Abigail Henderson feels best when she's onstage.
The drummer pounds away behind her, the bass player rides the roots and the fifths in a country-rock lope.
Her man stands stage-right, tall and blue-eyed, twisting licks on his guitar like he's squeezing limes over a drink.
The tuning pedal and the set list are at her feet. The guitar neck is in her left hand, the pick in her right.
She starts to sing. She feels nothing.
Weekends are hardest for this 31-year-old, so having a gig works out well. She usually gets the chemo treatment on Thursdays, and the god-awful poison hangover kicks in Saturday evening. It's the perfect time to play with her band, the Gaslights, and to forget about the cancer in her body.
Cancer smashed up her life in midsummer.
It came in the house on July 22 at 11:45 a.m., she wrote on the blog she started five days after being diagnosed with stage III inflammatory breast cancer. It crashed through the door and freaked out the cats, set the dog barking, and pissed off my husband. It promptly thrashed the living room, broke all the glass, blew out the light bulbs. It changed every word in every book on every bookcase. It made the TV speak a new language. It shredded every bit of clothing I own. It emptied the contents of the refrigerator, kicked the butter and the milk and the salad mix to all corners of the kitchen. And then it sat down squarely on the couch and said I had to live with it now.
Henderson called her blog "Hope Is My Middle Name."
One of the more outspoken people on the music scene, Henderson is a former creative-writing major who, in her own words, "minored in feminazi." She worked in the Women's Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, protesting Promise Keepers and bringing in leftist scholars such as Angela Davis.
She also attended Naropa University, the Buddhism-informed Colorado school that's famous for its Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. She lasted only a year, though. "I realized I am a little bit too Western of mind to give myself freely to the Zen concept," she says. "I drank a lot, I swore a lot, I argued a lot."
Her blog is meditative, feisty and poignant — not like the breast-cancer literature one might find at the local Barnes & Noble, which Henderson describes as "chick lit."
In addition to providing a good read, her blog serves as a way for Henderson's friends and family to keep up with her.
Stage III inflammatory breast cancer is rare and aggressive. It spreads quickly to other parts of the body. It is not heralded by the telltale lump but rather by swelling, warmth, redness, with the skin sometimes looking like an orange peel. IBC accounts for only 1 percent to 5 percent of breast-cancer cases, and the survival rate is significantly lower than with regular breast cancer.
It fucks shit up.
But as far as Henderson and her friends are concerned, it is not going to stop the rock.
It's a rainy night in September, and The Gaslights are presiding over a packed house at the Crossroads Music Fest. Of the dozens of people crammed into the Brick, several — most of them women — have come with their heads shaved in support of Henderson.
Wearing an all-black get-up adorned with an Obama pin and armed with a sunburst Les Paul guitar, Henderson leads the Gaslights through a rowdy set of rock-flavored country songs about politics, love and the bottle. Some of the tunes are brand-new and unrecorded, some are off the four-year-old band's fourth and latest album, 16 Addresses.
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Really what Abigale and others need is a long term solution. Doing benefits just isnt going to cut it. What would happen if at say sunday nights benefit 5 other musicians would have come forward with their own health needs? What about other needs like life insurance and retirement?
Here is my idea:
First, your going to need to find out what the need is and how many people need it. Get a survey together and find out how many musicians need insurance, what type they might need (personal?, family?, dental? etc...). Remember a person who's on the road alot will need services outside of network. Second, start checking around and finding some costs. Third, come up with a plan of how such a fund would be utilized. What should be the requirements before a musician can get funding? How much should they get? What will their copays be? Finally, go to the KC city council, show them your data and what your needs are. Present your idea of funding such a program through a ticket surcharge. It could be as little as 10 cents a ticket. If that doesnt work, maybe look into putting a petition on the ballot like Chastain did for light rail.
Local magicians and clowns have organized for similar reasons. No reason musicians cant also.
Good luck!
