Lisa Martineau
In times of need, music communities tend to look out for one of their own. It is no surprise then that the New Hampshire music community, in one way or another, will be supporting Breast Cancer Benefit Concert For music journalist and promoter Lisa Martineau. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 8 at Penuche’s Music Hall on Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The fundraiser will help defray Martineau’s medical costs. Self-employed, Martineau has high deductible insurance. She’s on the hoof for approximately 12,000 of the cost for her care. “We’re trying to raise money to help her recoup some of that money,” her brother Brian Ducharme said.
For 20 years, Martineau contributed and continues to contribute entertainment news to the Union Leader and NewHampshire.com “She’s always looking for events so people can go to hear music, and she’s covered them in her Top Ten Countdown once a week.”
Martineau has also begun contributing to a website listing entertainment events in and around Hampton Beach. Martineau’s journalism has found her interviewing big names on the national music scene. Everyone who comes to town seems to end up in one of her articles.
Leaving Eden benefit concert flier
“She personal friends with Steven Tyler and a few other (famous) musicians, Sully from Godsmack,” Ducharme said. “That’s where her connections started. She’s also friends with the fan club for Aerosmith. She had always been involved with a of Steven Tyler stuff” before getting involved with entertainment news content.
It was the beginning of last October when a biopsy determined that a lump Martineau discovered was, in fact, cancerous. Last December she had a surgery to remove the lump. This came at a time of challenge for Martineau’s and Ducharme’s family. Elder brother Ducharme recently had his left lung removed due to a deformity since birth that had to be dealt with.
“I know how it is, “ Ducharme said. “Luckily, my deductible is only six thousands bucks. Still, it’s a lot of money to shell out for medical expenses. I’m trying to pay it forward.” Martineau and Ducharme’s other sister were there for him when he was hospitalized.
Ducharme began working on a fundraiser for his sister at a supportive community restaurant and bar just outside of Manchester. Little did he know, Manchester area hard rocking original band Leaving Eden had begun organizing a fundraising benefit for Martineau out of one of their scheduled gigs at Penuche’s Music Hall at 1087 Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“They started doing a fundraiser without us knowing about it,” Ducharme said, “and at the same time, we started putting one together. But then we figured it would be too complicated to have two events so we just combined them into one,” Ducharme said.
Leaving Eden just happened to have their own connection to Martineau. She has done a lot of promo work for the band. She is also involved with music venues across the state of New Hampshire. “She’s friends with them, and they decided they were going to try to raise some money for her. Then they reached out to me,” Ducharme said.
Martineau, Ducharme said, is also on local boards of arts and music organizations as well as a judge for Hampton Beach’s Annual Sandcastle Competition. Ducharme has been busy garnering items to be doanted for the fundraiser, collecting gift baskets and other goodies. Ducharme and Leaving Eden be holding a silent auction and many of the items are tickets to several New England shows. Tickets will be for Kiss, Rod Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Get the Led Out, country music concerts, and a few at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. Any donations received over the amount of the medical expenses will be donated to the Amercin Cancer Society.
Lisa Martineau
“I’ve been helping acquire some of the donations for it,” Ducharme said. Another family member, Ducharme and Martineau’s sister Jennifer Noel-Bell, has been working hard to organize this fundraiser at Penuche’s Music Hall. Anyone who wishes to help out can contact Noel-Bell through jenny.noel@gmail.com
Martineau herself is quite overwhelmed by the commitment made by her family, friends, and her contacts in New Hampshire’s music industry:
There is already a lot of interest in Martineau’s benefit which Ducharme attributes to his sister’s deep involvement in the New Hampshire music scene.
“She’s got a lot of friends and a lot of people who care about her. She’s lucky in that way,” Ducharme said of his sister. “There’s a lot of people who are willing to help her out because she’s always helped out other people,”
Saturday, 8 February 2020 from 20:00-01:00Next Week
Penuche’s Music Hall1087 Elm St, Manchester, New Hampshire 0310
https://www.facebook.com/events/520116351940985/
