Soundman Versus Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Local labels, musicians, and clubs are rallying to the aid of Gary “Elvis” Schepers, who’s been at Swedish Covenant Hospital since December 11, fighting an infection in his left foot that at one point threatened to cost him his leg. Schepers, the part-time tuba player for Devil in a Woodpile, has made a living as a soundman since 1987. He’s worked steady gigs at Lounge Ax, the Cubby Bear, and the Empty Bottle, among other venues, and toured with local and regional favorites like Uncle Tupelo, Material Issue, and Eleventh Dream Day. But like so many people in the music business, he has no health insurance–and his medical bills, which have already topped six figures, will likely double before he’s able to work again.
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It took just days for organizers to confirm a week of shows, starting with a FitzGerald’s date on January 20. “The ease with which it all came together speaks to what and how much the community thinks about Gary,” says Miller. “It’s just happened so fast and so organically without anyone pushing. I think people recognize that it’s not just the musicians but guys like Gary that really make a scene like ours possible.”
Early last month Schepers developed pain and swelling in his foot, and in the wee hours of Sunday, December 11, after working a show at the Abbey, he was worried enough to check himself into the emergency room. “Once they got my shoe off and looked at it, they said, ‘Well, you’ll be staying here awhile,’” he says.
Schepers, who’s all but bedridden and needs a wheelchair to get around, doesn’t expect to attend the concerts. His doctors decline to speculate about when he’ll be released. “They’re still watching some of the areas of infection that may be eating at the bone,” says Schepers. “There is still a question about a couple of toes and if they’re going to survive. Every day they don’t cut them off I feel more like I’m going to be keeping them.”
