Fear Before sends out a plea for help

Over the years, I've had the chance to put up a number of touring bands for the night. Most were friends, while some were merely friends of friends who rolled into town unexpectedly and reached out in hopes of scoring a place to crash and maybe do some laundry. Almost invariably, all of these acts brought along a friend from back home, who wasn't officially in the band but you'd never know it from seeing the way they all interacted with one another. Generally, the extra guy was usually someone from back home who minded the merch, helped load gear or, most importantly, helped pitch in with the driving. Way back when my old band toured, our buddy Trevor filled that role for us. Even though we were out for just a short time, the value of having another friendly face from home among us cannot be overstated. Trent Jacobi sounds exactly like that sort of selfless friend.

Jacobi has reportedly been touring with Fear Before for the past three years, and has become an invaluable part of the entourage. According to the band's publicist, Jacobi's "responsible for our light show, good spirits on long tours, belly-up unending laughter, counseling for when we need it most, and most of all -- being the greatest guy that works hard and asks for nothing," says the band. "He believes in us and what we do. He supports us to no limit."

A few weeks ago, Jacobi was waylaid by a freak accident while the outfit was on tour in Australia -- a trip that he accompanied the act on on his own dime, no less. After a show in Melbourne, some folks ventured on a rooftop to watch the sun rise, when Jacobi inadvertenly stepped on a "weak point in the roof," which gave way, and he plummeted 25 feet onto the concrete, with only a bicyle to break his fall. Miraculously, Jacobi didn't sustain any head or spinal injuries, but he break some ribs, fracture his arm and his pelvis and punctured a lung. And now, the members of Fear Before have taken up his cause.

Due the severity of his injuries, Jacobi stayed behind in Australia and has been saddled with a mountain of medical bills. Fear Before and Equal Vision records has put out the call for donations, which are being accepted via PayPal to help absorb some of that debt. If you can pitch in, no donation is considered too small.