Festival to feature local bands to raise awareness of PTSD and mental health
Local bands are coming together to showcase their hometown talent — along with the important issue of mental health.
“I think at least one person in each band have experiences with someone who struggled with mental health or struggle with it themselves,” said Colby McFadden, co-organizer of the Secret Sounds Festival. “It’s a pretty big part of the festival.”
The Secret Sounds Festival will be taking place at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park in Butler on Saturday, Aug. 12, and Sunday, Aug. 13. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization A.J.’s Stop 22, a group dedicated to suicide prevention. Tickets are $10 per day or $15 for Saturday and Sunday.
Andrew Smith, or A.J., was an Army veteran who served with the 56th Stryker Division in Iraq. His mother, Evans City resident Deb Smith, and her husband, Jim, founded A.J.'s Stop 22, after their son died by suicide in 2016.
“It’s a group we formed seven years ago when we lost our son A.J. to suicide,” said Smith. “He was a veteran from Iraq suffering from PTSD, and after his death in 2016 we learned that we lose 22 veterans a day to suicide.”
Since the creation of A.J’s Stop 22, the group has raised over $108,000 for suicide prevention, said Smith.
The festival will feature acts such as Bombcat, the Platelets, Subarctic Beach Party, Fiole a Duex and Minifridge.
The set list will include a wide variety of genres spanning from psychedelic jams to pop and rap.
“We wanted to have another local festival with the local bands,” McFadden said. “That way it gives people a chance to see their local bands.”
