Local musicians to jam for Kid Clam

Some of the area’s best local musicians are coming together to help one of their own, and offering the public a rare opportunity to see and hear them perform all in one location.

A musical benefit for Kevin Dunn, also known as Kid Clam, will be held on Sept. 14 from 3-9 p.m. at VFW Post 10420 in Murrells Inlet.

John Hazebrouck began organizing the event soon after Dunn lost his Surfside home in a fire. Every musician he asked to perform for free quickly accepted, he said.

Jan Vaughan set up a GoFundMe account for Dunn to try to help him get his life back to normal.

Local musicians often do benefit performances when someone is in need. Vaughan said Dunn has always helped when he has asked him to, including recently when they performed in Loris to help a family whose home had burned.

“I’ve played so many benefits, so to be on this side of it is an awakening of sorts,” Dunn said. “This has made it so obvious that people love me. I didn’t know that about people, in fact, I suspected the opposite. That’s a very big thing for me.”

The day his home burned, the Red Cross gave him a check for $350. “Isn’t that a miracle?” he asked.

Other performers for the event include Brian Roessler, Joe Moyer, Hounddog Hanson, Doug Fankhauser, Keith Bardwell and The Yale Brothers, Roger and Christian.

“The fact that Kevin’s house burned down is terrifying and very sad,” Roger Yale said. “Things like this can happen to anybody at any time. It is heartwarming that members of the local music community have set aside time from their schedules to be a part of this benefit. I count it an honor to be included with my brother to help out in any way that we can.”

One of Dunn’s musician friends had been sleeping on his couch, and on the night of the fire, he had some bullets in the room, Dunn said. Exploding bullets woke them up, and by the time Dunn, who was sleeping nude, opened his bedroom door, the smoke was already from his waist to the ceiling. They ran out the back door.

“I wonder if we would have died if the bullets weren’t there,” he said.

“I was outside naked and I had one trip to go in the house, and I got my baby,” Dunn said, speaking of an upright bass that was built in 1900.

Dunn grabbed his American flag from his porch and wrapped it around himself. His neighbors soon saw him and brought him some clothes.

Using a garden hose, they managed to save several guitars, but he lost everything else. “For musicians, our instruments are like the tools of the trade,” said Hazebrouck.

Dunn said his girlfriend let him move in with her, which was something they had been talking about anyway.

For the benefit, they need cash donations, raffle items and whatever help the public can offer. The entrance fee is $5, but free for veterans. There will be a full kitchen and bar menu with complimentary appetizers. The bar is contributing 50 cents for each drink sold.

For more information, call Hazebrouck at 843-457-1754. The GoFundMe account is at https://www.gofundme.com/2dk24jzw?rcid=85d49cc4688511e69528bc764e0525d6.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Local musicians to jam for Kid Clam."