A big night of rock raises awareness for a life-saving charity. By Mary Agnew

“Do you like blood?” the nurse asks as she prods a needle into a protruding vein on my right arm. “As much as the next non-vampire,” I offer. She flickers a smile as she extracts three vials of dark fluid from my tingling limb. Before I know it, I’m back in the lobby of Tsim Sha Tsui’s Red Cross Blood Transfusion Services Hospital with a glass of juice and a packet of biscuits for my trouble. I’m now on the list to become a bone marrow donor.

The thing is, it’s far less trouble to be a bone marrow donor than you might think – especially when you consider the benefits it can bring to a recipient.

Someone like Maggie Chang.

Chang (pictured above) is a rock’n’roll leader in Hong Kong, having been the bass player for two great country-rock bands – El Destroyo and Bone Table – in the last few years. Not only has she been a stage regular, though, but she’s also organised shows with her drummer husband, Babatunji Heath. She is respected by all who know her in her close-knit music community.

That community, me included, was shocked when Chang was diagnosed with leukemia recently. When I first arrived in Hong Kong, Chang and Heath not only allowed me to stay in their apartment while they took an extended holiday, but they also showed me around all the best local venues, introducing me to the cream of live music in Hong Kong.

Compounding their worries, doctors insisted Chang start chemotherapy immediately. “The doctor came in and was like, ‘You need to start today’, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Stop’,” Chang says with a laugh from her bed at Queen Mary’s Hospital. In need of a bone marrow transplant and told there was no available match in Hong Kong, Chang and Heath quickly realised the intense need to raise awareness for the bone marrow donor registry list. So they decided to do something about it.

On Saturday 27, they’ll host a big show, called Music For Your Marrow, at Grappa’s Cellar, featuring some of Hong Kong’s best bands. As much as the night will be a blistering showcase of Hong Kong talent, however, its first objective is to illustrate the processes of becoming a donor.

First of all, you’ve got to be someone who’s happy to help people, says Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong, the physician in charge of the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry. “Donors must be healthy themselves, willing to donate to anyone who may need it, and to do so anonymously.”

If doctors find a match for your blood sample, they’ll do a short operation to remove a small amount of bone marrow from your pelvis. The operation requires patients to remain in hospital for three days afterwards. “Of course there is some discomfort, but most of our donors are more happy to help than they are in pain,” says Dr Lee.

But, modern medicine being the marvel that it is, there’s also now a less painful, non-surgical option for donation. Where possible, donors can undergo a process of stem cell harvesting that involves taking what is called a “growth factor stimulant” for three days. This stimulant creates an excess of stem cells within your system that can then be extracted via a machine that intelligently isolates and removes them from the blood stream. The cells are then transplanted to the recipient. That process is a nervous and traumatic one for the recipient, but it’s essential for someone in Chang’s position.

While many faced with such a challenge might understandably retreat from the extra stresses of running a charity event, without missing a beat Chang and Heath have set out to create a rock-fuelled night that unites their shared passion for live music with their new awareness of the dire donor need. The irrepressible duo have rallied their posse of local rock-ready rogues to bring us Music for your Marrow.

The line-up showcases the diversity of Hong Kong’s growing live-music circuit. Stepping straight off the plane from Texas’ famous South by Southwest festival, heavy rocking duo DP bring their bearded bedlam back to home shores for the night and are joined by power-pop trio Poubelle International, fresh from completing rambunctious EP launch parties here and in Manila.

No less worthy of your attention are five other experimental, electronic, and straight-up rock acts: 6 Pack of Wolves, Reign Lee, Sushi Robot, Brown Note Collective, and Logo. Pixie Scottish duo Mike Middleton and Jane Flynn – aka the indie DJ team Songs for Children – complete the eclectic civic roundup.

All participants have donated their time and talent for free, leaving proceeds to be allocated to the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Registry Service. But more than your money at the door, these folks want to see names on a list other than the one for guests.

Music For Your Marrow, March 27, Grappa’s Cellar, 2521 2322, $188.