squint Announces 2nd
Annual Louisiana Rock Festival: Squintfest 2003
Last year's festival raised more than 2 grand for Parkinson disease
research, donated in
honor of squint guitarist's mother, who suffered from the disease.
Ruston, LA based rock band squint (www.squint.com), who recently released
a new album, Tinsel Life, has
announced that they are organizing a music festival, Squintfest 2003,
to benefit The National Parkinson
Foundation. This will be the 2nd annual charity concert. Proceeds donated
from last year's shows and area
sponsors totaled over $2,000. The National Parkinson Foundation raises
money for research in the pursuit of
a cure for Parkinson's disease and offers support to those afflicted
by Parkinson's disease.
The two-concert event will feature area bands; Maroon, I-20 Takes Over
the World, Fallstaff, Making
Monsters, Only a Few, Proofrock, November's End, Hideous, Zack the Rookie,
Pinkard, and squint.
Matt Fredrickson, guitarist for squint, lost his mother several years
ago after she battled Parkinson's for two
decades, she was only 34 when she was diagnosed with the disease. "The
idea came up in the band to do
something charitable, and we agreed that a benefit for Parkinson's was
something that we all could get behind,"
says Fredrickson. "It's a very cruel and unfortunately common disease,
and research on it could lead to cures for
a number of neurological disorders."
More than one million Americans are afflicted with Parkinson's disease,
with roughly 50,000 new cases being
reported every year. Parkinson's is a nerve disorder which is both chronic
and progressive. It causes uncontrolled
trembling and shaking (tremors), a fixed staring expression, stooped
posture, muscle rigidity, an abnormal gait,
loss of balance, and those who suffer from the disease may also enter
into a serious state of depression as a result
of their symptoms. What actually brings about the onset of this horrible
disease is unknown. There is currently
no cure for the disease.
squint's new record, Tinsel Life, was produced by Ed Stasium in Los
Angeles. Ed is a legend; the man responsible
for recording The Ramones, Soul Asylum, Mick Jagger, Smithereens, this
list goes on and on. This album earned
them a nomination for a 2003 American Music Award even before it was
released.
At college radio right now, Tinsel Life was the #12 most added record
according to CMJ's Top 20 Adds Chart and
entered the CMJ Top 200 six weeks ago, where it remains. The prior three
years to this project saw squint
performing almost 200 shows a year; gracing the stage with bands like
The Goo Goo Dolls, Stroke 9, Drowning
Pool, The Toadies, and more.
All involved are expecting that this year's event will be even more
successful than the last. "It took a lot to get the
ball rolling last year," said Dane Adrian, frontman for the band
squint. "This time people are coming out of the
woodwork asking how they can help."
For more information visit www.squint.com |