Help Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear
Donation protected
Sad to report Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear's van & trailer with all of their gear was stolen while on tour in North Bergen, New Jersey, Friday morning, October 19th.
Lot's of specific items including an Alvarez Yairi classical guitar Ruth purchased in 1979, Madisen's custom Collings D-1 acoustic guitar, a C&C drum kit, multiple guitars, amps, merchandise, and many other items were victim to the theft.
In an effort to keep the show on the road, The band has decided to continue the tour supporting The Record Company. With that, they have rented a van and purchased essential replacement gear on credit cards. The Record Company has been very kind to let MWMB use their backline to make up for the additional gear that was lost and cannot be afforded at the moment.
Letter From Ruth:
"For some of you receiving this message, you may not know Ruth. She is also known as Mama Bear from the band Madisen Ward and Mama Bear. She is 67 years old and has been playing her guitar since she was 19 years old. She played in coffee shops and for various venues most of her life. In her 60s, she created a band with her son, Madisen. The two continued to play in coffee shops and venues. They’ve appeared on the David Letterman Show and Good Morning America. Since the David Letterman show performance, they have toured both the United States and Europe and have released one LP (Skeleton Crew) and one EP (Radio Winners) album.
A little about Ruth and why we want to help her:
Ruth has worked tirelessly every day traveling from venue to venue to spread her love for her music by singing and strumming her guitar. She is a marvelous musician and is known for her kindness. In fact, she has dubbed August 12, “Act of Kindness Day” for her friends and family. She is one of those incredible people who strives to change the world with her goodness and love."
*UPDATE: The van was recovered Saturday, October 20th. The trailer with all the gear is still missing. Unfortunately, the van is pretty damaged (Shredded front wheel, Broken ignition, Potentially broken axle) and is currently being sent to a local shop in New Jersey for a repair and time estimate.
The band does have commercial insurance to help with the van repairs. Hoping that insurance will help cover as much as possible of the stolen items but still TBD.
In the meantime, This has really put a hardship on the band with the addition van rental, covering the cost of lost items, trailer, replacement gear/merchandise, deductibles, and a few show cancellations.
Details about the theft:
*Where it happened: Meadowlands View Hotel located in North Bergen, New Jersey at approximately 1-8am on October 19, 2018.
*What Ruth's guitar looked like: Alvarez Yari nylon six string classical guitar purchased in 1979 that had a black leather strap with a gold outline of a cross. There was a container with a pick holder attached. The case was a hard shell, velvet lining with one capo and one digital tuner.
*The van that was stolen is a black 2009 E350 Ford Van with a 5X7 white trailer was parked at the Meadowlands View Hotel located in North Bergen, New Jersey at around 1am on October 19th.”
Lot's of specific items including an Alvarez Yairi classical guitar Ruth purchased in 1979, Madisen's custom Collings D-1 acoustic guitar, a C&C drum kit, multiple guitars, amps, merchandise, and many other items were victim to the theft.
In an effort to keep the show on the road, The band has decided to continue the tour supporting The Record Company. With that, they have rented a van and purchased essential replacement gear on credit cards. The Record Company has been very kind to let MWMB use their backline to make up for the additional gear that was lost and cannot be afforded at the moment.
Letter From Ruth:
"For some of you receiving this message, you may not know Ruth. She is also known as Mama Bear from the band Madisen Ward and Mama Bear. She is 67 years old and has been playing her guitar since she was 19 years old. She played in coffee shops and for various venues most of her life. In her 60s, she created a band with her son, Madisen. The two continued to play in coffee shops and venues. They’ve appeared on the David Letterman Show and Good Morning America. Since the David Letterman show performance, they have toured both the United States and Europe and have released one LP (Skeleton Crew) and one EP (Radio Winners) album.
A little about Ruth and why we want to help her:
Ruth has worked tirelessly every day traveling from venue to venue to spread her love for her music by singing and strumming her guitar. She is a marvelous musician and is known for her kindness. In fact, she has dubbed August 12, “Act of Kindness Day” for her friends and family. She is one of those incredible people who strives to change the world with her goodness and love."
*UPDATE: The van was recovered Saturday, October 20th. The trailer with all the gear is still missing. Unfortunately, the van is pretty damaged (Shredded front wheel, Broken ignition, Potentially broken axle) and is currently being sent to a local shop in New Jersey for a repair and time estimate.
The band does have commercial insurance to help with the van repairs. Hoping that insurance will help cover as much as possible of the stolen items but still TBD.
In the meantime, This has really put a hardship on the band with the addition van rental, covering the cost of lost items, trailer, replacement gear/merchandise, deductibles, and a few show cancellations.
Details about the theft:
*Where it happened: Meadowlands View Hotel located in North Bergen, New Jersey at approximately 1-8am on October 19, 2018.
*What Ruth's guitar looked like: Alvarez Yari nylon six string classical guitar purchased in 1979 that had a black leather strap with a gold outline of a cross. There was a container with a pick holder attached. The case was a hard shell, velvet lining with one capo and one digital tuner.
*The van that was stolen is a black 2009 E350 Ford Van with a 5X7 white trailer was parked at the Meadowlands View Hotel located in North Bergen, New Jersey at around 1am on October 19th.”
Organizer
Neill Smith
Organizer
Kansas City, MO
