A benefit for Asa: Music community comes together to help pay family’s medical bills

The day before New Year’s Eve 2011, Asa Adams was delivered via emergency cesarean section to Jessica and Mike Adams.

Medical tests revealed the newborn boy suffered from a transposition of the greater vessels, a congenital heart defect in which one or more of the primary blood vessels are abnormally arranged.

Three surgeries and a month’s stay at Riley Hospital for Children resulted in half a million dollars in medical bills, Mike said.

Ben Swanson from local band Tammar and Eric Deines from local band Qur’an Qur’an both had babies within six months of the Adams, who plays in local band husband & wife. Dan Coleman, a talent buyer for the Bishop, said the original plan was to have a Father’s Day show at which people would donate diapers and baby wipes instead of paying.

When the email came to plan the show, Mike was in the hospital with his wife and newborn son. After Mike told Coleman about Asa’s heart, a new plan emerged.

“Ben and Eric, it was their idea to make it a benefit for us,” Mike said. “Dan just kind of took it from there and ran with it and made it into this unbelievable, huge thing. I’ve had very little to do with it aside from basking in the kindness of my friends.”

In addition to the benefit show, Coleman organized a silent auction online. Coleman said Daniel Gill from Force Field PR helped get information about the auction on Pitchfork, and within two hours, the total of all bids reached $800.

“We started getting calls, and all this other stuff was being donated,” Coleman said. “We’re still taking donations. Things are being added daily at this point as things come in.”

The auction has been extended to the end of the month to accommodate the ongoing donations.

Sixty-seven items are currently for auction, including two days at Dub Narcotic Recording Studio, with the current top bid at $400, and several test pressings of Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago,” with a top bid of $362.10.

Some of the auction items were on display at the Atlas during the benefit show Sunday. The management at Atlas offered to donate all proceeds from Skee-Ball and the photo booth that night to the Adams.

At the Bishop, attendees gave a minimum $5 donation to see Tammar, Qur’an Qur’an and husband & wife.

Mike filled in on drums for Tammar while Sarah Swanson was on maternity leave, in addition to playing with husband & wife.

Stephen Westrich, the Bishop’s owner, estimated that more than 150 people came to the show and that nearly $2,000 was raised in bar sales before credit card sales were processed.

Westrich said Mike is a fixture in the Bloomington music scene and is universally loved.

“He and his wife are just the greatest people,” Westrich said. “You can’t dislike Mike Adams.”

Mike said he was shocked that Westrich was donating all bar sales.

It is hard to tell how much the family will have to pay in medical bills at this point, Mike said.

“I don’t know yet what we’re responsible for because we are insured,” Mike said. “They’re still working out what’s covered and not.”

Coleman and Westrich both said they wanted to help in whatever way they could.
“It’s not going to cover everything, but it’s nice to put whatever dent we can in that,” Coleman said. “It’s an opportunity for students to get their hands on a lot of music memorabilia, and it goes to a good cause.”

Now 3 1/2-months old, Asa is a happy and healthy baby, Mike said.

“We go see a cardiologist at the end of the month for a check-up,” Mike said. “We’ll get some information at that point as far as his development goes and things
like that.”

Mike expressed his gratitude for all the fundraising efforts on his family’s behalf.

“I can’t say that enough,” Mike said. “This amount of kindness you don’t see
every day.”

Notable auction items

Alan Palomo-autographed Neon Indian shirt
Number of bids 4
Current price $13

Two tickets to every remaining Spirit of ’68 show in 2012
Number of bids 4
Current price $82

Photo date with Lil BUB, “the coolest cat on Earth”
Number of bids 16
Current price $120