FALMOUTH – When Brian Maxwell Kerins of the popular cover band, Flydown, found himself in times of trouble, specifically a cancer diagnosis, his musical friends spoke words of wisdom and said let the 2018 Lennonfest, featuring Walrus Gumboot, be a benefit for him.
And so Kerins, of Falmouth, who makes his living as a musician including as the bass player for the Beatles tribute band, Walrus Gumboot, is literally getting by with a little help from his friends.
He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for a cancerous lymph node that “Dana Farber told me is basically 100 percent curable.” Still, he is out of work for three months as he undergoes the treatment. A Facebook fundraiser, since closed, had been been set up for him.
“Chemotherapy just surprised me.” – Musician Brian Kerins
Just before his treatments started, he said, “chemotherapy just surprised me.”
“It’s a public thing to be out performing every night around the region,” said Kerins, 41, who, besides playing in Walrus Gumboot, is the driving force behind the popular cover band, Flydown. “It’s a public job but my initial thoughts were I want to keep this private,” he said.
Brian Kerins and his wife, Bethany. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN KERINS
“But then John Morelli came to me,” said Kerins. Morelli is the drummer for Walrus Gumboot and the entertainment manager for the British Beer Company, which puts on Lennonfest as a sort of British version of Octoberfest, celebrating John Lennon’s birthday.
“John said, ‘You’ve got a wife and a little one, and Lord knows the bills don’t stop,’ ” recalled Kerins. Kerins met his wife Bethany through mutual friends. His son, Tyler, is 8.
“So John came to me and offered to turn this year’s Lennonfest into the second ever cancer fundraiser,” said Kerins.
Brian Kerins and his son, Tyler. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN KERINS
According to Morelli, Kerins was, at first, speechless. “He couldn’t get the words out,” said Morelli.
“Just tell me you are okay with people knowing you are going through chemo,” Morelli recalled telling Kerins. “It’s your turn,” Morelli remembered saying.
“I had Dana Farber telling me you need to quit being around crowds and quit your full-time job for a matter of months,” said Kerins. “Prior to that, I had intended to keep the whole thing under wraps.”
Morelli said, “Over the years, when I didn’t even realize it, I would see Brian here or there playing for free at a fundraiser. He would give his own time even when he was out playing every other night of the week. I was amazed at his generosity,” he said.
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