On Friday, Feb. 2, Rock for Research is hosting a show that promises good music for
a great cause. The Feb. 2 show will be, to sound as clichÇ as possible, an eclectic one. The music ranges from folk to dance to metal. The headliner will be former UI student Tony Sorrentino, with support from Midwestern bands Hotel Ahead, Kirkland and The Championship, as well as a local band, Easterlings, playing one of their first official shows. The show is taking place at the Courtyard CafÇ at 6 p.m. in the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St. in Urbana, with
a $5 cover charge.
Rock for Research was born in January 2006 when two University of Illinois students, brother and sister duo Steve and Anne Hopkins, wanted to begin an organization which put on concerts while raising money and awareness for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a condition both of them were born with. SMA is a motor neuron condition which confines them to wheelchairs. In order for a child to be born with SMA, both parents must carry the gene for SMA, and even then there is only a 25 percent chance of their offspring being born with the condition. In the last year, Rock for Research, or R4R, have put on some amazing shows with various up-and-coming Chicago bands. Some of the bands that have performed at past R4R shows are June, Allister, October Fall, Spitalfield, The Junior Varsity and 2*Sweet.
The show on Friday features an array of bands from Illinois and current and former UI students. Tony Sorrentino, a former University student, along with his guitar, will be the headliner of the show. His musical influences, John Mayer and Bright Eyes, are represented in his style of music and vocal abilities. Opening act Hotel Ahead, whose sound is similar to Limbeck, is a rising indie band, two of whose members are currently enrolled at UI. The band recently played at the Metro in Chicago and has been playing with local bands such as Santa. Kirkland, formerly After the Fall, is a band from the northern Illinois area which has gone through some changes. The band was formerly a Fall Out Boy-esque band, but has since changed their name and their sound. Now they tend toward electronic pop rock. The Championship is the only band not from Illinois. The band hails from Milwaukee, Wis. and plays primarily folk music. The final opening act is a newer band, Easterlings, comprised of all current University students. Easterlings is a metal rock band, rounding out show’s diversity with a harder, faster sound than the other bands playing. They have recently recorded a demo, and the Rock for Research concert is one of their first official shows.
Rock for Research also has another show in the near future on Friday, March 2 at the Courtyard CafÇ that includes Pencils Down, covering Alkaline Trio, as the headliner. Tony Sorrentino will be playing again, as well as Chicago band 2*Sweet.
All proceeds from this show and all Rock for Research shows benefit the Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA). So, come out to the Courtyard CafÇ this Friday at
6 p.m. For $5 you can hear some good music and feel good about yourself for donating money to a worthy cause.
Tony Sorrentino will be headling the Rock for Research show on Friday, Feb. 2 to benefit the Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
