PILSEN — Friends are rallying to help a Pilsen musician who lost nearly everything he owns — and his home — in a fire last month.
Mike Dehlin, who performs under the name Mikey Classic, was performing with his band The Goddamn Gallows at the Mighty Sounds music festival in the Czech Republic when his landlord sent him photos of his flame-destroyed apartment.
"I was blown away when I found out. Not being able to even believe it," Dehlin said from Denmark, communicating via a Facebook message this week.
In an effort to help Dehlin get back on his feet, friend Danielle Morgan has launched a GoFundMe campaign online. With a goal of raising $25,000, the campaign has raised $12,800 as of Thursday.
While no one was hurt, he lost irreplaceable items, Morgan said.
The fire at 21st Street and Hoyne Avenue, near the Damen Pink Line tracks, happened on July 22, two days after a fire broke out in a residential building at 2036 W. 21st Place, displacing 18 people. The two buildings are about a block away from each other.
Still on tour, Dehlin doesn't arrive back in the States until Aug. 16. This is the band's first time playing a number of big festivals in Europe, he said, and the show must go on.
"I made a conscious decision not to cancel any shows, and to finish off this tour," he wrote. "Trucking through the tough times. I'll deal with the devastation when I return."
Dehlin, who has lived in Pilsen for three years, did not have renter's insurance, but his landlord did have insurance on the building. The landlord's insurance is not expected to cover the cost of replacing his belongings and furniture, he said.
Friends who toured the destroyed building in his stead said that an old walnut dresser passed down from his grandmother might have protected his clothes. He'll have to see for himself when he gets home.
"I did lose an array of vintage musical equipment that burned up," Dehlin said.
An insurance investigation is ongoing, Dehlin said.
All ticket sales from a Goddamn Gallows show at The Brauerhouse in suburban Lombard Sept. 29 will also benefit Dehlin.
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