New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon kicked off last week, bringing a raft of excited Aussie performers to the Big Apple, including HOWQUA, Hockey Dad, Ngaiire, and many more, but things recently took a turn for the worse for one unlucky Australian band.
Taking to their official Facebook page over the weekend, Friendships shared a jarring photo of Misha Grace, one half of the Melbourne duo, lying in a hospital bed with a brace around her neck and appearing in a pretty bad state.
“Our beautiful, brave & talented visionary Misha Grace, will be unable to perform our remaining CMJ // USA shows,” an accompanying statement read. “She took a huge tumble off a roof in Bushwick [Brooklyn] early yesterday morning.”
our beautiful, brave & talented visionary Misha Grace, will be unable to perform our remaining CMJ // USA shows. she…
Posted by friendships on Friday, October 16, 2015
“Luckily her shoulder took the force of the 5 meter fall (head, brain and back are fine). She escaped with just a broken humerus. Everyone’s love and support has been amazing – special mention to my Aunty Mary.”
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“We will be performing the rest of the shows without visuals (audio only). Everyone out there… look after your mates & loved ones.” The Facebook post has since been flooded with supportive comments from fans.
“We were partying in Bushwick after a show,” Grace’s bandmate Nic Brown tells Tone Deaf. “Had a sick one at the Bossa Nova Civic Club dancing with mates until the club closed. We ended up on a rooftop that overlooked Manhattan, I think we planned to see the sunrise.”
“The rooftop had couches and tables and a raised elevator housing shaft (maybe 5m high) with a ladder attached. You got a better view of the city from the elevator house thing, so we climbed up.”
“Somehow Mish lost her balance and fell over the ledge, flipped a couple times and landed flat on her back. I honestly thought she was dead. Her eyes were in the back of her head and she wasn’t breathing.”
“I called 911 and the paramedics arrived incredibly fast. Next thing we were in the emergency trauma ward in a hospital in Queens.” According to Nic, doctors tending to Grace were “surprised there was no internal bleeding, brain damage or broken bones”.
Grace is still sadly “in heaps of pain” as the band await “surgery and approval from the travel insurance company”. As Nic explains, “Insurance wants to fly her straight home and get her fixed there (cheaper I guess).”
“We have been trying to make her as comfortable as possible, make sure she has the right drugs on time, and she is eating and drinking properly. Note to everyone… if you wanna fall off a roof, don’t do it in America. They won’t even look at you unless you have insurance.”
Nic has carried on with the band’s scheduled performances solo. “The other shows were weird, uncomfortable and emotional,” Nic admits. “Andre our manager has been with Mish, while I would go out and do a show solo.”
“All the Aussie bands (special mention – The Harpoons, Pearls and Sunbeam Sound Machine) have been super nice and supportive.” According to Nic, the band plan on getting home “ASAP” and tending to Grace’s situation.
“I have always loved travelling and have never been homesick, but I really want to go home and make sure Mish is okay,” he says. “We have been staying with my Aunt and Uncle who have been so loving and supportive.”
Friendships were part of CMJ’s annual Aussie BBQ, a fixture of many international music conferences such as SXSW and Canadian Music Week, which this year also included Sunbeam Sound Machine, Harts, Pierce Brothers, and Client Liaison.
The band was also recently announced as part of the lineup for the forthcoming instalment of Golden Plains and Paradise Festival, and last week unveiled their eye-catching new music video for their new, double-sided single, ‘P2M//DSK’, which you can check out below.
If you wish to get in contact with the band and leave some words of support or advice, reach them via their official Facebook page here.
