More than 10 years ago, Brad Delson, UCLA alumnus and guitarist for alternative rock band Linkin Park, signed up for a geology class. After a field trip to a local habitat that had been severely damaged by the planting of non-indigenous species, Delson said he soon became aware of the fragility of the environment.
In 2004, a tsunami and earthquake hit South Asia in the Indian Ocean. At this point, Linkin Park, a band Delson has been part of since its beginnings in 2006, had reached success through numerous sold-out tours and multiplatinum albums. After hearing about the devastation, the members of Linkin Park wanted to contribute, and a year later, the band founded Music for Relief to aid victims of natural disasters wherever they occur around the globe.
“Before (the tsunami) happened, we had recently played shows in that region, and we were personally devastated by what we saw on television, so we wanted to do our part to help,” Delson said.
In response to the recent tsunami in Japan, the band decided to do something different. On Aug. 31, Linkin Park and Japanese rock group B’z will perform at a small intimate show at The Mayan in Los Angeles to benefit Japanese relief efforts. The only way fans can get tickets is to raise $500 for the cause by creating a fund-raising page at www.secretshowforjapan.com. Only the first 500 people to reach the fund-raising goal will be invited to the show.
For this event, Music for Relief partnered with Save the Children, and 100 percent of the net proceeds from the show will go toward providing child care services in Japan, including financial support toward education and psychological support.
California Lutheran University alumna Janessa Jones is currently one of the top 50 fund-raisers, having raised $745 for the cause. She raised the $500 minimum in less than a week, and was invited to talk on KROQ with Kevin & Bean when Mike Shinoda was a guest on the show.
“(While) Kevin & Bean made fun of my name … I just said hi (to Mike Shinoda), and he said, “˜Even though we don’t know each other, thank you so much,'” Jones said.
Kyle Imaoka, a University of California, Santa Barbara alumnus, said his half-Japanese ancestry and the fact that he is a fan of Linkin Park made it a no-brainer to raise funds for Japan. He has raised $1,160 so far.
“Because of my ethnicity, it hit (me) harder than other disasters. … I have friends who live out there. … $1,100 is not a huge amount. It’s not going to change the world. It just adds up,” Imaoka said.
Over the years, Music for Relief has worked with the International Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity in the long-term rebuilding effort for Hurricane Katrina and the United Nations Foundation, working with them in Haiti to install solar lights. The organization also works to educate people about global warning.
“One thing that I’m very proud of is that Music for Relief targets issues of climate change, both in terms of building awareness about how they can potentially exacerbate these natural disasters and also in trying to counteract the effects of global warming, such as taking the initiative of planting trees,” Delson said.
Delson said creativity is key to raising money for their show.
“Maybe 100 $5 shoulder rubs or maybe 500 $1 dollar haircuts. We know there (are) a lot of motivated, smart people wanting to do their part to help the children who have been devastated by the earthquake and tsunami,” Delson said.