Article by Randy Jarosz
Poster by Budai
Karl Hendricks, owner of Sound Cat Records in Bloomfield and front man of the Karl Hendricks Trio has touched a lot of people through the years. Weather it be through his own music, his record store or just how he lives his day to day life.
Hendricks has affected people in his life enough that they would go above and beyond to help him in any way possible. Hendricks was diagnosed with oral cancer earlier this year. The record store is still going strong but Hendricks has been battling the illness away from work and times are tight. Meanwhile longtime friends Jon Solomon, Dan Allen and Corey Layman had started a fundraiser for Hendricks using GiveForward, dubbed as the number 1 way to raise money for a loved one.
Jon Solomon a disc jockey with WPRB in Princeton, NJ has been a fan of Hendricks ever since the early 90’s when a copy of “Buick Electra” made it’s way to the office. Solomon eventually booked the trio to play in Princeton and later became the groups booking agent. Solomon’s family and the Hendrick’s family became closer as they got older and each would vacation in each other’s hometown. “I would look forward to when we could all get together, especially the times they would come to New Jersey to vacation at the beach,” tells Solomon.
Solomon still works with Hendricks as a musician releasing his most recent album, “The Adult Section” via his label Comedy Minus One. “Karl has personally served as an inspiration to me as a dad, a writer and a small business owner over the past two decades. I love the guy and when I heard he was having trouble I knew I wanted to do something to help,” explains Solomon.
Dan Allen has also known Karl for about 20 years. Allen first heard Hendricks’ “Jolly Doom,”cassette in late 1989 after moving to Pittsburgh earlier that year. They became friends through mutual friends, parties and of course live shows.
The Give Forward campaign is now 86% funded at $34,369 of the $40,000 goal. “I’m amazed by the kindness and generosity of every person that has donated to Karl’s GiveForward page. The comments made by supporters have also been a huge help to Karl,” says Allen.
Solomon remembers hitting “publish” on the GiveForward fundraiser while on vacation in Upsate New York. In the 20 minutes it took him to reach his cabin from a public library that had internet access, the campaign had already reached a couple thousand dollars. The fundraiser was originally set for $10,000 but was obliterated in 24 hours. “I’m amazed by the generosity of people who have had their lives touched by Karl in some fashion, especially the outpouring from people who have never met him but admire his work,” says Solomon.
Allen has also organized a concert to benefit Karl this Friday at the Brillobox. The lineup includes Carousel, The Gotobeds, Andy Cohen, DAMA/LIBRA, Tim Midyett and Line Forms. “I’d like to thank every individual that has contributed to helping the Hendricks family. The fundraiser on 8/22 was put together in a week, and no participant has asked for anything other than the opportunity to be involved,” says Allen. Dan Allen will be collecting admission this Friday for the show. Donations will also be accepted and are guaranteed to go to the Hendricks family.
Karl Hendricks GiveForward Campaign
