Find out what makes Dreambook’s next Johnny Brenda’s show so special

Local shoegaze band Dreambook will headline Johnny Brenda’s on September 24th, but this won’t be your usual Thursday night concert. This one is a “celebration of life” to mark the one-year anniversary of singer / guitarist Rachel Wetzel being cancer-free.

Though the band kept Wetzel’s health complications private over the last year and a half, she recently posted a video on Facebook to share what she went through. In it, Wetzel recalls being diagnosed with stage-three colon cancer in March of 2014, and goes on to explain the significance of marking that milestone with a gig:

It’s important for me to get on the stage and play music because when you’re young and you get diagnosed with something like cancer it’s hard to really explain the gravity of what that means. I had to give up a lot in my life in the last year to get better, and the one thing that I didn’t have to give up was music. Music was what kept me grounded so music is how I want to celebrate my one year of being cancer-free and I want all of you to be there.

Dreambook have already picked up where they left off in 2014, releasing a new EP called burn the light out back in April. The record follows 2013’s only shadows with beautifully layered soundscapes. In her review for The Key, Emily Ivy Scott wrote: “Twanging guitar riffs work off each other in the six-minute ‘Machine,’ nodding to early 90s British favorites Slowdive with fuzzed-out bass and vocals, while ‘In My Time’ delves into dark riffs and a haunting sound. It’s a captivating return from the band.”

Celebrate with Rachel and the band by picking up tickets to the 21+ show here. Listen to burn the light out EP below.