CASPER, Wyo. — Musicians throughout the Casper area will be coming together on April 7 to help support one of their own with the Music Marathon 2023 fundraiser, which will benefit Matt May, father of local guitarist John May.
“The music scene here is really tight-knit,” event organizer Chad Lore said. “John’s dad is going through some health issues right now, and we just want to help out any way we can and raise some money for him.”
The music fest, which will take place at Frontier Brewing Company, will see doors open at noon and music begin at 1 p.m. Lore said the event won’t have a cover charge, but attendees will be able to make donations.
Lore said he was overwhelmed by the positive response he’s received from area musicians, adding that everyone he reached out to readily agreed to take part in the event. The fest will feature Dillan Spence, Brian Gray, Todd Smith, Heath McAteer, Quinlan Valdez, Cassandra, Joey Patterson, Sean Wallace, Patrick Stafford, Zack Scott, Aquile, Dirt Reynolds, Kaspen Haley, El Capullo, Kevin Paul’s Ghost and Jimmy Sue Review.
“Casper has so many talented musicians,” Lore said. “We’re keeping it kind of small; it’s not really any bands, but just solo artists so we can keep things moving pretty smoothly. They’ll be doing sets that are about 30 minutes long, so that someone who stops by for a lunch or whatnot can hopefully still hear a handful of artists, or if someone wants to stay all day they’ll be able to hear a lot of great music.”
Lore added that the music festival will be a chance for many in the local music scene to connect as well.
“A lot of times, musicians here don’t get to hear the other local musicians because they’ve got their own shows or they’ve got to work,” he said. “This’ll be awesome because a bunch of friends will be able to connect and talk shop.”
For years, Lore hosted fundraising music fests at the Wonder Bar, though he had to put them on a hiatus when the bar closed. In 2021, though, the fundraising concerts returned, with the festival supporting the Casper Children’s Chorale in its first year back. Over the years, Lore’s events have benefited several community members and local nonprofits.
“It’s all about the community and giving back,” he said.
