Ryan Butler, the guitarist of Arizona death metal band Landmine Marathon, who's engineered projects from Exhumed, Misery Index, and more, is battling a rare liver disease called Wilson's Disease, which was fatal to his mother. He recently received a liver transplant, which he's recovering from, and money is being raised for his medical bills through a GoFundMe. There's another fundraiser for Ryan coming up, too: a virtual festival, ButlerFest, which streams on Saturday, November 21 at 5 PM ET (3 PM MST). It will feature performances from Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, Exhumed, Dropdead, Papa M, Austin Lunn of Panopticon, Bobb Bruno of Best Coast, Where Eagles Dare, surprise guests, and more, and a donation to Ryan's recovery fund will allow you to watch; it'll be available for download after the initial broadcast, too.
Ryan's GoFundMe reads:
Ryan is a great friend to so many of us. Ryan has more than likely entered and impacted your lives through music; As a member of the bands Landmine Marathon, Unruh, Northside Kings and many more, he has released music to critical acclaim, toured the world and established countless lifelong friendships. As the owner and engineer of Arcane Digital recording studio, he produced, engineered, mixed and mastered an impressive catalog of music that fills our record collections. From local bands recording their first demo to international acts recording major album releases, Ryan’s passion and relentless dedication to properly capturing the artists’ creation was unparalleled. Ryan is entering the long homestretch of the fight for his life. In 2019, Ryan was diagnosed with Wilson’s Disease; this is the same disease that took his mother’s life. Wilson’s Disease an extremely rare, inherited disease that causes excessive copper to accumulate in the liver. Unfortunately the disease has progressed to the point where liver failure is inevitable. Luckily, Ryan was recently put on the list for a liver transplant. The transplant will eradicate the disease and return Ryan to a much more normal way of life. We expect a suitable donor organ to be found very soon (weeks or months). Knowing that these are both financially and emotionally stressful times for all of us, we are humbly reaching out to our strong and powerful community and extended family to help offset some of the overwhelming financial impact of the journey of healing that Ryan is taking on. Graciously donated funds will be utilized for the abundance of medical bills already accumulated, as well as future bills. Once Ryan receives the transplant, he will be unable to work for 6-12 months. When he returns to work, it may be in a limited capacity. Funds will also be utilized to assist with cost of living expense. We are starting this fundraiser with a $20,000 goal, but the goal will likely increase as financial needs increase Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated. Reaching out to our community to ask for help is no easy task. We love and appreciate you all. Updates will follow as the become available, leading up to the transplant and through the recovery. Thank you.
