Where Jerry Lewis and indie rock meet

On January 6th, James Mercer (The Shins,) Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, Archers of Loaf) and Joel R.L. Phelps (ex-Silkworm,) will convene at Neumos here in Seattle to play a benefit show to help find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy.

UPDATE: Tickets available here
Playlist: Indie Rock for Muscular Dystrophy

Three-year old Aidan Leffler was diagnosed this past spring with DMD (Duchenne muscular dystrophy,) the most common form of Muscular Dystrophy. It's a degenerative disease with no cure and a 100% fatality rate, which means unless a cure is found soon, this happy-go-lucky kid will die within 20 years of respitory failure. He's a great kid who deserves so much more.

Aidan's father, Mitch, is an old friend and former bandmate of mine, and the quality of the lineup is quite a testament to his character (and his drumming.) For instance Spoon's Britt Daniels (who recently moved to the Northwest) was also on board for the benefit, but a scheduling conflict (finishing up the new album in Austin) prevented him from playing (but it also means there might be another benefit in April when his schedule clears up.)

I'll elaborate more on the subject as the date approaches, but felt the need to do a quick post upon learning the final details.

More facts about DMD:
* 15,000-20,000 children in the US are afflicted
* Around one in every 3,500 boys is born with DMD

Help:
The Aidan William Leffler Trust
Charley's Fund - Benefitting Research toward a cure or treatment for DMD

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, muscular dystrophy, dmd, the shins, james mercer, eric bachmann, joel rl phelps, silkworm, benefit, aidan leffler