Musicians get amped up for charity

Local musicians are coming together this weekend to do their part in the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina.

Six bands will be playing two concerts on Saturday and Sunday, each with the same goal of raising money for those affected by the hurricane.

The first concert takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday at Breakaways, on Main Street. The Mary Ramsey Band will open for Ninth Life, with the money the bands would usually earn from playing going to hurricane relief, possibly to the Red Cross or Salvation Army.

Breakaways owners Mike and Amy Hess will start taking donations of money and goods like food, water and clothing at noon and continue throughout the night. There will be a trailer in front of the bar for donated goods and Kohlfeld Distributing has donated items to raffle off, Mike Hess said.

The goal is to raise $2,000, said Mary Ramsey.

For Mitch Davis, lead guitarist of Ninth Life, donating his time is the least he could do.

"After seeing what they're going through down south, I'm sure I could stand up and play guitar for a couple of hours," Davis said.

Sunday's concert, called Jam Aid, takes place at 3 p.m. at the Capaha Park band shell and will feature the Mike Renick Band, Bruce Zimmerman and the Water Street Band and 13th Floor.

The show is free, said Mike Renick, but donations will be taken throughout the event for the American Red Cross, much of which will go to help the displaced in Southeast Missouri.

Renick said it's only natural for musicians to use their best talent to raise money and awareness for hurricane victims.

"You see a need out there and you try to figure out what it is you can do to help," Renick said. "Music is obviously a talent we have we can use as a means to spread awareness, get exposure, bring people out and collect money."

Hess said he hopes the concerts will inspire musicians and bars in Cape Girardeau to have similar events.

"I basically think that we're blessed in many ways up here, and whenever somebody has this kind of misfortune happen to them, everybody should do whatever they can to help, even if it's just a small bar," Hess said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182