Great photo and article in the LA Times Independent (Huntington Beach & Sunset Beach only). Some of you may have noticed the announcement in The Iron Maidens distribution email and/or the metal jam webpage. For those of you that don't live in HB or SB and can't get the newspaper, you can check the complete article with pic on the LA Times website (search for Jamming for a cause). However, they're going to ask you to sign up for an account (not paper subscription) with them if you want to view it. I've copied the entire article here.
Nice work Jen.
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Jamming for a cause
Local heavy metal cover bands hold concert to benefit an organization that helps autistic people reach their full potential
Photos
Jam to unlock autism (KENT TREPTOW / HBI)
October 2, 2003
By bringing more than 44 musicians to the stage for a local rock jam, Jenny Warren is hoping to bring some attention to autism.
Warren, a Huntington Beach resident, is the founder of the national female rock act, the Iron Maidens. She will be joining a group of local rock musicians in staging Metal Jam 2003, a "hard rock jam" show benefiting Unlocking Autism, a nonprofit organization that has a goal of helping those on the autism spectrum reach their greatest potential in leading fulfilling, productive lives in relationships, society and employment.
"It's going to be a great night," Warren said. "It should be a lot of fun and more importantly, it's for a good cause."
The jam will be hosted by KNAC.com's international rock disc jockey simply known as, Junkman, and will feature 44 musicians.
The music of local bands will pay tribute to the influence of popular metal bands and bands scheduled to join the jam benefit include The Iron Maidens: a female tribute to Iron Maiden; Creeping Death: a tribute to Metallica; Sabotage: a tribute to Black Sabbath; Hangar 18: a tribute to Megadeath; Empyre: a tribute to Queensryche; Metal 101: a tribute to 1980s metal, and Mr. Crowley: a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.
Warren said some of the musicians will sit in on each other's sets and 22 songs will be played during a jam session that could last up to five hours.
"There's going to be a lot of talent up on that stage," said Warren, whose husband, Bill Warren, is the lead singer and guitar player for the group, Creeping Death. "We wanted to bring a lot of musicians together locally, to network and jam in a good, positive environment and educate the public about autism at the same time."
The show is being organized by Warren and other local musicians who have lived through the "struggles and triumphs" of raising an autistic child.
Warren's son, Brandon Ferguson, who turns 9 today, is autistic, as are the children of fellow jam musicians, Jeff Fahnestock, lead vocalist for the band, Sabotage, and Liz and Erick Jimenez.
Brandon, who diagnosed at 2, is on the high functioning end of autism.
He went through years of special education and received early intervention of Applied Behavioral Analysis based on the Ivar Lovaas methodology at the UCLA Lovaas Institute, as well as rigorous speech therapy, Warren said.
He currently is in a regular education fourth-grade class in the Irvine Unified School District and receives minimal supervisions from an aide.
"There is no telling how far his progress would have gone if we didn't push for early intervention," Warren said. "I believe it is key to the recovery for these children. Early intervention, education and awareness are imperative."
Jeff Fahnestock says his son, Jake, 11, is at a medium-functioning level of autism.
"He's making progress and doing well in speech therapy," said Fahnestock, who also is working on solo recording projects. "I'm ecstatic to be participating in this jam for Unlocking Autism. It's going to be a lot of fun with friends, sort of a celebration of music and life."
MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.
Nice work Jen.
**************************
Jamming for a cause
Jam to unlock autism (KENT TREPTOW / HBI)
October 2, 2003
By bringing more than 44 musicians to the stage for a local rock jam, Jenny Warren is hoping to bring some attention to autism.
Warren, a Huntington Beach resident, is the founder of the national female rock act, the Iron Maidens. She will be joining a group of local rock musicians in staging Metal Jam 2003, a "hard rock jam" show benefiting Unlocking Autism, a nonprofit organization that has a goal of helping those on the autism spectrum reach their greatest potential in leading fulfilling, productive lives in relationships, society and employment.
"It's going to be a great night," Warren said. "It should be a lot of fun and more importantly, it's for a good cause."
The jam will be hosted by KNAC.com's international rock disc jockey simply known as, Junkman, and will feature 44 musicians.
The music of local bands will pay tribute to the influence of popular metal bands and bands scheduled to join the jam benefit include The Iron Maidens: a female tribute to Iron Maiden; Creeping Death: a tribute to Metallica; Sabotage: a tribute to Black Sabbath; Hangar 18: a tribute to Megadeath; Empyre: a tribute to Queensryche; Metal 101: a tribute to 1980s metal, and Mr. Crowley: a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.
Warren said some of the musicians will sit in on each other's sets and 22 songs will be played during a jam session that could last up to five hours.
"There's going to be a lot of talent up on that stage," said Warren, whose husband, Bill Warren, is the lead singer and guitar player for the group, Creeping Death. "We wanted to bring a lot of musicians together locally, to network and jam in a good, positive environment and educate the public about autism at the same time."
The show is being organized by Warren and other local musicians who have lived through the "struggles and triumphs" of raising an autistic child.
Warren's son, Brandon Ferguson, who turns 9 today, is autistic, as are the children of fellow jam musicians, Jeff Fahnestock, lead vocalist for the band, Sabotage, and Liz and Erick Jimenez.
Brandon, who diagnosed at 2, is on the high functioning end of autism.
He went through years of special education and received early intervention of Applied Behavioral Analysis based on the Ivar Lovaas methodology at the UCLA Lovaas Institute, as well as rigorous speech therapy, Warren said.
He currently is in a regular education fourth-grade class in the Irvine Unified School District and receives minimal supervisions from an aide.
"There is no telling how far his progress would have gone if we didn't push for early intervention," Warren said. "I believe it is key to the recovery for these children. Early intervention, education and awareness are imperative."
Jeff Fahnestock says his son, Jake, 11, is at a medium-functioning level of autism.
"He's making progress and doing well in speech therapy," said Fahnestock, who also is working on solo recording projects. "I'm ecstatic to be participating in this jam for Unlocking Autism. It's going to be a lot of fun with friends, sort of a celebration of music and life."
MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.
