SL band turns show into fundraiser for man killed in London attack

(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — For Kaylee Anderson, the incident in London Wednesday brought back memories of another random act of violence.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard," Anderson said. "I just started feeling just like I did when the Boston bombing happened."

Anderson, who lives in Seattle, was at a concert Friday night in downtown Salt Lake City that included a performance by the guitar trio, Dealin' In Dirt. She said she postponed dinner plans with friends to attend the fundraiser after she saw a news story about West Bountiful residents Kurt and Melissa Cochran, victims in the London attack.

"The randomness of this...and it happening to a couple that were there celebrating their love is too much," Anderson said.

Dealin' In Dirt is in the midst of a recording project with Onion Street Studio, the West Bountiful business operated by the Cochrans. The couple was walking on Westminster Bridge when Khalid Masood drove his car into pedestrians, stabbed a police officer and was later shot and killed by police. Kurt Cochran was fatally injured in the incident and his wife, Melissa remains under care in a London hospital trauma unit. Five people have died, including the attacker, and some 50 people were injured.

Band member Evan Mullaly said the Salt Lake City show was scheduled before the London attacks, but they decided to turn it into a fundraiser and were dedicating their part of the proceeds to a GoFundMe account* established for Melissa Cochran.

"It was just happenstance that we had this booked," Mullaly said. "This is just an informal effort, but we hope to have a bigger one later."

Mullaly said he and his band have known the Cochrans for about 2 1/2 years and were still processing all the feelings that have come with losing someone they were very close to. Bandmate Ken McCurdy said the tragedy was also impacting their music.

"I was just telling Evan that I am feeling more pushed when I play, like it's more important now," McCurdy said.

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Bountiful resident G.T. Knight said he was also attending the show after hearing about what happened to the Cochrans and realizing, when he saw their photos on TV, that he had seen them around his community.

"I just felt like I wanted to do something for Melissa, even though I didn't know them," Knight said. "It's a tragedy and my heart went out to them."

While emotions were still running high in Utah, a Chicago tourist visiting London spoke with a KSL reporter Friday about what she was feeling walking near the site of the incident.

"As we were walking by tonight ... I was just saying I had tears coming to my eyes just thinking about all the lives lost unnecessarily," Debbie Krug said.

Mullaly, McCurdy and Dealin' In Dirt's third member, Kurt Landenberger, remain committed to completing their recording project, a full-length album, and hope they can finish the work where it started, at the Cochran's Onion Street Studio.

"Right now, we don't know what's going to happen when Melissa gets back, and we are hoping she gets 100 percent recovered," said Mullaly. "Finishing the record there is something we hope we can do and are planning on doing...for Kurt."

Contributing: Shara Park


*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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