. Eric and Junior were both influential in pulling these acts together and they combined to put forth a show that featured not just reggae and ska sounds but also other stylings of the Caribbean, such as Very Be Careful’s Colombian flavor and the Cambodian vibes of Dengue Fever.
“They’re bringing a style that’s unusual and they’re killer,” Kohler said. “They’ve tapped in to this sound that’s been extinct for forty years, Cambodian rock.”
While the sounds may have been mixed and diverse, each of the acts that took to the stage all seemed to be of a shared spirit.
“Luckily all the bands that we’ve been working with for so long are good friends,” Sean told us. “There’s a thread through a lot of these bands, lots of similarities, shared musicians, but roots is the big tie that binds.”
For us and many Angelenos though, it was all about the roots radical sounds of ska and reggae from The Lions and headliner, Hepcat. Both bands were keen to contribute to the cause, especially due to singer Alex Desert’s Haitian descent. He was one of the first musicians Eric and Junior reached out to, and with both immediate and extended family living in Haiti, the crisis has hit especially close to home.
“As far as I know the immediate family’s good, but there are hundreds of extended family that nobody knows anything about,” he shared.
But Alex also knows that his family and the people of Haiti need love and positivity now more than ever as they rebuild and carry on with life.
“The great thing about this is that we’re here because something very tragic and devastating happened, but we’re actually here also celebrating life,” he said.
People are still there and they’re still going to be living there. This is just the beginning.
“In doing this for Haiti, it’s kind of a joyous thing, almost like Mardi Gras,” added Lee. “But at the same time everybody knows why we’re doing it and that’s not lost on the audience,” he said. “We’re not trying to one step or show up another band, tonight it’s all love and that’s the way it should be.”
“I grew up here. One thing about Los Angeles and Angelenos is that sometimes we feel so removed from the Third World,” Lee said. “We feel so removed from what really goes on in the world, so when we get an opportunity to come together and just let loose for a good cause, we all show up.”
There are a lot of ways to help the people of Haiti but this benefit concert was by far the most uplifting (and uniting) way of doing so. Events such as these show just how much we can achieve and accomplish when we work together in helping those who need it most.
Somehow, somewhere, The Legend was smiling down on the El Rey this weekend. Because even in the darkness, on this night for Haiti, the sun was truly shining.
Photos By: Upper Hands
Give: Operation USA
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