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Raleigh's Colossus and Durham bands Tooth and Grappling Hook show off their metal chops at Local 506. The show was one of several benefits which have
already taken place to raise money for local music enthusiast Cy Rawls, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this summer.
BY JORDAN LAWRENCE
ASSISTANT DIVERSIONS EDITOR
It would be hard to imagine a more dedicated
fan than Raleigh’s Cy Rawls.
For about the last 20 years, the former Merge
Records intern and one-time WXYC DJ has gone
to great lengths to see local bands.
“He goes to a show in D.C., and he’ll drive back
in time to come back and see the last band play
here,” said local drummer James Hepler, a long
time friend of Rawls.
In addition to such displays of musical commit
ment, his dedication also extends to UNC football:
He hasn’t missed a home game since 1982.
“I’ve always enjoyed being in Kenan stadium,”
the 33-year-old said. “They’re not that inconve
nient for me to get to.”
This year, the local music community got its
chance to give back to one of its most frequent
audience members, though it came under the
most unfortunate of circumstances.
On July 12, doctors found a tumor in Rawls’
brain after he suffered a seizure. After running
tests for about a week, doctors realized it was too
risky to operate and decided to treat him with
radiation and chemotherapy.
But Rawls, who has no health insurance,
would be unable to pay for the expensive treat
ment on his own.
“It could easily hit a half a million dollars,”
Hepler said of the cost “To not have insurance and
to have to deal with that is pretty ridiculous.”
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When the news of the
diagnosis spread throughout
the local music community,
Hepler rallied bands and
venue owners to come to
Rawls’ aid.
“There were so many bands
and so many people who
wanted to help out,” Hepler
said, explaining why he stepped in to coordi
nate. “We were finding it very difficult to figure
out how to distribute all these bands to different
venues and stuff.”
Once organization was in place, a series of
shows began to formulate, the most prominent of
which will be held Friday with Chapel Hill legends
Superchunk, the Rosebuds and Birds of Avalon
taking the Cat’s Cradle stage in support of Rawls.
All money raised by the $25 tickets will go
toward Rawls’treatment.
“Cy is such a fixture in the local music scene,
I think it would have been more peculiar had we
not gotten involved,” said Derek Powers, director
of operations at the Cradle.
Cat’s Cradle, which hosted a benefit for Rawls
earlier this month featuring newly reunited
Chapel Hill stalwarts Polvo, will also donate all
of Friday’s bar profits. Between the sls tickets
and bar money, Powers said the venue was able
to raise almost SSOOO from the last show.
Paul Siler of Raleigh’s Birds of Avalon said
that his band jumped at the opportunity to help
.
dive.daUytarheel.com
developing
A SUPER EFFORT
Chapel Hill Comics packed up
shop last week and took its
stash of comics and manga a
few doors down W. Franklin.
PAGE 6
such a devoted follower of
local music.
“There couldn’t be a
better cause than a guy like
that just out of the blue
getting sick and needing
help,” said Siler who has
known Rawls since 1995.
“It’s good to do a benefit
for a person who likes music so much.”
But charity shows are not the only means
planned to be used in easing Rawls’ plight.
Hepler, with the help of local producers, is orga
nizing a Web-based music store to raise money.
The site, dubbed CyTunes, is planned to
launch in the next two or three weeks and will
feature songs by local and some national bands.
Songs donated will be exclusively available for
one year and will cost a dollar each.
Hepler said that the store will be a way to raise
even more substantial sums for Rawls.
“It’s not like we’re raising money for a cause
like the Red Cross where a SIOO donation’s really
nice,” he said.
“But getting an exclusive song from a band
like Superchunk can raise real money. They can
sell 50,000 records without even thinking about
it, and'if they can download 50,000 songs at a
dollar a song, that’s real money.”
In addition to donated songs, CyTunes will
feature live recordings made at the benefits.
Glenn Boothe, owner and operator of the
music
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PAGE 8
Local 506 which has already hosted two Rawls
benefit shows and a dance party, said that the
push to help Rawls has helped bring the music
community together in a way that it hasn’t in
some time.
“Every once in a while the music scene needs
a wake-up call,” he said. “This is an unfortu
nate way to get our priorities straight, but now
there’s a greater purpose. And that just kind of
helps every one realign and commune and come
together.”
Hepler emphasized that this is a movement he
plans to continue.
“I think that the need for raising money is not
going to go away any time soon,” he said. “This is
going to be kind of ongoing.”
Despite his condition, Rawls doesn’t want
to miss the chance to hear some of his favorite
bands perform.
“I felt pretty confident that I could be at the
shows because I’d be getting better each day,” he
said. “I was definitely planning on being at these
shows.”
And though Rawls said it is odd to go to shows
in his honor, he tries to not let that alter the expe
rience.
“I’m quite flattered by it,” he said. “But once
the music starts I’m just enjoying it. It doesn’t
feel any different I just enjoy it as usual.”
Contact the Diversions Editor
at dive@unc.edu
movies
SILVER SCREEN GEMS
Read the Dive staffs views on
new the new Woody Allen proj
ect as well as “The Rocker” and
indie charmer “Bottle Shock."
PAGE 9
thursday, august 28,2008
personalities
ROLLIN'DOWN THE RIVER
The jagged edge of Renee Men
doza’s gorgeous voice launchs
Filthybind to the Cat's Cradle
stage Saturday night.
PAGE 7