The good fight

It’s not hard to see that breast cancer is all around us. Even the few of us that don’t know somebody personally going through it, it’s hard to miss the testimonials of survivors like Melissa Etheridge, Kylie Minogue and other public figures who have gone or are going through it. According to the National Cancer Institute, it is the most common type of cancer found among American women, and every year, about 211,000 women find out they have the disease; about 40,000 die from it. As horrifying as that is, not all the news is grim. According to the American Cancer Society, death rates have been declining steadily since 1990, mostly because of early detection and better treatments.

The fight goes on, and much of the fight is by the many organizations who tirelessly try to raise money to help fight the disease. Many of these organizations exist at the grassroots level seeking to increase awareness in groups where it seemingly wouldn’t be very high. One case in point is the Pink Ribbon Riot, a concert featuring a bunch of artists and bands at the historic Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, with the proceeds going to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura’s Breast Center.

On the bill is a formidable mix of local Ventura County bands and other bands from around Southern California. The local bands include Le Meu Le Purr, AWOL Star, Champagne Sunday and Brainspoon. Other bands include the Trainwrecks, Purely Miss, Spence and Crash Cutie Crash. There will even be an appearance by Spiders and Snakes, a veteran group of glam-metal guys whose members played in the band London with members of Motley Crue, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Cinderella. If it sounds more like a Wednesday night at the Whiskey than a breast cancer benefit, that’s the whole idea, say the organizers.

“When I was coming up with the idea, I asked myself, ‘Why would kids care about breast cancer?’ ” says co-organizer Aaron Ortega. “Then I figured they all have mothers, they all have sisters, and most people at least know someone who has had it.” Ortega is the head of booking at Third Eye Records, a record company that currently features artists From Jupiter (formerly Class Clowns) and singer-songwriter Aishah.

Even the advertising of the benefit isn’t exactly typical. The MySpace site has more references to breasts than the Motley Crue song catalog. Around the site are slogans like “Save the Tatas” and “Feel Your Boobies” — not the usual rallies for the cause. Even the bands are getting in on it, including a call to “Save the Chi-chis.” While some of this may come off as overly juvenile, it ultimately has the right effect.

“We want to make it fun and enjoyable and interesting for them,” saus Ortega, who strongly encourages all of the bands on his label to get involved with social causes. The original plan was to have the show at Santa Paula Skate Park, with one of the co-sponsors being Boarding for Breast Cancer, a youth and fitness-oriented nonprofit organization. When those plans fell through, they settled on the Glen Tavern Inn, the “haunted” historical landmark.

When Ortega and co-organizer Michael Kohli of Kohli Rocks Entertainment set out to find bands to play the show, many jumped at the opportunity. “Many of the artists we spoke to said,

‘Wow, I have an aunt or a sister that had breast cancer, and I would love to play at your show,’ ” Ortega says.

Kohli is a well-known guy around Ventura music circles and has been promoting shows around town for years with his company Kohli Rocks Entertainment. Recently he has been expanding his horizons into the Los Angeles area and has been eyeing the Santa Barbara area also. Kohli has also written for Ojai and Ventura Voice as well as the Reporter and has done interviews artists such as Amy Lee of Evanescence and members of Korn for his Web site. SoCal Musician, a booking and networking company involved with over 2,000 musicians and 600 venues in Southern California, is co-sponsoring the show along with KRE and Third Eye.

“We’re just trying to raise awareness in the community,”  Kohli says about their goals for the upcoming shows. And as with many social causes, music is seen as the ideal medium to help get the message across, especially with those in their late teens and early 20s, a demographic not typically known these days for their social consciousness.

“Our target here is the youth, and music is the best healing source.”   

Pink Ribbon Riot

March 29, 11:30 a.m. at Glen Tavern Inn, 134 N. Mill St., Santa Paula
www.myspace.com/pinkribbonriot