Every day in the United States, 105 people die as a result of drug overdose. On Feb. 7, Kyle Golter was one of these deaths. Instead of letting him be remembered as just a statistic, Golter’s friends and the Shippensburg community honored him through music on April 5, at The Thought Lot.

The show served several purposes. In addition to honoring Golter’s memory and celebrating his life, it also raised money that went directly to his family to help with funeral costs. The show also helped diversify the local music scene by incorporating metal bands, a genre Golter loved.

Gross Ex Machina was the first band to kick off the night. The experimental wave band from Lancaster opened its set with a moment for Golter, allowing anyone from the audience to say a few words. The band’s set was interactive and gave audience members the chance to contribute to the vocals, which some did.

The band’s heavy sound was not narrow enough to fit in the metal genre. Gross Ex Machina’s jazz and electronic undertones made their songs unique and refreshing.

Lead vocalist James David’s strong voice and deep screams combined with a mixture of slow and fast guitar riffs created a sound pleasant enough for those who dislike heavy music, but still dark enough for those who do.

Though David and his band mates did not know Golter personally, they were very sympathetic and honored to support his memorial.

“We’ve all lost a few friends over the years to addiction,” David said. “We were really excited when we were asked to play here tonight.”

The next band to play was Skitchrist, a black metal band from Shippensburg featuring guitarists Nathan Reed and Andrew Snyder. Reed and Snyder were both close friends of Golter. “We wanted to actually do something to honor his memory, instead of just letting our sadness consume us,” Snyder said.

Skitchrist performed extraordinarily well with lots of energy. Reed’s strong vocals were complemented nicely by him and Snyder’s heavy guitar riffs. The duo added a spooky vibe to its performance with audio of esoteric scholar Jordan Maxwell speaking about religious institutions.

This was Skitchrist’s first official time playing at The Thought Lot. Prior to Golter’s benefit show, Reed and Snyder had performed at The Thought Lot’s weekly open mic night.

Snyder hopes that the turnout Saturday showed the community’s desire for more metal shows in Shippensburg.

“We’d like to see more experimentation and more creativity here [The Thought Lot],” Snyder said. “This was the kind of music Kyle was into,” Mary Seay, Snyder’s girlfriend added.

Snyder, Seay and her sister Hannah were instrumental in helping the show’s organizer Brittany Cramer put it all together. Cramer, a close friend of Golter, had plans to organize a memorial show for him within two weeks of his death. She booked the venue and with the help of her friends recruited bands to play.

“Kyle was a very kind person and a really great friend,” Cramer said. Cramer encourages anyone who has friends suffering from addiction to try not to judge them and to help them the best they
can.

The night ended on a strong note as the last band, Horde of the Eclipse, took the stage. Horde of the Eclipse hails from Harrisburg and is also considered black metal.

Reed of Skitchrist found and booked the band. After hearing about Golter’s story the band wanted to help in anyway possible, explained Max Shoop, lead vocalist.

“We thought it was a great opportunity,” Shoop said. After the show the band released a statement on its official Facebook page describing the show as “incredible beyond description,” and adding “Rest in peace, Kyle.”

By the end of the night Cramer had raised more than $250. “I think it went very well. I’m very happy with the outcome,” Cramer said.

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