CINCINNATI — In the basement of Al Early's Anderson Township home is a music studio that rivals the best.
Guitars line the room. There are keyboards, amps and virtually anything a band would need.
And when the band he helped form — the Rockers 4 Research All-Stars — get together to jam, 21 different members stream in and out of his basement studio.
"The idea was to get a lot of the business leaders in our community together, but also you know pull together their musical talents as well," Early said.
Back in the day, he was cutting albums and playing gigs around the country.
Today, he not only leads consulting services at CBTS but serves as Chairman of the Board for Cancerfree Kids, an organization dedicated to funding research for childhood cancers.
And it was raising money for that organization that gave Early and others the idea to form their band for a benefit concert.
"We're excited to show the community and what we're made of," Early said.
They performed last year at the Megacorp Pavillion in Newport. That concert, along with the dinner beforehand, raised close to $1 million for Cancerfree Kids.
Early recruited people from all sorts of backgrounds like Mike Schlotman, who owns an insurance company.
"One of my favorite things to do is to help kids," Schlotman said. "I'm a huge music fan, I've been playing for a long time. So to take two of the things I love the most and put them together was a no-brainer yes for me."
Other members are accountants or restaurateurs. Some own car dealerships.
But all share the mission to play music and give back.
"It's important to give back," Early said. "Cincinnati is amazing in the 'act locally, impact globally' department. I think there's a lot of people here that just come from a place of giving and wanting to be philanthropic ... it's also fun."
The second annual concert is Friday, Sept. 29 at Megacorp Pavillion. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $100 for a VIP ticket. Click here to get tickets.
Early and Schlotman are hoping plenty of people come — if not for the music, to help find a cure for childhood cancers.
"It was amazing to see the heart of Cincinnati coming out," said Early. "And this year, we're hoping to exceed that. So we'll see."
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