Rockers for Knockers raises funds for 19 years
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When Mike Milligan started his annual Rockers for Knockers fundraising concert, he thought it might be a one-and-done. His band performed in Kokomo and Muncie, and the response was good. But he had no idea how the idea would catch on.
Nineteen years later, Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel are set to perform again at the latest iteration of Rockers for Knockers on Sat., Oct. 3, at the Phi Delta Kappa House, 2401 Saratoga Ave. This year’s line-up will include TNT and Kyle Bledsoe. Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is $20 cash at the door.
“It just keeps going and going,” said Milligan, who never ceases to be amazed by the event’s success. “When we made it to 10 years, I didn’t know if we would do it anymore. But afterwards there were people still asking how to get involved.
“The hospitals were calling me with volunteers who wanted to work the next one. So, let’s aim for 15, and then I might call it quits. Now, 20 is looking like the finish line. But I don’t know. We’ll see. I’ve said it before.”
Though Milligan is modest about Rockers for Knockers, it has been a lasting success in Kokomo. Through the concert, more than $20,000 has been raised for cancer treatment, free mammograms, travel expenses for patients, and many other costs related to the fight against cancer.
This year, the proceeds from the concerts are donated to the oncology departments of Community Howard Regional Health, Ascension St. Vincent, and to Advanced Medical Imaging.
Milligan got a bit of a shock when he recently visited Ascension in Kokomo. As he sat in the lobby, he saw the hospital’s donor wall. He was surprised to find his name on it.
“There’s a bunch of very important people on the list from Kokomo who have a lot of money,” said Milligan. “Then, there’s me. I do not. I just funnel money to them, but my name’s on the list. But it’s not me. It’s people coming to the concerts.”
Milligan explained that Rockers for Knockers plays out a little bit differently each year. TNT, a folk and doo-wop band belonging to Milligan’s father-in-law, will open the event at 7 p.m. Bledsoe, an acoustic guitarist who uses a looper to add depth and sound effects to his performance, follows at 8 p.m. Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel headlines at 9 p.m.
Throughout the evening, the Muse Carnival Dancers will perform, with a blend of belly dancing, swordplay, and audience participation that is sure to attract attention.
“You never can tell what’s going to happen,” said Milligan. “You have these different ingredients that change year to year, but it makes a pretty good stew.”
Milligan acknowledges that the Rockers for Knockers title is a bit funny and maybe even a bit risqué, but it has legitimate roots.
“It started out as us boys being boys with a 12-year-old mentality,” said Milligan. “But I heard about this thing called ‘Docs That Rock.’ It’s a bunch of doctors playing music and raising money.
“I thought, ‘What if we did something like that?’ We came up with Rockers for Knockers. One of the first things I did was run it past my grandmother, who was a breast cancer survivor. She laughed and said we should go for it. That’s all I needed.”
Rockers for Knockers takes place Sat., Oct. 3, at the Phi Delta Kappa House, 2401 Saratoga Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is $20, cash only. Additional donations are accepted. Phi Delta Kappa will offer food and drinks.