Surfer Blood Robbed of Donations to Guitarist Thomas Fekete

BY Alex HudsonPublished May 24, 2015

Sadly, bands are robbed relatively frequently on the road. Now, Surfer Blood have become the latest victims of this unfortunate phenomenon. To make matters worse, the thieves got away with all of the donations made to cancer-stricken guitarist Thomas Fekete.

Surfer Blood announced the news on Facebook, saying that it happened yesterday (May 23) in Schaumburg, IL, close to Chicago. They lost "thousands of dollars in personal items and show settlements" and asked fans to keep an eye out for some "one-of-a-kind guitar pedals" that might emerge in pawn shops.

Perhaps the worst part of all this is that the band lost the donations made to guitarist Fekete over the past eight shows. He was recently diagnosed with "a very rare and aggressive cancer" and he's been undergoing an "alternative treatment plan" not fully covered by his health insurance. Online donations can be made here.

That's a photo of the broken van lock above. Read Surfer Blood's statement below.

Dear Fans,

We deeply regret having to inform you this, but our van was broken into today in Schaumburg, Il just outside of Chicago. Not only did we lose thousands of dollars in personal items and show settlements, but we also lost all cash donations we collected for Thomas over the last 8 shows at our merch table. This last detail is perhaps the most heartbreaking of all in that so much positivity and amazing generosity could be ruined by one bad person(s).

Most of our large musical gear was not stolen and the shows will still go on as planned.

There are a few one-of-a kind guitar pedals to please keep an eye out for-- not for their specific value, but for the fact that these are unique and recognizable items. If they are found at a pawn shop or private seller, everything else including the more serious items are likely there or somewhere nearby.

Thank you for all of your support. You help us all stay positive in the midst of something so discouraging.

Much love,
SB


Meanwhile, Surfer Blood are continuing to tour in support of their new album 1000 Palms.

Tour dates:

05/24 Madison, WI - The Frequency *
05/26 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
05/27 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room *
05/28 St Louis, MO - Firebird *
05/29 Cincinnati, OH - Fountain Square
05/30 Nashville, TN - EXIT/IN *
06/08 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *^
06/10 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *
06/11 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
06/12 Vancouver, BC - Venue *
06/13 Spokane, WA - The Bartlett
06/15 Provo, UT - Velour Live Music Gallery
06/16 Denver, CO - Lost Lake Lounge *
06/19 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *^
06/20 San Diego, CA - The Irenic *
06/25 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
06/26 Charlotte, NC - Fountain Plaza at NC Music Factory ~
06/27 Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
07/11 Columbus, OH - Seventh Son Brewing Company #

* with Alex Calder
^ with Gothic Tropic
~ with the Black Cadillacs
# with Jacco Gardner

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