DFW folks, Rahim, who most of you met at the last apostafest, has organized a concert tomorrow (Saturday) to benefit his bass player who has Hodgkins lymphoma. It's at Club Dada and it should be a great show. Details in the dmn article below (or in the Guide section of the Morning News):
Banding together
Concert is intended to benefit the Dallas music scene as well as ailing bass player
05:17 PM CDT on Thursday, June 2, 2005
By HUNTER HAUK / Quick
Local musician Rahim Quazi hopes an upcoming benefit concert he's organizing will assist a friend in need and bring players of the Dallas music scene closer together at the same time.
The friend is 24-year-old Cory Helms, best-known as the bassist for Dallas rock band the Chemistry Set. Mr. Helms is receiving chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin's disease; some of the proceeds from the concert (Saturday at Club Dada) will go toward his medical bills.
Mr. Quazi says he and the event's co-organizers are modeling it after last year's successful benefit concert for tsunami aid, put together at the Granada Theater by Salim Nourallah.
"We don't expect to raise as much money as that one did, but we want it to have the same vibe, something entertaining going on at all times," he says.
With 20 local acts performing on three stages and raffle drawings for prizes including artwork, food and vacation packages, the night shouldn't lack excitement. Mr. Quazi says details of the event have come together quickly due to word of mouth and the generosity of all involved.
"So many people have stepped up and volunteered their performances and raffle items," Mr. Quazi says.
"Things like this bring people together and can only help the Dallas scene. Up until now it seemed pretty scrappy, with bands always competing against each other."
Everyone involved in Saturday's show, Mr. Quazi says, is "in it for Cory." The bassist for the Chemistry Set since 2002 and the Rahim Quazi Band since 2003, Mr. Helms also fronts the electronic music duo Professional Juice. He'll play in all of those capacities at the concert.
"We wanted to help Cory financially and put him in the spotlight musically," Mr. Quazi says. "Many people know him as a bass player, but he's so much more than that."
Friends are amazed at Mr. Helms' resilience in dealing with the pain of chemotherapy. When he found out he had Hodgkin's disease in February, he posted the following message to his Web profile on MySpace.com: "I don't want to lose my hair, but if I do, I'll have to get some good Afro wigs."
Mr. Helms says his treatments are going smoothly. "Fortunately, I really haven't been hit with many of the side effects. I'd say the most difficult thing is probably the needles, because I just hate them. And the sick feeling. ... I'm really handling everything pretty well."
He says he is overwhelmed by other musicians' and sponsors' interest in the benefit. "I didn't expect nearly as many people to want to participate. It's amazing how caring everyone is around here, even people I haven't met," Mr. Helms says.
"It will be fun to see a lot of my friends play. I'm also looking forward to showing people that I don't just play the bass."
CORY HELMS TIMELINE
1992 Starts teaching himself guitar at age 12. "I never had any music lessons. So far I've taught myself guitar, keyboard, bass and drums. I'm working on the trumpet and violin right now. I teach music, too."
1993 Meets Thad Burns in the seventh grade and starts playing music with him just for fun. Years later, the two form the electronic music band Professional Juice.
1999 Professional Juice plays its first show.
2002 Meets Steve Duncan and joins Dallas psychedelic rock band the Chemistry Set as its new bassist.
2003 Meets Rahim Quazi and starts playing bass in the Rahim Quazi Band.
FEBRUARY 2005 Diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. He's had a lymph node removed from his neck and has completed five of 12 scheduled chemotherapy treatments.
SHOW DETAILS
Benefit for Cory, Saturday at 7 p.m. at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a pre-party. $10 cover. Call Dada at 214-744-3232 or visit www.myspace.com/benefitforcory.
THE LINEUP
Three stages with 20 bands, including Salim Nourallah, the Ramona Lisas, Chris Holt, Fishing for Comets, I Love Math, Record Hop, Sorta, Professional Juice, the Happy Bullets, Levi Smith and Dragan Jakovljevic of Radiant, Jeff Whittington, the Theater Fire, Sara Radle, Chad Stockslager, the Tah-dahs, Rahim Quazi, Steve Duncan, Shibboleth, Monsters and Dust and Johnny Lloyd Rollins.