Really what Abigale and others need is a long term solution. Doing benefits just isnt going to cut it. What would happen if at say sunday nights benefit 5 other musicians would have come forward with their own health needs? What about other needs like life insurance and retirement? Here is my idea: First, your going to need to find out what the need is and how many people need it. Get a survey together and find out how many musicians need insurance, what type they might need (personal?, family?, dental? etc...). Remember a person who's on the road alot will need services outside of network. Second, start checking around and finding some costs. Third, come up with a plan of how such a fund would be utilized. What should be the requirements before a musician can get funding? How much should they get? What will their copays be? Finally, go to the KC city council, show them your data and what your needs are. Present your idea of funding such a program through a ticket surcharge. It could be as little as 10 cents a ticket. If that doesnt work, maybe look into putting a petition on the ballot like Chastain did for light rail. Local magicians and clowns have organized for similar reasons. No reason musicians cant also. Good luck!
PrairieVoice, that point was initially lost in my outrage over your other comments.
It was discussed amongst some of us last night. It was a good point which deserves to be explored.
Thanks for that seed.
PrairieVoice, you have a good point about dedicating money from ticket sales for a program. It kind of got lost by our ire over your other comments.
It was a topic of discussion amongst some of us Sunday night. For that nugget I thank you.
PrairieVoice, that point was initially lost in my outrage over your other comments. It was discussed amongst some of us last night. It was a good point which deserves to be explored. Thanks for that seed.
PrairieVoice, you have a good point about dedicating money from ticket sales for a program. It kind of got lost by our ire over your other comments. It was a topic of discussion amongst some of us Sunday night. For that nugget I thank you.
I wonder why there is no feedback on the idea of asking the KC City council to pay for an insurance fund with a ticket surcharge?
I wonder why there is no feedback on the idea of asking the KC City council to pay for an insurance fund with a ticket surcharge?
Everyone fire up your sarcasm meters here�
PrairieVoice thank you so much for your insightful thoughts on this. I too think it�s time that we put a stop to creativity and let Darwinism run it�s course among these ne'er-do-wells�
Ok ok� I can�t even keep that going for a whole paragraph. Back to reality.
So PrairieVoice, in your opinion it�s time for Abigail Henderson and her husband (as well as all the other fine musicians and artists in this city, nay the world, to grow up and �get a real job��
Did I get that right?
The fact is that there are a great many of us who choose a different life for ourselves than factory work or office jobs or corp America. Jason Harper in the Pitch used a term I have never heard but will use from here on out. We are the �Creative Class�. We are the people who paint pictures and sing songs, make films, tell stories and enrich the lives of everyone else who wants to find some beauty in this world.
I make my living with my art. I am a filmmaker and songwriter/musician. And I am friends with this woman who you found time in your day to belittle.
I find it interesting that you say that creativity and artistic fame must be attained by 30.
What do you mean she had some fun, she had some fame? You have no idea how hard it is to write your own songs, put a band together, have the balls to get into a van and tour the country (and Europe I might add) relentlessly. When you decide to be a songwriting musician you are almost taking a vow of poverty. You do this because you have something inside you that needs to get out, stories that need to be told, things that only YOU can say� the way you would say them. You are making a choice to add to the cultural canon of collected artwork that has changed the world.
Get a job, she has a job� hell she has three jobs that I know of� and you should get a life. I would imagine that if she had your politics and was in support of your causes maybe you would be less critical. But I digress.
I leave you with this thought� the world would be a quiet place if no one was allowed to sing except for the ones who have �made it�
Making it does not mean making bags of money for us. Making it means bringing something new a beautiful into this world. That is what my friend Abigail Henderson does. And I thank her for it.
