Fundraiser Aids Musician Rebuilding After Hollywood Hills Fire

A famous British musician once said, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Andy Jermstad, who goes by the stage name Andy Catt, can attest to that after having friends, fans and complete strangers come together for him at a benefit concert last night at after a recent tragedy. In May, the bass player for Lobate Scarp returned from a gig to find his had burned and four pets were killed in the fire. One cat ran from the home when firefighters arrived and has been missing since.

Catt said he is about halfway through with repairing the house, which sustained at least , according to an estimate from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“The whole house had smoke and soot damage,” Catt said. “I’ve been saving a lot of money by doing a lot of work myself.”

When fellow band member and friend Adam Sears learned of the fire, he decided to set up a benefit concert for Catt. The event included a  raffle of Hollywood Bowl tickets, private photo shoots and music lessons. All proceeds will go toward repairs for Catt's home.

“I booked the whole show with some bands knowing Andy and others doing this because it’s a good cause,” Sears said.

“Andy is a great friend of mine and one of the nicest guys I know," he said. "I just feel like it’s the right thing to do; it feels good to me to help out. I don’t have personally a lot of money, but what I do have is a lot of friends who play music and means to set up a show like this.”

Performances at the concert included
 Lobate Scarp, Marina V, the Sweet Trees, Know-Madik, Grunge Layer and L.A. Soul Project.