Who am I?
I grew up in Northern Ireland listening to pop music on pirate radio stations. I'm not a musician, just a fan. In the 80s, I managed Aussie Christian hard rock band ROSANNA'S RAIDERS and organised concerts in Melbourne, Australia for groups such as Stryper, Petra and Whitecross as well as for artists like Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill and Bruce Cockburn. Recently I've been working with Steve Rowe's bands Mortification and Wonrowe Vision. In 2012, I wrote and published Rosanna---rock'n'roll believer, a biography of vocalist/guitarist Rosanna Palmer.
Why write Metal Missionary?
I believe that Steve Rowe's story is one that needs to be told. He and I have spent almost 12 months shaping his life story from childhood to today. In over 65,000 words and scores of photos, we explain how his life evolved from that of a healthy suburban Aussie boy to that of a cancer survivor classified as an L1 paraplegic. Along the way from adolescence to adulthood, Steve not only fought cancer, he also created extreme Gospel/Christian metal music releasing 15 albums, various musicvideos and DVDs as well as touring the world with his band Mortification.
Metal Missionary: The Steve Rowe Story will impact many readers throughout the world. Not just 'metalheads', but anyone interested in a moving, emotional, inspirational story of gritty determination and unswerving dedication to a cause.
Why run a fundraising campaign?
We don't expect to make much, if any, money from publishing and selling a hardback book. However, any contributions to our indiegogo campaign will help us finance the design, layout and publication of Steve's story.
We need at least $25,000 to create 1,000 books. This money will pay for the design/layout artist, scans of archival photos, all pre-press work and printing.
What can supporters get?
Perks for contributors include Mortification and Wonrowe Vision CDs, a CD/DVD package, iBook versions of Metal Missionary and my book about Rosanna, a hardback copy of Metal Missionary, a Skype session with Steve Rowe and special Mortification merch including t-shirts from Steve's stash in his home office.
If we don't reach our goal, any money raised will go towards creating sample pages to present to potential publishers.
I know how hard it is to fundraise for projects, having been part of a successful crowdfunding effort for a documentary film on the life of God's Squad CMC founder John Smith.
Not everyone is a metal music fan; not everyone is enamoured of the Christian faith. But I hope that enough people will be interested in reading Steve's remarkable story of survival and how he has spent a lifetime overcoming incredible obstacles while attempting to shine a positive light into what is generally a dark and disturbing subculture.
I trust that, if you can't contribute financially, you will help us spread the word about our indiegogo campaign and assist us in enlisting the support of as many people as possible. ---Vic Campbell
