Local bands to join Akron’s Funeral Commercial for benefit show Sunday

Sarah Moomey
Thu, 02 Nov 2023 23:52:38 +0000
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[Left to right] Ohio State students River Owens, Beck Watson and Mason Lurie make up emo band Starling. Credit: Ellen Minzler

Ohio State student-formed band Starling, Akron-born shoegaze band Funeral Commercial and three additional Columbus-based bands are teaming up for a benefit concert Sunday.

The show will be held at Dirty Dungarees, a laundromat and bar that often doubles as a concert venue for local musicians. If Ohio’s Issue 1 does not pass, 50 percent of the $1000 goal will be donated to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio; conversely, the same amount will be donated to Stand With Abortion Now of Orlando — also known as SWAN of Orlando — if Ohio’s Issue 1 does pass.

Rohan Rindani — the marketing director for student-run Internet radio station AROUSE OSU and the benefit show’s organizer — said they wanted to fundraise for the pro-choice cause, even if that means crossing state lines.

“I went back and forth on a couple of different charities to donate to,” Rindani, also a fourth-year in marketing and music, said. “The show is set up that if we do pass that amendment, we’re going to look to donate outside of Ohio.”

Rindani said SWAN of Orlando was put on their radar via a friend who lives in Florida. At SWAN of Orlando, individuals volunteer to protect patients from harassment and sometimes violent protestors as they seek family-planning services with doctoral support, according to its website.

Rindani said if the donation goes to SWAN of Orlando, they are confident the money will be in good hands.

For this benefit show, Rindani said they asked three local bands to support headliner Funeral Commercial.

The three artists include Starling, doom metal band kitsch and emo-violence band Leba. All supporting bands complement Funeral Commercial’s “hazy music vibe,” which is why they were selected to open the show, Rindani said.

Starling — comprising guitarist and vocalist Beck Watson, bassist and vocalist River Owens and drummer Mason Lurie — is looking forward to playing an active role in Rindani’s fundraising efforts, Watson said. The band, made up entirely of Ohio State students, is currently trying to amp up its presence in Columbus, they said.

“Mason and I have been playing together since high school,” Watson, a third-year in city and regional planning, said. “We were in jazz band together. Then we met River our freshman year. We were all looking for people to play music with just for fun. It took us about a year or two before we became more serious because we booked our first show, and so we had to get things moving.”

Watson said because Starling has only been an official band for just under a year, it is still in the process of finding a distinct sound, drawing inspiration from other Columbus-based bands like Cellar Dwellar and Six Flags Guy.

Attendees can expect an intense and emotional experience at the upcoming concert, Owens, a fourth-year in natural resource management, said.

Lurie, a third-year in ecological engineering, agreed.

“I think our main goal is to create a welcoming environment,” Lurie said. “A lot of people when they hear heavier music, they get a little intimidated with moshing, but we always try to keep it safe.”

With plans to begin recording a demo tape in December, Starling aims to release new music in February of next year, Owens said.

“We believe that real change occurs when people in the community unite for a common cause, and hope that music can be something that brings people together in support of the pressing issues that Ohio faces,” Watson said in an email.

The benefit show will kick off at 6:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased for $10 at the door. More information about Starling can be found on the band’s Instagram.