Pat Sheridan, Fit for an Autopsy guitarist and Director of Partnerships for NEVEN Eyewear, has just launched a unique initiative that’s exclusively for touring musicians and crew members.
Who knew that the longtime deathcore guitarist also had such business savvy? To mix it with community goodwill only makes it better.
Alongside NEVEN Eyewear and heavy music fan Jonathan Strauss, the Sight for Sound initiative is aiming to provide free glasses and sunglasses — prescription and non-prescription — to qualified touring bands and crew members.
“If you’re a U.S.-based touring or music industry professional and work on 75-plus show per year, you’re eligible,” states a press release.
As pop superstar Chappell Roan bravely made apparent during her Grammys acceptance speech this year, there is a startling lack of healthcare coverage for artists and other members of the touring music industry. While it’s not a wholesale solution to a myriad of those problems, Sight for Sound does begin to address one of the gaps.
If you’re a musician or crew member who qualifies, you can fill out a form for free eyewear at the Sight for Sound webpage.
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“A lot of people think musicians or people in the industry are living the dream, but what they don’t see is the reality behind the scenes — no healthcare, no safety net,” Strauss acknowledges. “And when a tour ends, the realities of life kick in fast.”
He continues, “We started Sight for Sound because we wanted to change that, even in a small way. This is the least we can do — to support a community that often gets overlooked once the lights go down.”
Fit for an Autopsy’s Sheridan adds, “Our Sight for Sound program is life-changing for musicians and crew members. I’ve been in the extreme music scene since the ’90s and vision has never been addressed before. Musicians aren’t offered a 401K plan, health insurance or vision benefits. It’s an honor to save music industry professionals thousands of dollars a year.”
pat sheridan and jon strauss
About the NEVEN brand, which Strauss started at home with his wife, working out of a bedroom, he enthuses, “Metal fans can smell bullshit from a mile away. NEVEN doesn’t fake it. We’re not some polished, corporate eyewear brand trying to be edgy. We’re real people who built this brand from the ground up, with grit, heart and a DIY mentality that mirrors the energy of the scene.”
They’ve already collaborated with the likes of Gary Holt (Exodus), Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste), Tanner Wayne (In Flames), Zach Johnson (The Ghost Inside) and Phil Sgrosso (Saosin).
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