Jackson Free Press

The annual HeARTS Against AIDS Benefit is reminiscent of a general admission concert—people pushing through crowds, juggling water bottles and cameras, and hoping not to find their hands in accidental contact with personal parts of strangers' bodies. While wineglasses and gourmet-food platters replaced water bottles and cameras at Hal & Mal's on Saturday night, those at the benefit fell under the spell of some of Jackson's most eclectic musicians.

The musicians, for their part, had the opportunity to play before one of Jackson's largest and most receptive audiences. With young movers and shakers mingling with old familiar faces, no band could ask for a better audience.

"I think a lot of the people here are a lot older [than your typical bar crowd]," says Allison Jenkins, vocalist of Wooden Finger. "I think they're a little more responsive or just a little more ready to let you know how they felt about the music, whereas the younger people are worried more about just going out and being surrounded by music the way they are in their house. You know, listening to the radio while they're doing other things. But here a lot of people sat down and were really listening to the music and the lyrics."

Wooden Finger kicked off the night with their ambient, story-filled music that meshed perfectly with the tender vibe at the beginning of the night.

"The music that Wooden Finger plays is very moody and romantic," muses Wooden Finger percussionist Daniel Guaqueta. "I looked up at one point and saw all the red and white, and I was like, 'Oh, it's Valentine's! And, oh my gosh, I'm wearing a pink shirt.' It was just right."

As the evening became more raucous with the influx of partygoers, so too did the music with Eric Stracener and the Frustrations. While it was Stracener's third time to play at the event, his bandmates played the benefit for the first time.

"It's really a lot more fun when you play at something like this. … I think you feel a lot better being a part of something positive than you do making the measly amount of money when we usually play 'for money,'" says Steve Deaton, guitarist of the Frustrations and Buffalo Nickel. "Going home at the end of the night with 40 bucks or helping cure an epidemic—there's really no comparison."

Many other musicians at the benefit second Deaton's opinion: the selflessness of the event lends itself to a more intimate and joyous atmosphere.

"When we're playing music, we're having fun. And when it's at an event that's well-attended and folks are here for the purpose of helping others, it is just fun by definition," says John Hawkins of the Frustrations and the Men of Leisure.

The whole benefit centered around giving, with artists donating their artwork, restaurants dishing out their food and individuals granting their time.

"Everybody's there in their own time; they're doing it for free; and they're doing it because they love music, and they love supporting things like this," says Guaqueta.

Every year without fail, the HeARTS Against AIDS benefit draws people out of their houses, compelling women to brave the cold weather in swishy pink skirts and encouraging men to wear pink ties with pride. In the end, the event is not just about curing AIDS and gathering donations from the Jackson community but also the joy we derive from small acts of kindness. What better way to usher in Valentine's?

"This little girl came up to me after the show, and she asked her dad if she could hug me. That made my night," Jenkins says.