To be perfectly honest, we’re a little weary of hearing about benefits for musicians who have suffered health calamities. It’s great that everyone can pitch in to help an ailing artist, but it really doesn’t strike at the heart of the problem, which is the fact that an appalling number of musicians are currently without health insurance.
What’s worse is when a musician dies from a preventable illness. This was the case with Raleigh, North Carolina multi-instrumentalist Drew Glackin, who passed away last January from what should have been a treatable thyroid condition. But Drew didn’t have health insurance, which not only prevented the early detection of his ailment, but also left his family with considerable medical bills.
Drew was a member of alt-country institutions The Silos, and he also recorded or toured with Tandy, Gingersol, Susan Tedeschi, The Hold Steady and Chris Mills, among others. So he definitely made a lot of friends in the course of his career. Some of these friends are holding two benefit concerts in his honor that will raise awareness about the importance of health insurance for musicians. Fifty percent of the proceeds will go directly to Drew’s family to help cover funeral costs and medical bills, and other half will benefit FMC’s HINT (Health Insurance Navigation Tool) program - an initiative that provides free, professional guidance to musicians seeking advice about health insurance plans.
The two-day event, entitled "Get the HINT: a Future of Music Coalition Benefit Concert in Memory of Drew Glackin," will serve as a tribute to a great musician and friend. Scheduled to perform are Tres Chicas, Patty Hurst Shifter, Kenny Roby, Chip Robinson & Heavy Beat Outfit, Port Huron Statement, The Silos, BJ Barham, Tandy, Chris Mills, Glory Fountain, Quarry Hill, Joe Swank & the Zen Pirates, Lou Ford and The Cartridge Family. If you’re in the Raleigh, NC area, we encourage you to attend this weekend of events and show your support.
Here’s the official MySpace page for the benefit.
Press release for the events
HINT website, with video explaining the program