Next month a local band, Rokkerbox, will lend their talents to the effort to put food on the table for hungry people. On Feb. 11 the band will perform at the Hy Iu Hee Hee Pizza Place to help fill the shelves at the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank by accepting two nonperishable items in place of a cover charge. The band’s last “Fill the Ford” event at the Halftime Saloon brought in a truckload of goods for the food bank. Now the boys are doing it again.
“We’re really excited about it,” said the band’s bass guitar and keyboard player, John Killeen. “We all have our day jobs and make enough to keep the band going. It’s a blessing for us to give back to the community and people less fortunate.”
Wrapping music and charity up in one package is nothing new to the band's guitarist, Matt Lawrence. Growing up in San Jose, his parents wanted to instill in him an awareness of the fact that there were hungry people in America.
"I grew up dishing out food in food kitchens at Thanksgiving and Christmas," he said. "When I was a kid it was kind of scary at first. But you realize how grateful these people are. I like to do charity work. It keeps you grounded."
Lawrence said that even with the recession people should be thankful.
"You hear people complaining all the time but at least they have a roof over their head," he said. "They get to eat."
Lawrence has a handyman business and lends a hand to the Habitat for Humanity when he can. He became aware that the food banks were experiencing shortages through a client who volunteers at the Key Peninsula food bank.
"I wanted to help and I told him I'm a musician," he said. "So we played a gig at the Halftime Sports Saloon and invited people to bring food and fill up my Ford pickup truck."
The event was a hit.
"He was in shock when we pulled into the food bank with a truck full of food," Lawrence said. "On top of that the bar owner raised $350 for them."
Killeen said one of the best things about being American is getting together to help out neighbors.
“We really know how hard these people get hit and the fact that we can do this for the food banks is just so cool,” he said.
At the Hy Iu gig, Lawrence will have two trucks, his own and another truck donated by Patterson's Market that hopefully, will get filled with food too.
The musician's wife, Kimber Lawrence, was a former volunteer for FISH. Rokkerbox has previously performed at the Hy Iu to raise money for the Boundless Playground at Sehmel Homestead Park and have played to benefit a hunger walk and breast cancer research.
"I believe in Karma," Lawrence said. "I like to stack up as much good stuff as I can."
Rokkerbox, named after a motorcycle part, has four members. Besides Lawrence and Killeen, it includes guitarist and harmonica player, Jesse Savage and drummer Rick Chester. All four members sing.
The band has been together more than a year. The band's musical style and influences is all over the board.
"Jesse is really into older country western and glam hair music from the 80s," Lawrence said. "He brings a lot of that in. My first band was a punk rock band then I moved to speed metal, jazz bands, reggae and classical."
The band likes to mix it up and surprise their audience.
"We play a lot of stuff you don't normally play, like the Violent Femmes," Lawrence said. "Jesse and I like to goof around and pull some quirky stuff out. It's all tongue in cheek.
"Nobody has an ego," he added. "It's just a fun band. We don't like to take ourselves too seriously."
Rokkerbox can be reached at 253-514-5496 or by visiting www.rokkerbox.com.
Rokkerbox at the Hy Iu Hee Hee
The band will play at 9 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Hy Iu Hee Hee, 4309 Burnham Drive in Gig Harbor. Phone: 253-851-7885. They will accept two nonperishable items for the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank in place of a cover charge.
