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TOM’S SOAPBOX
THEFTS PROMPTS THE CREATION OF NEW ONLINE “REWARDS” PAGES!
by Tom Lounges / Publisher & Editor
First of all...
Congratulations to the regional groups – A Broken Sequence, Rusta Lillypad, Victorian Vanity and Johnny & The Rockets – who took top honors, respectively, at last month’s Second Annual Purdue Calumet Campus Battle Of The Bands.
Kudos to Purdue’s Student Life & Activities Committee and local sponsors – Thunderclap Recording Studio, Rubino’s Music, Guitar Center and Circuit City – for making this event possible.
Sixteen artists took part in the event, and I was honored to sit on a panel of judges that included songwriter/musicians Mark Mybeck (of Nomad Planets) and Eric Lambert, along with acclaimed producer/musician John Carpenter.
To the credit of the four winners whose musical styles were vastly different – there was only an eight point difference between first and fourth place – indicating the level of talent and competition present that evening.
It was great to see so many of the competing bands actually hanging out and supporting each other during this event.
Unlike most of the bands who populate the older area night club scene, these young bands showed courtesy and respect for each other and each other’s music.
Most veteran club musicians could learn a lesson in such professionalism.
Sadly, there was a down side to this wonderful event, as two guitars wound up missing at the end of the evening.
Thievery of any sort is deplorable, but when objects stolen affect a person’s livelihood – well, that just smacks of being a real bottom feeder in the cesspool of life.
Stealing instruments and musical gear from hard-working musicians, is more than stealing a valuable inanimate object, it is stealing someone’s livelihood.
Without their instruments or stage gear, a band are hard-pressed to play gigs and make money – often needed to pay off the very items that have been stolen.
In these cases, it causes the victim double anguish, because they still have payments on gear that they can no longer use to make money to make the payments. Sky high insurance rates make coverage on sound gear cost prohibitive for most bands, so there is no check coming to bail them out.
And even if there is insurance, what about the sentimental attachment to a favorite instrument? Often times, instruments are gifts from loved ones, or were used in creating a special song.
Members of the two local Hoosier bands – Underkutt and Rusta Lillypad – fell victim to theft, that night.
A guitarist in each group had their prized instrument stolen from the Purdue Calumet Hammond campus October 22.
Just moments after Underkutt completed their short set of songs near the end of the night, guitarist Scott Kopaczewski noticed his Fender Custom Telecaster FMT (serial number 3942) was missing from what seemed a fairly secure area of the Purdue Calumet Gym & Fitness Center in Hammond.
Kopaczewski’s guitar is a Black Cherry Burst Flame Maple Top with black chrome hardware. Anyone with information can reach Scott at: (219) 226-0689.
Stolen about the same time from the same place was a custom, left-handed Les Paul Gold Top guitar owned by Alex Robertson, lead guitarist of Rusta Lillypad.
The second place win by Rusta Lillypad that night at the PUC Battle was overshadowed by the loss of one of Robertson’s most prized possessions.
Concerned looks had replaced happy faces on Robertson and his band members while awards were presented. This should have been a happy night for the quintet because all their rehearsing and hard work had paid off a little.
So not only did the thief steal an expensive guitar with plenty of sentimental value, but also the glory Rusta Lillypad should have felt after taking second place in a contest that featured sixteen tough contenders.
What bothers this columnist most, is the gut feeling that the PUC Battle thefts were carried out by a fellow musician.
While there all day and evening judging, I had noticed that the area next to the stage from where the two instruments were stolen, was pretty secure from the general public with a steady presence of PUC staff and event volunteers posted there.
That observation makes a fellow musician or someone there helping one of the bands very suspect.
I hope my gut is wrong, because as deplorable as any act as stealing is, a musician who knowingly steals from another struggling musician is below contempt.
Persons with any information pertaining to either of the “Battle Of The Band” guitar thefts are asked to please contact: Richard A. Riddering at Hammond’s Purdue University Calumet Campus at (219) 989-2419.
Here is a shout out to all wanna be Bounty Hunters... Cash rewards are being offered on both instruments.
Midwest BEAT Magazine has respond to these thefts and to the recent equipment loss suffered by Pearl Jam tribute act, Evenflow (see related coverage in this month’s “For Immediate Release...” column).
Midwest BEAT webmaster and local musician Bill Hutchison (a member of the band, Lake Effect) has created a place on our publication’s web site where specific information on stolen musical equipment can now be posted.
Serial and model numbers, visual descriptions and other specific information will be needed to make a posting.
Beginning this month, look for the icon marked “Reward” that appears on the home page of www.midwestbeat.com and also on the site of my weekly radio show, www.nightrock.6string.net . Kudos to Bill Hutchison for taking the time and caring enough about his fellow musicians to create this page.
Tom Lounges spins Region Rock on his Night Rock radio Show every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on X-ROCK 103.9
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