An accomplished music producer uses personal experience and a kind heart to give those fighting cancer a moment in the spotlight.
Musicians. They can be a mighty generous lot. I mean, we’ve seen it time and time again.
Whether it’s George Harrison breaking ground with his Concerts for Bangladesh, or Bob Geldof passionately pleading for Live Aid, or Bruce Springsteen playing his annual show for the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, or other musicians doing good in their own wonderful ways. No matter what the vehicle, the built-in compassion for others that those who make and create music feel and convey is always palpable, always present, always powerful.
And that includes, to a very high and a very impressive degree, Jim Ebert. Ebert is the co-founder of Cancer Can Rock, a Virginia-based 501c3 charity organization that is unlike most other musical philanthropic efforts, in that it gives musicians with cancer a chance to actually record and play music, and have it all professionally recorded as not only something for them to have for themselves, but also as a lasting legacy for their families and friends.
And Ebert knows of what he speaks, so it makes even more sense that he is the valiant captain of the thoughtful and empathetic CCR ship.
“I’m a brain cancer survivor of 18 years now,” said Ebert, a multi-platinum record producer from Falls Church VA who now lives in nearby Reston. “I want to say about nine years ago, I was coming back from Duke where I get my yearly scan, and I just was thinking that according to (the doctors), I’m probably out of the woods, so I just felt like I needed to do something. However, I’m a bit limited in my skill set, I mean I can produce and record music, and that seems to be about it. So I thought, that’s what I’ll do, I’ll find people that are sick and having a hard time, and I’ll try to give them one day that they can kind of forget they have cancer, come in and do a song, and have fun. Then I’ll present it so that they can have a legacy for their family regardless of what happens with their cancer. So that was my goal.”
Ebert knew exactly what he wanted to do to give back to those who had gone through what he had, but he wasn’t sure exactly how to execute it. That’s where a friend helped him launch the project, and his generous dream became a reality.
“I had no idea how to do it so I met with my friend at the time Bruce Parker and he had a friend who ran what’s called The Boomerang Foundation for the Arts, and he sat down with us and said, ‘Just do it, and then things will happen,’ so that’s what we did, and Bruce applied for the 501c3, and that happened fairly quickly.”
(photo courtesy Jim Ebert)
Ebert and his colleagues have clearly found a wonderfully generous niche that seems to be growing steadily, helping those who are suffering to find some joy amidst the struggles with a high end musical experience.
“We’re on or about our 20th artist I believe, that we’ve recorded. Basically when they come in, they’re going to get a song fully done, produced, mastered. Video completely done, edited. They’re going to have a really nice product to keep and share, and the experience to go along with it.”
(photo courtesy Jim Ebert)
Cancer Can Rock also does live fundraisers with some top bands, while often setting up shop on premises to raise awareness, which no doubt warms the hearts of those participating, while helping CCR bolster their efforts.
“The live shows are only for fundraising and it’s been growing little by little each year. We’re starting to branch up, last year we had Butch Walker at Union Stage, and this year we’re going have Fighting Gravity at Union Stage. We also do, we call it a ride-a-longs where we go and set up our merch table at someone’s show. We’ve done this with Everclear, Eddie from Ohio and Carbonleaf, and we’re with Bruce In The USA at the State Theater soon, too. And now we’re getting to a point where we’re taking more smaller corporate donations, and from other foundations, so it’s been a slow building thing, but I think we’ve also kind of grown at the speed we’re supposed to.”
For Ebert, it’s a carefully thought out and planned process, with the endgame being to give their “artists” a listenable piece of music magic they can treasure, as well as a living memory that will always be there to see.
“So I start the day with an idea, and at the end of the day, we have everything fully realized so that it’s actually a song we can listen to. It’s something that the world can listen to, and that’s pretty amazing that in a day we can end up with that kind of result. Typically what I do with the artists, they may send me a rough recording on the phone, or whatever, of their song, and I’ll kind of listen to it and kind of figure out what I think it should be, and I’ll talk to the artist about it because at the end of the day I want them to be happy, and then we’ll bring it in. I’ve got a team of players that’s amazing, and some move in and out depending on what type of music we’re doing.”
Ebert has the intimate personal experience of being a musician with cancer, so his empathy and sensitivity towards those he welcomes into his studio is something to be deeply admired. But sometimes, a little nudge can help someone who might have reservations about opening up about their disease.
“I think some musicians at first are private about their cancer and I understand that. Where I have to chase them around a little bit, say ‘You know we should do that song, you know? You should really get that song done,’ and eventually they come around if I harass them enough. And some people will do the opposite and say, ‘No. I’m not ready for that,’ or ‘I don’t really want to be so open about my disease.’
Cancer Can Rock is right in line with the magnanimous nature of musicians from way back, and will hopefully be a conduit of good will and generosity of spirit for many years to come. And thanks to folks like Jim Ebert, bringing joy to those who could really use it most is what he and Cancer Can Rock are all about.
“At the end of the day, we’re really here to just help people having a bad time. It’s just so easy to do such a feel good thing.”
To learn more, click here go to cancerncanrock.org