Through the Pain Auction for Matthew Leone Starts Today (July 21st, 2010)

Three weeks ago, in the final days of June, 2010, Madina Lake bassist, Matthew Leone was severely beaten while trying to break up a domestic dispute on the streets of Chicago. In the time since, Matthew has been struggling to recover from his injuries, which included a broken jaw, broken nose and fractured skull. The road has been, and will be long, and in an attempt to help, friends and fans of the band have come together to raise money for a true hero.

Through the Pain.org is a site dedicated to this cause. Starting July 21st, anyone interested can go here and bid on items donated by artists such as Metallica, Gene Simmons/Kiss, Nickelback, Marilyn Manson, Pete Wentz/Fall Out Boy, Disturbed, Ratt, Korn, Chevelle, and Rascal Flatts. Companies & organizations like the Chicago Blackhawks, the WWE, Warner Bros., Atlantic Records, EA Games, the Warped Tour, and Live Nation have also donated to Through the Pain and the donations continue to pour in daily.

The site also includes information about the Through the Pain concert series which will culminate with a two day event August 21st and 22nd but has attracted the attention of many other bands who are putting on their own shows to raise money for Matthew, and information on other ways you can get involved and help raise money.

Every page of the Through the Pain website has a donation box for people to add as much as they can. Between July 2nd and press time, more than $19,000 had been raised and the number continues to grow and is guaranteed to skyrocket with the launch of the online auction.

What happened to Matthew Leone was a horrible tragedy, one that should never have had to happen. He could have looked the other way, put his head down and ignored the violence, but he chose to intervene and is paying a terrible price for it. And now the world community - not solely musical, not solely Chicago-based, but world wide, crossing industry boundaries - has chosen to intervene and help out this true hero in every way they can. In light of this atrocity is it uplifting to see so much support.