WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17th, 2006

Former Varsity Drag drummer needs a kidney. (No, I'm not kidding.)

Please make a donation at to help Pat at Rogue Wave's website.

Pat Spurgeon was our drummer once upon a time, and a helluva drummer he was. He was also an original member of one of my all-time favorite bands, Antenna. And an all-around good guy.

...And you will know Pat by his hair.

Anyway, he needs some help.

If you can't make the benefit...like I know I can't...you can still pitch in. See below:

SAN FRANCISCO-[As reported in BILLBOARD.COM] A host of notable indie rock artists will join Rogue Wave for a Sept. 30 benefit in San Francisco for the band's drummer, Pat Spurgeon, who, as previously reported, is in need of a kidney transplant.

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Ryan Miller of Guster and John Vanderslice are among the guests slated to perform during the evening, with more still to be announced. Daniel Handler, otherwise known as popular author Lemony Snicket, will be the MC for the event.

Indianapolis native Spurgeon was born with only one kidney, requiring a 1993 transplant. However, that kidney has begun to deteriorate, and Spurgeon has been on dialysis since April while searching for a donor. Friends and band members have been tested to see if they are matches, "but Pat has yet to hear good news. Provided he finds a donor, there will be an enormous amount of costs that both Pat and his donor will incur," reads a post on Rogue Wave's Web site.

Despite his condition, Spurgeon is still touring with Rogue Wave. Earlier on the day of the benefit, the band will perform at the Download Festival, alongside Beck, the Shins and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others.

In June, frontman Zach Rogue told Billboard.com said Spurgeon's health situation crystallized his own priorities about life in a touring band. "It's almost like you are stripped down to knowing the most important things in your life," he said. "It makes you understand who you are and what relationships matter to you. Maybe when you're 18, touring is a party on wheels. But when you're a little bit older, you do this for reasons of wanting to make music."

(Thanks to Greg Randall for the heads-up. Text above by Katie Hasty and Jonathan Cohen from Billboard.com, reproduced without permission.)

Make a donation at Rogue Wave's website >

NEWS archive...