December 9-16, 2004

hearhere

by Patrick Rapa

When I told a friend that the guys from Cordalene and One Star Hotel were throwing themselves a fund-raiser after just about everything they owned that made noise was stolen, she groaned. "There are benefits every week in this town. Usually they're for a noble cause, at least." We haven't spoken since.

Listen. If some modern dance troupe lost its leotards in a tragic brush fire, you better believe this town would throw bake sales until every last dancer had a gift certificate to Baums. My point, supposedly, is this: Music is art. Art is art. Town better pony up. There, but for a twist of luck, goes you and your rock band, your dance troupe, your puppet show, your silly little experimental theater group.

All told, the bands lost about 10 grand worth of guitars, pedals and keyboards when somebody used a big iron bar to bust into the former embalming room they used as a shared practice space on South Broad two weeks ago.

"I had several phases of grief," says Cordalene bassist Jim McGuinn, who lost, among other things, a Fender Strat, a mandolin and an Epiphone 335 Dot for some reason autographed by Noel Gallagher of Oasis. "Ultimately [I] decided that as sad and angry as I am, it must be worse for whoever did this. I mean, robbing from indie rockers must be the most pathetic thing you can do."

Last weekend, the guys from both bands met up to make a master list of the missing pieces and dispersed to every music store, pawnshop and flea market in the area. "Each time, I imagined my guitar would be hanging in the window of the next place we went," laments One Star frontman Steve Yutzy-Burkey, who may never see his Fender Telecaster or '72 Gibson SG again.

What would they do if they actually found their stuff? "Cry? Buy it? I don't even know how it works," says McGuinn. "We had to do whatever we could." Their search proved futile. Yutzy-Burkey, at least, had renters' insurance, which helped a little.

Mostly, though, the bands are starting from scratch. But since One Star just put out a CD (Good Morning, West Gordon) and Cordalene recently recorded its first full-length, neither ever considered giving up the ghost. They'll be playing their benefit this Saturday with a few new purchases and a bunch of loaners (from DiPinto Guitars and other local rockers). Go to the show to support the art. Go because the music's good. Go to case the joint.

Cordalene and One Star Hotel Burglary Benefit Show, Sat., Dec. 11, 8 p.m., $7, with This Radiant Boy and Shai of The Capitol Years, The Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St., www.onestarhotel.net, www.cordalene.com.