by J.B. Hawkins

Local fans rally on a global level with a spontaneous three-city benefit festival and online donation drive.

DENTON — Those of you familiar with the North Texas music scene have more than likely seen (or at least heard of) the critically-acclaimed progressive jazz fusion group, Snarky Puppy. If you've had the privilege of catching this band live, you know that you never walk away from the venue with the same perspective on music that you showed up with. They are just that intense.

Recently, this touring beast was doing a stint in Canada when their van broke down. As if it wasn’t bad enough (they were forced to miss gigs due to this setback), their bus was vandalized during this time as well. $6,000 worth of equipment, merchandise, and studio time (in the form of a hard drive containing a recorded solo album) was stolen, leaving the band in a very precarious situation to say the least.

Because this band has accumulated so many fans and friends, a little help is on the way in the form of three benefit shows for Snarky starting Thursday at Boiler Room in Denton. This is your opportunity to get involved and help out some of your local North Texas musicians in a time of need. The killer line-up will consist of Hatch, Oso Closo, The Gritz (Erykah Badu’s band), and Snarky Puppy to close it out. The next two shows will be in New Orleans and Lafayette, La.

Another way you might help out if you're not in any of these areas is by donating any amount you can to paypal account (SnarkyPuppy@yahoo.com), set-up by one the band’s longtime supporters and friends. In addition, anyone who donates anything will receive a free personal drawing from Montreal artist, Anthony Imperioli.

The fact this incident occurred is unfortunate in and of itself, but it is such a delight to witness the extent to which the Pups have received support (locally and globally) from all those whose lives that have been touched by this band’s incredible music over the years.

Here’s Sarah Crisman with more details:

Snarky Puppy Benefit Drive from patrick flaherty on Vimeo.

J.B. Hawkins is a pop culture analyst based in Denton.

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