Two Petaluma concerts fight Crohn’s, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Marian Call’s ‘Indie Joy Jazz,’ Chris King’s catchy ‘love’ songs|

PLANNING TO GO?

What: Chris King and the Gutterballs, a benefit for Crohn’s Disease

When: Thursday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Big Easy, 128 American Alley

Admission: No cover

Information: BigEasyPetaluma.com

What: Marin Call – A benefit to fight ME/CFS

When: Saturday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m.

Where: The Mystic Theatre, 21 N. Petaluma Blvd.

Admission: $20

Information: MysticTheatre.com

People say music heals.

That might be true in more ways than one.

A pair of upcoming Petaluma concerts by fan-favorite musicians aim to do more than just entertain full houses at The Big Easy and The Mystic Theatre. With back-to-back shows next week, the Seattle-based honky-tonk band Chris King and the Gutterballs, and Juneau, Alaska’s internet-popular singer-songwriter Marian Call, each hope to raise some much-needed cash to beat debilitating ailments that, while commonplace, are rarely talked about. Those ailments are Crohn’s Disease and ME/CFS (aka myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome). Though the musicians are fully expecting to use their time in Petaluma to help people suffering from Crohn’s and ME/CFS, Call and King - and the producers of these shows - definitely plan to do it while lifting spirits and generating some genuine, foot-tapping happiness.

Both of these appearances, while designed to send attendees out with a happy song lingering in their heads, could end up doing something even more enduring: the eventual cure of conditions that, according to the many members of these nonprofits, affect many in our community, but rarely get the attention and monetary support of better known illness.

First up, on Thursday, Oct. 3, Chris King and the Gutterballs will be serving up some seriously catchy, decidedly indie-edged, slightly twangy, lyrically rich and bouncy rock ‘n roll, in a Thursday night show at the Big Easy. The band’s new album, “Pain Waves,” was the result of a seriously challenging two years for King, who’s said that he wrote the songs for the CD after getting sober, losing a romantic relationship and saying goodbye to a beloved dog, all while living with Crohn’s Disease, a condition he was diagnosed with about 13 years ago. In order to help a cause he cares about, King and the band decided to make their “Painwaves” tour a benefit for the Northwest chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

According the Foundation, which was formed in 1967, about 1.6 million people in the US suffer from Crohn’s, most of them diagnosed before the age of 35. The Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-powered organization working to find cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, playing a role in countless breakthroughs in Crohn’s-related research and medical studies. The organization has invested over $350 million toward creating a world that is free of Crohn’s and colitis.

About his new music, King says, “While this album was written during a trying period, I still believe this is an amazing time to be alive. Not a lot of people want to confront the dark side of life, but I’m proud that this record dives in head first. Yet there’s a brighter lining, signs of hope for the future, euphoria thru realism and cathartic release through pain. The last lyric of the album is “Love” and that’s what I hope the listener feels as the last notes ring away.”

Transformation is also a theme in the music of Marian Call.

A certified “Geek culture” internet celebrity, Call has risen to popularity through masterful use of social media and wildly powerful YouTube videos. She has produced 10 CDs over the last 12 years, and while touring Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and all 50 states in the US, the effervescent entertainer has built a huge following with what her fans call her infectious “acoustic joy jazz.” Call’s cleverly written songs are uniquely vivid, warm, whimsical and engaging, as one would expect from someone who says her primary creative influences as Joni Mitchell, They Might Be Giants and Dr. Seuss.

The benefit at the Mystic will include brief talks from experts representing the national organizations Solve ME/CFS Initiative, the Bateman Home Center and Open Medicine Foundation. In the US alone, according to information posted to promote the concert, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is affecting 2 million people, adults, children and teenagers included. The ailment, which currently has no cure, is a common cause of suicide in this country. Not only has there been relatively little research done on ME/CFS, a profound lack of public awareness is probably contributing to the disease’s low priority status.

At the concert, Call will be performing songs from across her discography, including her magnificent 2017 rock album “Standing Stones,” written over the course of many years, and inspired by “The Book of Hours,” a type of medieval devotional popular in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. On the album. Call writes and sings an array of songs marking the time of day, and various stages of life, touching lightly on the classical inspirations to present emotionally captivating songs that are a little bit folk, a little rock, and little sweet-and-sad-and-silly, funky-groovy-and-playful everything else.

PLANNING TO GO?

What: Chris King and the Gutterballs, a benefit for Crohn’s Disease

When: Thursday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Big Easy, 128 American Alley

Admission: No cover

Information: BigEasyPetaluma.com

What: Marin Call – A benefit to fight ME/CFS

When: Saturday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m.

Where: The Mystic Theatre, 21 N. Petaluma Blvd.

Admission: $20

Information: MysticTheatre.com

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.