Release #: Vol. 85, No. 1
January 01, 2016

Our Stories: Pilots Rock Out For Charities

By John Perkinson, Staff Writer

On Oct. 25, 2015, more than 500 people huddled into the halls of the historic Buffalo Rose Saloon in Golden, Colo., to listen to live music. Two Trick Pony, the Duke Street Kings, Metro Haven, and Doc HaZe—bands that feature United pilots and other employees—graced the stage, jamming in the name of Rock United. Most importantly, proceeds from this special event, which this year totaled nearly $20,000, were donated to Pilots For Kids and the CAUSE Foundation, charities closely tied to the United Airlines community.

At the heart of Rock United is its promoter, B-737 Capt. Jeff Gruver (United). Bass player for the former Colorado-area band Stone’s Throw, Gruver has organized this annual charitable concert for the last four years as a way to bring United employees closer together. “Because of the cold, wet blanket that was thrown over all of us with 9/11, United’s bankruptcy, and other challenges, I thought an event like this would be good for morale,” he said.

Gruver noted that years ago he flew several trips with first officers who, in their free time, played for Colorado-area groups. “My wife and I went to Denver to catch one of bands, and I was impressed with what I heard. I started to think about how we could get our bands together,” and this idea became the impetus for the event.

Rock United’s approach is simple. You don’t have to buy a ticket; the bands play for free. The Buffalo Rose is also more than happy to host the event gratis. During last October’s program, the Saloon made more than $9,000 selling food and drinks to Rock United attendees. “In fact, the Buffalo Rose wishes we’d do this kind of thing more often,” Gruver chuckled.

From left, United Capt. Bryan Miller, F/O Andre Lamotte, F/O James Lewis, and Gruver.

So how does Rock United benefit charities? The money comes from donations and a large-scale raffle that Gruver’s wife, Linda, runs during the show. Rock United raffles items like rides on aerobatic flights, simulator time, guitars, sports memorabilia, hotel stays, and a host of other items.

The music lineup tends to start with the lighter fare first. People bring their families and friends, and some choose to stay for only a band or two. Gruver’s group, Stone’s Throw, played the first couple of years. “We tended to play later,” he remembered, noting that the group’s playlist featured classic-rock covers from bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

“The first year, all four bands included pilots—people I knew,” said Gruver. “That year we raised money solely for Pilots For Kids. However, we soon realized that we would need to get other United employees involved if we were to grow this event.” Gruver noted that every band that plays in the festival must include at least one United employee. A flight attendant and a ramp worker were part of this year’s lineup.

By chance, the very first show was held during a Denver Broncos bye week, a week when the NFL team wasn’t scheduled to play. Rock United realized that arranging future concerts at this time would be paramount to achieving a good turnout. “We’d probably lose 20 percent of our audience if we tried to go head-to-head with a Broncos game,” Gruver said.

The former Air Force pilot, who’s been playing the bass guitar since age 12, acknowledged that Rock United takes a lot of work to put together and that he and Linda can’t take all of the credit. United Capts. Larry Hawkins and Bryan Miller and F/Os James Lewis and Andre Lamotte have all been instrumental in managing many of the details. Gruver refers to these gentlemen as the four founding fathers, adding that they’re always a big help, even when their bands aren’t participating. And United Capt. Karl “Kru” Krueger helps keeps audiences entertained each year as the festival’s always-amusing emcee. Many others also contribute their time.

Capt. Jeff Gruver (United) playing his bass guitar.

Hoping to catch Rock United? Gruver says he has about nine more years of flying for United before he retires and plans to run this event for as long as people keep coming.

 
This article is from the January-February 2016 issue of Air Line Pilot magazine, the Official Journal of the Air Line Pilots Association, International—a monthly publication for all ALPA members.

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