Genie Record's rockers take to the stage to help autistic kids
Almost all the rock bands signed with Genie Record, a sub label of GMM Grammy, have joined up for upcoming charity concert, "O2 One", which offers an inspirational message of hope and unity for children with autism.
Bodyslam leads next month's rock onslaught, closely followed by Instinct, Kala, Klear, No More Tear, Paradox, Retrospect and Sweet Mullet.
"The idea didn't come from me but from my parents, who have both served in the Royal Thai Navy," says Thanadol "Pid" Changsawek, Bodyslam's bassist. "They asked me to organise a Bodyslam concert without any costs at all."
The idea began to take shape after Thanadol put it to Genie's managing director Wichian "Nick" Rerkpaisarn.
"At first, I thought that it would be impossible to organise a concert with zero expenses," he says. But Thanadol hadn't reckoned with the might of Grammy's chairman Paibul Damrongchaitham.
The big boss has called in GMM Live to handle the stage production while the Sports Authority of Thailand is lending their support by giving the venue free for the night. That allows every baht from the proceeds to go to the project for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which is being run by the Royal Thai Navy's Naval Medical Department.
The project was launched in 2009 in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen's 77th birthday anniversary to treat 78 children with autism at no expense.
"This hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help the kids develop better," says Duangporn Pumhirun, the project's founder and president of the Navy Wives Association. "A father told me with some surprise that his child was able to say 'Love Dad' after 20 sessions in the chamber."
"It is very difficult to assess the effects of HBOT and it is certainly not a complete cure for autism," says Vice Admiral Suriya na Nagara, Royal Thai Navy's Surgeon General at the department. "But it seems to help in adapting the behaviour of autistic children. We've seen better development."
The autistic children are treated in a pressurised, oxygen-filled chamber, in the same way as scuba divers who surface too quickly, causing oxygen bubbles in the bloodstream.
HBOT can improve symptoms of autism by increasing oxygen intake and thus reducing inflammation and hypo-perfusion (lack of oxygen) in the brain.
BENEFIT SHOW
- "O2 One" will be staged at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium on August 7 at 6.
- Tickets cost Bt500 to Bt1,500 at www.ThaiTicket|Major.com.