Barlow has been unable to play guitar since she saved her dog Lucky from two other dogs’ aggression, sustaining a severed left index finger and bone crush fracture in the process. The digit was reattached in emergency surgery but faced necrosis during recovery. Doctors wanted to amputate the following week.
“I’m a musician, and I really don’t want to lose one of my main fingers,” Barlow tells the Chronicle. After doing her own research on alternative procedures, she began receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy to increase oxygen flow to the region. With continued therapy, the musician hopes to undergo reconstructive surgery sometime in December.
Though she launched a GoFundMe after the attack, Barlow still faces hefty medical bills. When friend and longtime Antone’s performer Derek O’Brien thought of organizing a benefit concert for the musician, Kathy Murray (of Kathy & the Kilowatts) quickly volunteered to perform. Proceeds will go toward covering Barlow’s “surgery, appointments and treatments,” according to the event description.
Bear Ryan, Elijah Zane, and Matthew Brodnax round out the bill, while Barlow herself is listed among the acts on the event poster. Will the gig mark her return to the stage? “I’m gonna be singing, but I won’t be playing guitar,” the artist explains. “I wasn’t sure if I should perform or not, but everyone suggested that they would love to see me perform.”
$12 tickets to the Blues Party Benefit are available via Ticketmaster.
This article appears in December 1 • 2023.
