In a spacious basement room of the Sigma Phi fraternity house on Lincoln Ave., five guys who were brought together by the “powers of the Facebook” (thefacebook.com) set up their instruments to start band practice. The metal band Enthura consists of vocalist Adam Ward, bassist Dave Kloc, drummer Justin Bean and guitarists Chris Plumb and Aaron Silvenis.
On Thursday night, they’ll rock out at the Blind Pig along with Bellicose, The Midnight Specials, Darktown Saints and Phredly in order to raise money Freedom House, an organization dedicated to helping refugees and the homeless in North America.
As Enthura prepared for Thursday’s concert at the Blind Pig, Residential College student Sara Barcus, earplugs in place, observed their rehearsal on a leather couch. Three months ago, Sara told her friend Dave Kloc about her involvement with nonprofit organization Freedom House. Kloc suggested that his band could help her raise money. Enthura, who had previously played a benefit concert to raise money for Make a Wish Foundation, jumped at this opportunity to help raise money and awareness for this cause.
Barcus then asked Bellicose, the Midnight Specials and the Darktown Saints to join the bill, and Thursday’s benefit concert at the Blind Pig was born. She hopes that the musically varied bands will draw a diverse crowd to expose people to the problems of refugees and provide a way for them to help. Eighty percent of money coollected at the door will go to Freedom House, whose official mission is “to address the needs of homeless and/or indigent refugees seeking asylum in either the U.S. or Canada.”
Barcus has been involved with Freedom House since she was eleven. “I organized my first benefit concert when I was in high school. I was sixteen,” she said. Money she raised at this show helped a man she met at Freedom House bring his nine daughters to the U.S. from a refugee camp in Kenya. Barcus has since organized two other concerts to raise awareness for other social concerns with the student group Artists for Farmworkers, which offers free art classes for migrant workers of all ages.
Enthura is passionate about their music, playing as many shows as they can fit in their schedule, including one just two days after the benefit show on North Campus. While helping refugees achieve freedom, concertgoers will get to see Enthura in action. In addition to their high-energy performance, Kloc brags, “We sweat more than most bands.” Not many metal bands are associated with frats, and they did not want to lose credibility. Aaron resolved this apparent contradiction by jokingly describing their music as “frat core.” “We’re not professional musicians-We do it because we enjoy it,” explained drummer Bean.
And they’re even happier when they can help others at the same time. “It’s nice to have this added dimension to the music,” he said.