I’m extra honored to be a part of this stellar line up to benefit one of my best friends. Event description below and some awesome words from Mishka :
In fucked-up news, DC all-star DJ Stereo Faith has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Steve is a fixture in the District after putting in a near-decade of work with big parties like Feedback and Sorted, so if you live in the DMV and like music, you know the man. And if you don’t know him, check out Salad Days, the hardcore punk mix he did in April for Mad Decent with Dave Nada. That’ll be like a “hello.”
More than just club stalwart, Steve’s a real friend to many music-players up and down the East Coast and beyond. So when he got this fucked-up news, naturally everyone wanted to help right away. The result is this benefit. Look how stacked that line-up is – that’s love!
If you can’t make the party, here’s a PayPal address to donate funds to Steve’s medical care that his Mom set up: keepingthestereofaith@gmail.com. Meanwhile, Steve says:
tittsworth & will eastman (owners of U street music hall ["U hall"]), dave nada and trevor martin got together and put this benefit together in the last 48 hours or so. words can’t express how grateful i am for what they’ve done. they’ve lent every resource available to help me out. it’s unbelievable. i’ve been going to benefit shows for close to 20 years. never in a million years would i ever have thought someone would be throwing a benefit for me. it’s funny how you live your life thinking your invincible and then god, nature, the universe, or whatever you believe in, reels you in and let’s you know that you’re not.
Below, Steve describes the moment he received the news, details his schedule for treatment, and passes along a very important message for every single one of us:
SF: guys, i REALLY appreciate the support. you don’t even know. i’ve been trying to stay positive about the whole ordeal. i’d like to share my story because it could save one of you some day. i apologize in advance if it’s really long, but here it goes….
i went to see an audiologist to get fitted for custom earplugs for deejaying. i felt like i was losing hearing in my left ear and wanted to preserve what i had left in that ear and protect my right. i thought i had developed tinnitus from years of hardcore/punk shows and deejaying. after the test, we reviewed the results and determined that the hearing in my right ear was perfect, but my left ear was significantly less than perfect. the line dipped so far below the median that we had a good laugh about it for at least 5 minutes. anyway, the audiologist recommended i see an ear, nose and throat doctor (“ENT”) in the same facility to see if there was any damage.
i saw the ENT a week later. she checked me out and didn’t see anything, so she recommended i get a MRI. she said “99% of the time i recommend a MRI, the results come back and there’s nothing there. get the MRI, come back, and we’ll just take it from there. maybe you’re just going deaf in one ear.” that was not what i wanted to hear.
i got the MRI the following wednesday. i left with the films but didn’t open them because i had no idea what i would be looking at. i scheduled a follow up with the ENT the following week to review them. friday i started getting calls from a number i didn’t recognize. thinking it’s a telemarketer or phonebot, i send them to voicemail each time. no messages are left, so i’m like “eff it.” on the third or fourth call i finally answer. it’s the ENT and the call goes like this:
me: WHAT?!?
dr. picken: is this steven?
me: yeah.
dr. picken: this is dr. picken. can you talk?
me: yeah.
dr. picken: i got a fax of the results of your MRI. the reason you’re experiencing the hearing loss is because you have a tumor. it’s in your left internal auditory canal.
me: yeah?
dr. picken: yes, you need to see a specialist as soon as possible.
me: ok.
i spent the next few days doing research on neurologists and scheduling appointments. i talked to friends (whattup brendan!), family, etc. and got a few recommendations as well. i meet with different neurologists all over the DC/MD/VA area and a few out of state. they all said that they’re pretty sure it’s benign and not malignant. only a biopsy, after they take it out, will determine 100% if it’s benign.
i decided on a doctor at duke university medical center in north carolina. my surgery is scheduled for friday, august 13th…friday the 13th! this is the only friday the 13th in 2010. i kinda feel like it’s a lucky day for a punk rocker/metal dude like myself.
tittsworth & will eastman (owners of U street music hall ["U hall"]), dave nada and trevor martin got together and put this benefit together in the last 48 hours or so. words can’t express how grateful i am for what they’ve done. they’ve lent every resource available to help me out. it’s unbelievable. i’ve been going to benefit shows for close to 20 years. never in a million years would i ever have thought someone would be throwing a benefit for me. it’s funny how you live your life thinking your invincible and then god, nature, the universe, or whatever you believe in, reels you in and let’s you know that you’re not.
i say all of that to stress to you DJs if you notice ANY changes in your hearing, or body in general, get it checked out!!! i’m lucky that i caught this thing when i did. it hasn’t affected any of my motor skills yet. most people find out they have a tumor after it’s grown so large it’s affected their balance, memory, vision, etc. i’m so lucky i didn’t just chalk it up as tinnitus and ignore it. i’m also lucky that the ENT recommended i get an MRI. how often does someone tell you to get one of those? not very often.
anyway, on friday the 13th i’ll be getting a hole drilled into my head and having the damned thing taken out. i’m told full recovery takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months. maybe more. whatever. they’ll be plenty of entertainment here for me on the hollerboard. maybe i’ll keep you entertained by tweeting a bunch of dumb shit afterwards while i’m on all sorts of drugs.
Wednesday August 4th, 9pm
U Street Music Hall
1115A U Street NW
Washington D.C.
$5 MINIMUM donation (which means give more)
