Gachupin will be playing a benefit for Scott Harding at Pianos in May.  See Gachupin homepage for details.

RE: Scott Harding..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

On Saturday, February 16, 2008, at approximately 3:00 Am, Brooklyn-based musician and producer Scott Harding the victim of a serious car crash, and serious crime – a hit-and-run – as those responsible fled the scene, and are still at large. Scott was the passenger of a  car-service, returning home from a late night mixing session, finishing up a new record. A speeding car crashed broadside into his service car; tragically this occurred only a short distance from his home. He sustained fractures of his clavicle, rib, shoulder blade, and most severely, his back, severing his spinal column.

Of course we will continue to maintain high hopes, but at this time, the news is anything but good: though he is able to move his arms, head, and neck, Scott is now paralyzed from the chest down, and was informed by his doctors that he will no longer have the use of his legs.

Scotty will need time, patience, and extended care to make this difficult transition to a completely different way of living. Part of the doctors’ stabilizing efforts at this early stage has been a major operation on his back that took place on March 3, at Bellevue Hospital, in New York City. Their view is that Scott’s spinal-cord injury is "catastrophic" and is a "complete" injury. His spirit is as strong as can be expected, given the extreme nature of this tragedy, and he is able to fully participate and decide on all matters related to his health and welfare. He is receiving the best possible medical care and treatment, and all his friends and family have mobilized to aid his healing as best we can, with around the clock coverage in his room by one or more close friends at all times. Heesok Chang, a longtime friend of Scott’s, has been at Scott’s side attending with emotional support, shepherding visitors, and updating Scott’s folks in Vancouver. Tom Camuso, Scott’s business partner and close friend, and his wife Kim have been co-ordinating many of the hospital, police, and email/telephone networking efforts of friends and family to make sure Scott is never left alone, and that all folks are kept informed. Leif and Kathy Arntzen, also longtime friends, have been been working on obtaining additional medical advice, securing legal representation, and co-ordinating with Tom and Heesok to strategize Scott’s overall welfare. Close friends including Michael Blake, Tony Maimone, Miry Park, Vernon Reid, Marc Joseph Berg, and others, are aligning themselves to various roles and tasks as they become necessary.

Unfortunately, Scott, like so many working musicians, does not have health insurance, lived modestly, and does not have the funds for those rainy days that always come one day. The short term need to raise cash to handle his affairs is very real, and we’d like to ask that you send any size donation you can manage to help establish some cash flow to be used on Scott’s behalf. Legal resolution of insurance settlements will take a long time, and there is no way to know what the long term financial picture will look like. In the meantime there is rent due, mixing console payments to be made, a myriad of bills to pay to keep creditors at bay etc, not to mention medical and legal bills that will start to come in. 

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Vancouver native and longtime New Yorker Scotty Hard has a long and varied list of production credits, including New Kingdom, Positive Black Soul, Charlie Hunter, Barney Bentall & the Legendary Hearts, Tricky, Crooklyn Dub, Dubadelic, Bailter Space, DJ Logic, Badar Ali Khan, Sex Mob, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Material, Soul Crib, Michael Blake, Chris Brown/Kate Fenner, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Metabolics, and Organ-ized.

He also engineered and mixed pioneering music by Wu-Tang Clan, Gravediggaz, Jungle Brothers, Vernon Reid, Chris Rock, Ultrmagnetic MC’s, Salif Keita, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, PM Dawn, De La Soul, Boogie Down Productions, Brand New Heavies, Prince Paul, Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, Teo Macero, and others.