DFW Music Scene Shows Its Heart for Rustin Luther

The local music community has banded together to host even more benefit shows for the 30-year-old Rustin Luther, a local musician who has been diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. 

Trees recently joined the roster of several other Dallas and Fort Worth Clubs hosting benefit shows, organizing "Fight Rustin Fight" on Saturday, June 11. A dozen metal bands will play to help Luther, who's uninsured. 

On Saturday night, Reno's and Wits End held Luther's first night of benefit shows, offering North Texas metal at its finest and a "Dallas Metal Scene Prize Pack" loaded with t-shirts, CDs and stickers from some of the best metal bands in North Texas. 

"The support tonight was more than we could ever ask for," Luther's girlfriend, Jennifer Jones posted to Facebook after the show. "It's all so surreal. This is the stuff you see in the movies and you think 'that'll never happen to me' and then it does. It's crazy."  

Benefit shows aren't the only offerings to raise money for Luther's medical bills. Another local metal head created a t-shirt with Luther's mug on the front to help raise money. The t-shirts will sell for $20 and only be available at the benefit shows in June.

The local metal community also created a hashtag for Luther: #FightRustinFight

"Yeah, man, it's been an amazing response," says Luther. "I'm a fighter, and I'm going to fight it."

The fight will be tough but not without hope. He recently learned that he does have a grade 3 terminal brain cancer. Luther had been hoping for at least grade 2, which would have given him longer with his family. He's been told he may have at best five years before he succumbs to the growing tumor wrapped around his brain stem.

"I don't want people to get down because of this (diagnosis)," Luther says. "I'm in good spirits and I'm taking this second chance at life to really do the things I need to (do) with my family and friends."  

The next benefit show occurs at 9 p.m. on May 10 at Top Eight Tuesday on 2513 Main Street in Deep Ellum.