Tulsa drummer to cycle from Miami to Key West to support Red Dirt Relief Fund

Michael Frost, drummer for Oklahoma country rock band Chance and the Takers, plans to ride his bike 176 miles through the Florida Keys to raise awareness and donations for the nonprofit Red Dirt Relief Fund that helped him financially during pandemic. Frost will set out on his two-day journey on Monday, April 26. He plans to arrive at Mile 0 Festival in Key West on Wednesday, April 28, where his bandmate, Chance Anderson, is booked to play,

According to Frost, “I’ve been playing drums for a living full-time for five years, and the pandemic completely pulled the rug out from under me, as it did for so many other musicians. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that it forced me to realize what’s important. I got into cycling hard core as an alternative to addiction. I’d like to be living proof that you can live a healthy life and still be fully actualized with your creative potential on the earth.”

Last March when pandemic shut-down meant his jobs as a professional drummer and music instructor at Preslar Music were shuttered, Frost applied for a one-time emergency COVID Crisis grant from the Red Dirt Relief Fund.  According to Frost, “They helped me and many of my friends back in March 2020 before any of us could get on unemployment. If it wasn’t for them, and the awesome work they do, we wouldn’t have been able to eat that month. That’s my motivation for this fundraiser.”

“Stories like Frost’s that have come out of pandemic give us all hope, not only for live music to return post-pandemic, but that our music community remains resolute despite seemingly impossible odds in the past year. He’s an example to all of us.”

Katie Dale, Executive Director of the Red Dirt Relief Fund

Red Dirt Relief Fund is also a charity partner of Mile 0 Fest, so when Frost approached the nonprofit about the idea, it was a no-brainer. Since the pandemic began, RDRF has delivered more than 900 grants totaling $272,000 to out-of-work music industry professionals across Oklahoma. The nonprofit was founded in 2012 to provide a safety net of critical assistance to all Oklahoma music people.

Frost intends to collect donations by sporting a QR code linked to reddirtrelieffund.org/donate. Donations can also be made at paypal.me/RDRF or $reddirtrelief. He has set a goal of $10,000 to benefit other musicians who find themselves in need like he did. To learn more and follow Frost’s journey, visit chanceandthetakers.com/frost.

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