Captain Ron’s Bar in Elkins,was the scene as The Backwoods Massacre, from Elkins ,was hosting a fundraiser for Tucker County Animal Shelter and their goal was to empty everyones pockets for the animals.
The line up included six acts ranging from Progressive to Alternative to Melodic Metal Core. All bringing something unique to the table and all working towards a common goal. The Backwoods Massacre said, “We wanted to give back to the communities we are from and live in and we are all animal enthusiast so we wanted to help a great cause while getting music fans and like minded people on board to support the event. There are a lot of ways to try to raise money for different causes but why not throw a benefit show that has multiple genre’s of music for everyone to come out and enjoy? It’s noteworthy that one of our members in The Backwoods Massacre works with the shelter so we were exultant to raise all the money we could for the Animals.”
First band up was Renewing Broken Bone a Melodic Metal Core band from Elkins featuring Zach Warren on vocals, Brent Dalton on guitar, Nick Nelson on bass, and Nick Gartmann on drums. Nick Gartmanncommeted as to their reason for helping, “I feel it’s more personal, I actively volunteer at my shelter so I feel strongly about it. My band feels the same way as me so we did it to support.”
Sudden Departure, a Metal Core band featuring Eli Gripper and Nathan Lavinder on vocals, Kyle Roberts and Eli Gripper on guitar, Nathan Lavinder on bass, and Cody Gatehouse on drums. Being an underage band they had the opportunity to reach out to new fans at the show.
Sam Green Eggs, featuring Sam Pharris on bass, rounded out the first half of the show with his Electro-Rock music. When asked about why he choose to play the show he said, “Animals are innocent, I am not. It’s a good way for me to make up for some of the darker times in my life. Plus you never know, they might be taking care of my next fur baby and I don’t even know yet!”
Blackwood Ash, featuring Adry Munroe on vocals and guitar. Adry said, “Because the fact it’s a no-kill shelter is inspiring and hopefully the funds we raised for the shelter will inspire other shelters to take the same route. Even though I could never reach the insane amount of talent these other bands have, it’s truly a honor to play alongside them, especially for such a great cause.”
Defilement Enthroned featuring Steven Clevenger on vocals, Jake Hyre on guitar, Zach Harris on bass, and Caleb Gartmann on drums. When asked about the notion that guys in his genre of music isn’t seen as the nice guys helping out, Caleb sais, “I think that’s a common misconception. Some of the nicest people I’ve met have listened to/played in bands. Like anything different, sometimes people fear what they don’t understand. I find heavier music soothing, personally.”
Finishing out the night were the hosts, The Backwoods Massacre, a Heavy Metal band featuring Dan Elmore on vocals, Henry Thompson on guitar and Chris Reynolds on drums. While talking with manager and organizer, Kim Poling, she said while she was organizing the show her main thoughts were of all the animals that have no place to call home and how thankful she is for all shelters, especially the no kill shelters like the Tucker County Animal Shelter.
The entire event raised $608.09 for the Tucker County Animal Shelter. All proceeds from the door went towards the money being raised and each band competed during their respective sets to see who could raised the most funds. Renewing Broken Bones, being a new underage band on the scene, won that contest with over $60 donated during their set. Owner of Captain Ron’s bar, Ron Reed, said “I open my doors to all the artist. Country, rock, rap, hip, whoever it may be. It is their dream. That’s what they want to do so let them do it. I wish them all the best. These bands may seem to be aggressive but are really not. They’re the most lovable guys that you can meet. They come to my bar and have helped me many times. I love them all.”
The Backwoods Massacre stated “When people invest their time and money to a good cause, everything counts and you have to give respect to everyone who supported the event and to every last person that donated. The bands and artist devoted hours to rehearsal and gave it their all including the proceeds to send to the shelter out of the goodness of their hearts which makes us very proud to be a part of this music scene. We made $600+ to help the shelter so we feel it turned out well and was a great success. I hope It shows that we have a lot character and perhaps it changes some of the perceived notions that often go along with our genre or look.
We are just people that want to actively help in our communities and maybe we do have a soft spot for some, fuzzy animals. Hopefully when people see us walking around before a show and we are all looking like we just came out of a horror movie they won’t judge the book by it’s cover but instead consider our actions. We hope everyone will continue to support local bands and artist and not be afraid to do positive things because it can bring people together and make for some great memories. “
