Benefit for local Austin musician

Friends, fans, and fellow cancer survivors gathered Saturday night to sing songs and share stories about Austin guitarist Davy Jones.

Jones was diagnosed in May with metastatic stage 4 lung cancer and wasn’t able to attend the gathering. His diagnosis also caused him to be unable to play in his band the Hickoids’ first-ever European tour, which began just weeks after the discovery of the cancer.

Jones said in a later interview that his diagnosis “used to be pretty much a death sentence but thanks to modern medical advances I have made a lot of progress in a few months.”

Saturday’s gathering at Hole in the Wall aimed to raise money toward assisting Jones with medical bills accumulated from his treatments. He has received both radiation and chemotherapy before being placed on a drug called Tarceva.

Jones has gotten help from both the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians and Shivers Cancer Center. The health alliance (HAAM) is an Austin resource that provides affordable health and dental care for local musicians. This nonprofit organization, which was started in 2005, helps musicians make ends meet while staying healthy.

“With Austin being the live music capital of the world, musicians bring almost $2 billion into the city’s economy, but the musicians themselves live on very low incomes,” Carolyn Schwartz, executive director of HAMM, said in an interview with the Daily Texan. When musicians need substantial health care, as in Jones’ case, bills can quickly pile up and surpass their ability to pay.

The lineup for the event was filled with fellow Austin musicians that are cancer survivors including members of the bands Scorpio Rising, and Brewtality Inc.  Houston Ritchenson, the lead singer for Brewtality Inc., has been cancer free for three years now. Additionally, Madame Scorpio, lead singer for Scorpio Rising, beat breast cancer five years ago after a double mastectomy and a removal of nine lymph nodes.  

“I would say it affected writing for sure,” Scorpio said. “It definitely makes me real happy when on stage, totally appreciate it so much more, and it feels right.”

Madame Scorpio helped organized this benefit to give back to Jones and thank him for all his past involvement in the Austin music community.

“We wanted to help Davy out,” she said. “He has done so many benefits for other people throughout his life as a musician.”

The atmosphere at Hole in the Wall was a positive one. The crowd included people who have been hearing Jones play for the Hickoids since their glory days in the early ‘80s. The band was recently inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been listening to Davy Jones since I started sneaking into bars,” Tammy Harter, long time fane, said. “The Hickoids were always a crazy good time.”

All of the audience rocking out to the music of the night encompassed the spirit of Davy Jones and what he is hoping to bring to the music world. His advice to aspiring musicians that have difficult obstacles is to “never quit no matter what!” He has begun rehearsing with the Hickoids again and said he hopes to be able to perform with them at the Austin Corn Lover’s Fiesta.

“This cancer thing is definitely gonna slow me down in perpetuity,” Jones said. “But I have zero intention of letting it stop my music career!”