It has always amazed me how quickly folks in this town will pitch in to help when someone is in need, even if that someone is a complete stranger. I don't think I've ever actually met Lisa Jungermann-Cody, although I'm relatively sure she has probably poured me a drink or served me a burger at one venue or another sometime over the past two decades.
I say this because Lisa has worked in food and beverage in Charleston for years, and has always been an avid supporter of the music scene here. While I worked in F&B a grand total of two days in my life, I've spent so much time in the various bars and taverns around town supporting live music myself, I sometimes feel like I should maybe take a turn as a bar back after my third night in a row at a venue.
Lately things with Lisa have been tough. She was diagnosed with cancer of the liver this year, and has been undergoing treatment. Talking to local sound guy extraordinaire Wayne Slagle last week, I got an idea of just how special Lisa is to the folks that know her well. "I've known Lisa for 30 years," said Slagle, "and she's an amazing person." As Slagle talked with me on the phone about Lisa's journey through diagnosis and treatment, you could hear him getting a bit emotional. It was obvious he cared a lot about his friend. Actually, it soon became obvious that a lot of people like Slagle had the same amount of affection for Lisa... which brings us to the event, Lifting Up Lisa.
This Sunday at Legare Farms on Johns Island, Slagle and a pretty impressive group of friends will be holding a benefit called Lifting Up Lisa. The idea is to help raise some money for Lisa's mounting medical bills, as well as for canlive.org, a charitable organization that provides education for cancer patients and their support network. More importantly though, the event is designed to show Lisa just how much the music scene in this town loves her back. A full day of music is planned out at Legare, including the return of a band that hasn't played live in Charleston in years. "De Collard Peoples will be reuniting especially for this show," said Slagle. "It'll be John Etheridge on drums and vocals, Chris Watts on bass, and Ricky Walters and Micah Long on guitars. The lineup we have planned is Buz Cody, followed by the Shakin' Martinis, then DangerMuffin playing an acoustic set. Next up will be Hank Futch, Bobby Houck, Greg Walker and Friends, then SRC, which is Stevie Kent, Ricky Walters, and Chris Watts playing instrumentals, then De Collard Peoples, and then Ben Fagan & The Holy City Hooligans rounding out the evening."
In addition to the great music lineup, Slagle advised there would be food and drinks for sale, as well as a silent auction. He also would like to make Lifting Up Lisa an annual event benefitting canlive.org.
Slagle wanted to stress that, although the event was on Johns Island, which many folks consider pretty far away, in reality Legare farms is just a few miles from Maybank Highway and easy to find. For fans of local music, Lifting Up Lisa is sure to be a great event. For Slagle and other supporters of Lisa's, it's a way of giving back to Lisa's support and enthusiasm over the years.
AT A GLANCE
« Tickets to the event are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show; kids under 12 are admitted free.
« The gates for Sunday's event open at 10 a.m., with the first band hitting the stage at noon.
« The organizers ask that you bring no coolers, but chairs and blankets are ok.
« Legare Farms is located at 2620 Hanscombe Point Rd. on Johns Island
The lineup:
« Buz Cody 12:00
« Shakin' Martinis 12:45
« Danger Muffin Acoustic 2:00
« Hank Futch, Bobby Houck, Greg Walker and Friends 3:15
« SRC 4:45
« De Collard Peoples 5:45
« Ben Fagan and The Holy City Hooligans 7:00
