Think of it as the softer side of punk rock.
Softer, sure, but not quieter.
The four punk rock bands performing at San Francisco's Slim's nightclub on Saturday night (First Contact, Global Affront, Bad Cop Bad Cop, and Barb Wire Dolls) were just as loud, just as profane and just as raucous as their fans have come to expect and love.
It was the cause that brought them all together, though, that gave the evening its sentimental touch.
Rock For Life, as the concert was called, is the creation of Rico Colley. Just 18- years-old, this was already the third Rock For Life that Rico had organized, promoted, and played in.
"I'm just a kid," Rico says, "but I'm trying hard to do something. Something big."
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That "something big" is raising money for San Francisco Suicide Prevention. In it's three years, Rock For Life, has raised close to $20,000 for the cause.
Becoming involved in the issue of suicide, and suicide prevention, is not something that was on Rico's radar up until a few years ago. Then, during his freshman year of high school two close friends committed suicide. Until then, Rico says, suicide was something he thought of as happening on in TV shows and movies, never to anyone he knew.
"What can I do?" Rico recalls asking himself over and over again. The finality of his friends' decision left him feeling helpless.
It wasn't until a year later, as he was trying to organize gigs for his punk band, Global Affront, that it dawned on Rico that he had all the skills he needed to help already.
"I figured, 'I know how to do this,'" Rico says of his budding skills at music promotion.
Rico admits at first, he had trouble getting people to take a 16-year-old concert promoter seriously, but his persistence paid off with a five-band event that raised more than $6,000.
"It was very satisfying," Rico recalls.
He believes the lesson he has learned in all of this is one we can all learn from. "There's never a situation where's the nothing you can do. There is always something you can do."
If you would like to donate to Rico's cause, you can donate to San Francisco Suicide Prevention here and write "Rock For Life" in the memorial box.
