A benefit event in Toronto will raise funds for the bassist’s housing and medical care

Charles Levi, bassist for My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and a longtime contributor to Pigface, is the subject of a coordinated fundraising and tribute campaign organized by members of the industrial and alternative music community. The effort responds to medical complications that have left Levi in need of stable housing, long-term care and ongoing living support.

Levi’s health crisis began in 2021, when he was hospitalized in critical condition with sepsis and multiple organ failure. Since then he has had a stroke, undergone major internal surgery, had a below-the-knee amputation and received a cardiac ICD implant. He now lives with vascular dementia and severe mobility impairment. His fiancée, Dani, provides full-time care. Levi receives a limited amount of disability support, which according to the organizers does not cover the cost of his medication, specialized care and daily expenses.

Levi’s career in music started in the late 1980s and has continued for more than four decades. He joined My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult during the period the band recorded for Wax Trax! Records, the Chicago label associated with the industrial and alternative scene of the late 1980s and 1990s. Beyond his work with the Thrill Kill Kult, Levi has played with KMFDM, Project .44, Haloblack, ConformCo, H3llb3nt, Black From the Dead and The Urban Soundtrack. He also appeared in the film The Crow.

A hybrid benefit event organized by DJ Lazarus, titled WAX TRAX! Dance Party with Thrill Kill Kult Spotlight, will take place on Friday, 3 July 2026 at Ground Control in Toronto (1279 Queen St West). The night’s program of DJ sets and visuals will focus on the Wax Trax! catalogue and its artists, and the event will be broadcast on Twitch to allow donations from outside Toronto. Doors open at 10pm; admission is a minimum $10 donation, payable through Eventbrite or at the door, with proceeds going toward Levi’s care.

As part of the campaign, organizers are collecting short video messages from musicians, producers, DJs and promoters for a tribute video, and a video booth at the Toronto event will record further messages of support. Visual artist Simon Paul, who has worked with Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly, is producing a limited-edition poster as a fundraising item for the campaign.

The initiative is organized by DJ Lazarus together with Ali Jafri (The Shadow Majlis, Pigface), Ground Control, Chris Lewis, Matthew Potter, Simon Paul, Martin Atkins (read our interview with Martin Atkins) and the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music, Joe Average and Joey Galvan of the Industrial Amputation podcast, and Shameless Promotion PR.

Get Tickets  https://WaxTraxCharlesLevi.eventbrite.ca

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