Everyone fire up your sarcasm meters here… PrairieVoice thank you so much for your insightful thoughts on this. I too think it’s time that we put a stop to creativity and let Darwinism run it’s course among these ne'er-do-wells… Ok ok… I can’t even keep that going for a whole paragraph. Back to reality. So PrairieVoice, in your opinion it’s time for Abigail Henderson and her husband (as well as all the other fine musicians and artists in this city, nay the world, to grow up and “get a real job…” Did I get that right? The fact is that there are a great many of us who choose a different life for ourselves than factory work or office jobs or corp America. Jason Harper in the Pitch used a term I have never heard but will use from here on out. We are the “Creative Class”. We are the people who paint pictures and sing songs, make films, tell stories and enrich the lives of everyone else who wants to find some beauty in this world. I make my living with my art. I am a filmmaker and songwriter/musician. And I am friends with this woman who you found time in your day to belittle. I find it interesting that you say that creativity and artistic fame must be attained by 30. What do you mean she had some fun, she had some fame? You have no idea how hard it is to write your own songs, put a band together, have the balls to get into a van and tour the country (and Europe I might add) relentlessly. When you decide to be a songwriting musician you are almost taking a vow of poverty. You do this because you have something inside you that needs to get out, stories that need to be told, things that only YOU can say… the way you would say them. You are making a choice to add to the cultural canon of collected artwork that has changed the world. Get a job, she has a job… hell she has three jobs that I know of… and you should get a life. I would imagine that if she had your politics and was in support of your causes maybe you would be less critical. But I digress. I leave you with this thought… the world would be a quiet place if no one was allowed to sing except for the ones who have “made it” Making it does not mean making bags of money for us. Making it means bringing something new a beautiful into this world. That is what my friend Abigail Henderson does. And I thank her for it.
FUCK CANCER
I had a "real job" until the company was bought out and the president got $6 for selling us. Fifty is a great time to find a "real job". The real fun was four-years later when cancer struck me.
The musicians in this town have been good to me since I returned. They let me pretend to be a musician and play my music.
So rag on her decisions in life. She made them and she makes no bones about it. The difference between her and the many marginally employed people who find themselves confronted with a catastrophic illness is she chose music as her career.
I'm proud of my "baby sister". I hope you never have to face an illness that takes everything you have.
It's interesting that KC Star is also running an article on this very same woman and her issues. Only the KC Star ignore her radical past and paints this squeeky clean image of her. People arent so giving after they find shes a fem-nazi and protested Promise Keeper events. Thank you Pitch for your honesty.
Anyhow this woman is 31 years old and it looks as if shes finally going to have to grow up and face reality. She had some fun, had a taste of fame, but you know truth be told if you haven't made it in big in music by the time your 30 - you wont. She, or her husband, need to quit the music and get real jobs. You cant be worrying about your bass player quitting or getting your guitar stolen (which should have been insured itself BTW) at age 31. Other musicians have found ways to balance this "hobby" and real life. Even besides this issue with insurance she'll never make enough money to have children or buy a decent house. And what about retirement? As for the insurance issue here is an idea. The city COULD fund such a program and much more by charging $1 on every ticket to a concert at the Sprint arena or Starlight. They are both city owned venues right?
PS. Could the Pitch address the issue "if you havent made it by 30 - you wont"?
FUCK CANCER I had a "real job" until the company was bought out and the president got $6 for selling us. Fifty is a great time to find a "real job". The real fun was four-years later when cancer struck me. The musicians in this town have been good to me since I returned. They let me pretend to be a musician and play my music. So rag on her decisions in life. She made them and she makes no bones about it. The difference between her and the many marginally employed people who find themselves confronted with a catastrophic illness is she chose music as her career. I'm proud of my "baby sister". I hope you never have to face an illness that takes everything you have.
It's interesting that KC Star is also running an article on this very same woman and her issues. Only the KC Star ignore her radical past and paints this squeeky clean image of her. People arent so giving after they find shes a fem-nazi and protested Promise Keeper events. Thank you Pitch for your honesty. Anyhow this woman is 31 years old and it looks as if shes finally going to have to grow up and face reality. She had some fun, had a taste of fame, but you know truth be told if you haven't made it in big in music by the time your 30 - you wont. She, or her husband, need to quit the music and get real jobs. You cant be worrying about your bass player quitting or getting your guitar stolen (which should have been insured itself BTW) at age 31. Other musicians have found ways to balance this "hobby" and real life. Even besides this issue with insurance she'll never make enough money to have children or buy a decent house. And what about retirement? As for the insurance issue here is an idea. The city COULD fund such a program and much more by charging $1 on every ticket to a concert at the Sprint arena or Starlight. They are both city owned venues right? PS. Could the Pitch address the issue "if you havent made it by 30 - you wont"?
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