On Saturday July 18th, Kevin Carnes, beloved Bay Area musician and member of the Broun Fellinis and Voodoo Dolly, had a medical emergency at the Ivy Room and was rushed to the ER in an ambulance. It took three EMTs to convince him to go. Despite having dangerously low blood pressure and being unable to stand, his only concern was getting back to his drum set to keep playing. Instead of celebrating 35 years of Broun Fellinis together with Voodoo Dolly and Funkonya, Kevin spent the evening in ER. Fellow Fellinis David Boyce and Kirk Peterson returned to the stage with other musicians present and kept playing as Kevin would have wanted. It was a terrifying event for everyone.

Kevin was released early Sunday morning after a battery of tests and care. While we're grateful the situation was resolved for now, we turn our attention to the financial impact of this event on Kevin and his family. There will be a huge hospital bill, even after insurance due to a high deductible and the cost of emergency services. This will severely impact Kevin's family.

We are asking folks to give what they can to help reduce these unexpected medical expenses. It is a travesty that many musicians give so much, yet receive so little support. There is no social security, disability or safety net for many artists despite years in the service of joy and sonic healing. It's up to us as the community that loves Kevin and his work as an artist to step up for him and his family.

Any donations that exceed the cost of medical expenses will be donated to the San Francisco Musicians Union Local Six Emergency Relief Fund. We thank you deeply for your support of this Bay Area legend and are humbled and proud to come together to turn our love into action to assist Kevin and his family during a difficult time.

More about Kevin Carnes:

Kevin Carnes, a Detroit native, is a founding member of the Afro-industrial noise ensemble The BeatNigs, the Afro-Jazz Trio the Broun Fellinis and the punk-industrial improv group U.A.F. He is an in demand studio musician and teacher whose performance and recording credits include analog/digital drum work for: George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Talking Heads), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Shaunna Hall (Four Non Blondes), Lady Miss Kier (Deee Lite), DJ Cheb i Sabbah, Soulstice, Michael Henderson (Miles Davis), The Last Poets and more.

With love,

D'mitra Dawn and Brandi Brandes.