Why are So Many Performers Canceling Tour Dates?

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 4, 2017 - PRLog -- When legendary rock keyboardist Keith Emerson took his own life in March of last year, the music industry was shocked.  Nobody knew his injuries had driven him to suicide.  It is reported that 84% of musicians suffer serious injury, yet fans have never heard of it.  Why?

"Fear," says Jill Gambaro, author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and producer of the up coming film Icky Fingers. "The artists fear losing their career forever, and the industry fears losing the money they make off the artists. None of it has to happen, yet it is a well-guarded secret within the industry."   Recent reports say Phil Collins, Adele, and Yoshiki of X Japan have all canceled tour dates due to similar injuries from performing.  They join an illustrious, centuries-long list of major musicians crippled for their art.

Emerson's long-time girlfriend Mari Kawaguchi told Gambaro, "The treatments he tried weren't successful and we didn't know where else to go." His story inspired the upcoming documentary film Icky Fingers, which is currently running a Kickstarter campaign (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/644464518/icky-fingers-musicians-and-repetitive-injuries) raising funds for the cause. The film will reveal the battles, the innovations, and the fascinating science of neuroplasticity where performers report being able to play faster, better, with more color and more expression.

Everything from carpal tunnel syndrome to tendonitis to bulging discs, and even vocal injuries, all have one thing in common—repetition. It attacks victims with equal precision, mystery, and speed. It's time for the music industry to stand up and do the right thing to protect musicians.  Aquarian Drumheads, Bass One Basses, Martin Guitars, Shure International, and the Texas Music Café all agree, each donating instruments or equipment as perks for the Kickstarter campaign.

The film stars Janis Ian, world renowned soprano Kristine Ciesinski, Britt Lightning (Vixen), and pianist, Joseph Fleetwood. Medical professionals include James D. Collins, MD, diagnostic radiologist at UCLA, Scott Powell, MD orthopedic surgeon and founding member of Sha Na Na, psychiatrist David M. Reiss, MD, epidemiologist George Piligian, MD, Nancy Byl, senior researcher, Barbara Lister-Sink who developed the most comprehensive musician wellness program in the United States, Greg Dempster classical pianist who holds 3 patents on biomechanics, Jaimie Andreas movement-retraining specialist and author of Yoga for Guitar, and James King former president of the American Society of Hand Therapists.

Jill Gambaro has lived with multiple repetitive strain injuries known as a "double crush" for over 17 years. A former board member of the Los Angeles Repetitive Strain Injury Support Group and the Cumulative Trauma Disorders Resource Network, Jill has written for and appeared at the Grammy Foundation, the American Federation of Musicians, Musicians Institute, the California State Capitol, NPR, and CBS.