Spencer Bell Legacy- Austin, TX

This year will mark the second time that a Legacy show will be held outside of the grand state of Michigan! (if you arent aware of what SBL is, see below..)Put together by Gain To Give, this show will have returning The Stevedores, Chicago's own, Tin Tin Can, The Kissing Club, a hybrid of musical funkiness known as Mechanical People, and some newer bands on the line up as well. Not to mention, there is a special Friends of SBL at the beginning of the event!! This event, unlike the one held at Trees in Dallas last April, will be an all-day affair! Smashing, yes?!

I will be conducting interviews with people about Spencer's influence & legacy on them. Will make for an awesome finishing piece to my video! I'm excited! Stay tuned to my Twitter feed (@gallifreyreject) for pics from the event! also, i will be posting my thoughts and pics from the event. If youre there, tweet me! Great cause, good music, & an all-around awesome time will be had!

Follow GainToGive on Twitter! and visit them on the web GainToGive

Oh, btw, another site dedicated to Adrenal Cancer is up and running! Visit Adrenal Cancer Hope :)

Line-up as of 3/21/2011

The Stevedores
Tin Tin Can
The Kissing Club
Union Shop
Mechanical People

About Spencer Bell Legacy

Spencer Bell was a talented musician and artist who died tragically of adrenal cancer at the age of 20 in 2006. The Spencer Bell Legacy was founded by his family and has become an effort to share his work with the world while raising awareness about Adrenal Cancer through annual concerts. The Spencer Bell Memorial Fund is one of three funds that have been established to support the adrenal cancer efforts at the University of Michigan, run by Dr. Gary Hammer. The Spencer Bell Memorial Fund aims to raise awareness for adrenal cancer research, support research and provide a training ground for young students interested in a career in medicine or science through sponsorship of summer research fellowships in laboratories associated with the Adrenal Cancer Program. Visit SpencerBellMemorial

Adrenal Cancer
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare, but very deadly. This type of cancer develops in the outer layer, called the cortex, of the two small adrenal glands that sit on top of each kidney. About 600 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States with nearly no chance of survival past five years for those diagnosed with advanced disease (stages 3/4).

Adults rarely have obvious symptoms, so they often are not diagnosed until the cancer is large and has spread to other parts of the body. Although adrenal cancer can be treated in adults, it usually comes back. Once it recurs, it is almost always fatal.

(info courtesy og GainToGive.org.. )

Spencer Bell Legacy Show Dallas 2010

Taken during the final song of the night, 'Thunderdome'

I attended the Spencer Bell Legacy show in Dallas last weekend and one word can only describe this event: FANTASTIC! Spencer Bell was a musician, artist & composer who at the tender age of 20 was struck down with Adrenal Cancer. The diagnosis came before Thanksgiving of 2006 and eleven days later on December 3rd, he was gone. Since his passing, his father, Bill Bell, has worked tirelessly in putting out his son's music posthumously and getting the word out about Adrenal Cancer, along with many friends of Spencer's. SpencerBellMemorial was created to show the world his legacy: the music. In Dallas last weekend, the music is what brought many from around the world to Dallas, Texas.

The poster

The bands playing the shows all had connections to Spencer and I learned by talking with several of them, had been influenced by him in many ways. Drew and the Medicinal Pen, The Stevedores, Tin Tin Can, The Kissing Club, 100Monkeys and Evro were the bands playing the momentous event! Dr. Hammer from the University of Michigan spoke and remarked on how one person has made a difference. Until this year, the only treatment for Adrenal Cancer was a variation of DDT. Now, there will be trials using a new drug to help fight this horrible disease.

The Kissing Club- Water In The Pipes

100Monkeys- Violin

TinTinCan- Billie Jean

Drew and The Medicinal Pen- Dandelions


Many of the bands covered some of Spencer's songs like Dandelions, Violin, The Monkey Song, Billie Jean, etc. I enjoyed every moment! I laughed, cried, and met some cool people! I think the most amazing moment for me was when Dr. Hammer was closing out his speech, the power went out! I don't mean just in Trees, but the whole downtown block of Dallas!! My friends and I thought, please don't shut this down! But it seemed Spencer shut the lights out to say, now what are you going to do! Jackson Rathbone appeared on stage and began to entertain us. Next thing the bands were coming out and grabbing anything non-electrical and began to play. Acoustic guitars, tambourines, xylophones, etc! It was beyond anything I ever witnessed! This black-out created the most epic jam/improv I had ever witnessed!




In a few of the videos, you can hear someone not on stage singing a hook of some sorts, "No power.." LOL! Wasn't she awesome?! Words cannot describe the feelings I had and experienced that night! I hated it was over, but come August, It's going to happen again! I want to thank Bill Bell, ASCCNow, Debbie, Teresa, Suzie, Kristin, and everyone I met that night who made the night memorable! And to the bands, you all were brilliantly magnificent!
Videos courtesy of SaraJew16 and VioletAbsinthe :)