Free Flux Forces! Benefit Tonight at Sweat Records

Rick Diaz has counted Ryan Oh as his best pal "forever," and as his right-hand man in local noise-pop weirdos hahahelp! for the past five years. So the soft-spoken Diaz probably deserves a hug these days. Ryan, who also plays around town as Flux Forces, has been M.I.A. in the M.I.A...

By Arielle Castillo

October 22, 2010

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Rick Diaz has counted Ryan Oh as his best pal "forever," and as his right-hand man in local noise-pop weirdos hahahelp! for the past five years. So the soft-spoken Diaz probably deserves a hug these days. Ryan, who also plays around town as Flux Forces, has been M.I.A. in the M.I.A. for the past several weeks, languishing in jail thanks to a morass of legal and financial troubles.

The legal stuff is murky, but nonviolent: Diaz says Oh was stopped for driving with a suspended license, but past issues mean he can't get bail. The only way out is a lawyer, which means money -- which Oh doesn't have.

Enter BFF Diaz to the rescue, with tonight's benefit show at Sweat Records to free Flux Forces. "It's the first thing I could think of to realistically do to help in some sort of way," he says. With that, he roped in a host of similarly left-field acts from his friends list -- "people who are cool with Ryan, people who he would have wanted to play."

This means an eight-act bill wit some more familiar names -- This Heart Electric, Dino Felipe, Curious Hair -- as well as some less so, but no less interesting -- Raja Khan, Passion, Weird Aleister Crowley, as well the amazingly named Steakhouse, and Dottie's Megablunt.

Cover is $5, and gets you access to a couple kegs (after a 50-cent cup purchase). That also gets you to a bake sale that will include empanadas baked by Diaz's mother, as well as other surprise goodies made by Diaz and friends.

The goal: Raise $200 to $250 to go towards Ryan's lawyer fund. Once he's free hahahelp can finally finish recording a seven-inch for local So Rad Records that's a couple weeks overdue. "But more than anything, we'd really love to just have him out," Diaz says.

Free Flux Forces benefit. 9 p.m. (SHARP!) Friday, October 22. Sweat Records, 5505 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. Admission is $5; all ages. 786-693-9309; sweatrecordsmiami.com

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