On October 31st the DC based band, Protect-U, duo Mike Petillo and Aaron Leitko, had the entirely of their gear stolen from a supposedly secure room in the Paris, France nightclub, Le Pompon.
The stolen gear is valued at an estimated $5,000. With only 4 shows left on their European tour and no instruments, the band may have to cancel the rest of the tour.
The slightly good news is that the duo did not lose any personal items to keep them from returning home safely (wallets and passports). However, for creating synthesized funk beats, it can’t get any more personal than the very instruments needed to make their music.
To help the band recover their loss and get Protect-U back on their feet musically, friends of the band started a campaign.
Already reaching the initial goal of $1,500.00 in less than 24 hours through generous donations, the band still needs your help. To contribute to the Protect-U stolen gear campaign, go to this website .
The creators of the campaign state: “We do not have “REWARDS” to send you. The more you give, the more the universe will thank you. Help offset the cosmic harm done to Protect-U by digging deep. Spread the word, Spread the vibes….”
If you have any information leading to the knowledge of their equipment’s whereabouts please email Mike and Aaron at protectudc@gmail.com.
The list of stolen gear is as follows:
Dave Smith Tetre w/ case
Boss Re-20 Space Echo Pedal
Boss Loop Station
Nord Rack Synth
Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter
Boss Chorus Pedal
Yamaha CS-01 Synthesizer
Moog Midi-murf
Delta Lab Effectron II (Had 23-era Blonde Redhead sticker on top)
Focus Rite Pro 40 Sapphire
APC 40 Ableton Controller
MacBook Pro 13″ screen
MacBook Pro 15″ screen
Zoom H4 Recorder
Headphones
Photo: Shawn Brackbill
