Electronic Saviors: Music to Cure Cancer

“There was a time round the holidays of last year where I didn’t think I was going to make it. I felt like I had lost everything.  I was post surgery, in so much pain, going through more chemo and saw no end in sight.  I also suffered from many problems in my personal life at the same time. I was on so many pills that it almost killed me.  I ended up with pancreatitis and almost died in the intensive care unit.” 

These were the words written to me by Jim Semonik, the orchestrator of a four-disc music collaboration that exhibits some of the best bands of the industrial underground, as well as the incredible ability to overcome anything.

Semonik is one of those people who lives behind the scenes and sets others up for glory.  He’s an accomplished musician, a DJ, concert promoter and has his own label. 

After May 1, 2008, however, his world would never be the same.  He was diagnosed with 2B colorectal cancer.  This is the same type of cancer that claimed the life of his father five years earlier.

The illness caused him to lose 18 inches of his large intestine, and that was just the beginning.  He lost 30 pounds due to rigorous treatments of radiation and chemotherapy.  The nurses who were aiding him told him to listen to music to make the treatments easier. 

So, while being blasted with radiation, he blared his favorite albums by artists like And One, Chemlab, and KMFDM.  This was the beginning to what would become a crucial tool on his road to recovery.

Even though he was suffering through a serious illness, he didn’t stop working.  On the last night of his treatment, he was promoting a concert for a Metropolis Record band called 16 Volt.  The lead singer of 16 Volt invited Semonik on stage with him to sing his favorite track of theirs. 

This is when everything came together for Semonik and he realized this compilation is what he needed to do to shed some light on the illness that has claimed so many; all while being able to promote the brand of music that kept him alive.

 “Without music, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. Period,” said Semonik. 
Semonik believes the voice of the underground is strong and with the unity of the industrial music fan base anything can be achieved. 

All should know that every profit from this compilation will be going to the Cancer Recovery Foundation of America in Harrisburg, Pa.  The box set can be ordered from  www.Metropolis-Records.  You get over 80 tracks of music and can feel good knowing you gave to a good cause while you rock out.

“The music and the promise of brighter days fueled my fire,” he said. “Now, I look at the Electronic Saviors compilation, hold it in my hands, and realize that if I hadn’t gotten sick, this would not exist.  I found a silver lining in having cancer.”

Some people know what song they want played at their funeral.  Others find songs to help them avoid their funeral. 

This compilation is the soundtrack to his life.

—Grant V. Ziegler is a staff writer and journalism major.